Tahiti - September 2003

Manihi

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Where Bora Bora was luxurious and the lagoon was beautiful, Manihi was more pristine, traditional and its lagoon was full of life. We arrived at, what we would consider, the smallest airport ever visited. Yes, the hut is it. We were then transferred to the Manihi Pearl Beach Resort - the only hotel on the island. Our bungalow was the last bungalow at the edge of the lagoon with a spectacular view over the lagoon . During our stay we saw many different aquatic animals usually only found when SCUBA diving. One morning we saw seven octopuses swimming in the shallow waters of the lagoon. And the blacktip sharks were never far away when we were feeding the fish through the glass table in our bungalow.

Manihi was the island were we wanted to SCUBA dive. We were able to do so during the first couple of days. Unfortunately, the El Nino of a few years ago caused most of the coral inside the lagoon to die, and even the coral on the outside of the reefs have not yet fully recovered. In addition, Marc became sick for a few days, and so we could not complete as many dives as we had wanted. So, we spent our days at the endless pool (see how you can walk on water in such a pool).

The evenings were filled with all kinds of events. One evening, we went on a sunset cruise . Another evening, we enjoyed the dance show of the hotel staff . It was much less perfect than the shows on the other islands, but, it was much more heartfelt and "genuine" - even the kids participated . The highlight of the evenings was the private champagne dinner on our patio . We were served a five-course menu. Even the chef came by to present us with the main entree of steak and lobster , beautifully arranged in a wooden, hand-carved canoe. It was very romantic and highly enjoyable.

Before our departure, the hotel staff surprised us with hand-woven hats . We were the only departing passengers who received these hats. As we were leaving Manihi we felt very special and happy that we made the trip to meet such welcoming and friendly people, but we were also looking forward to the next stop on our tour of the islands - Moorea.