Changes in Latitudes

Amy and I threw a bit of a kink into the Lovelace's annual family vacation plans by moving 9,000 miles away, so we decided to split the difference and meet up somewhere in the Pacific. A few weeks back Kraemer, Amy, myself, and the kids all packed up our swimming togs (swimsuits) and hopped on a 5 hour flight to Tahiti.

Tahiti is the main island of the group of islands known as French Polynesia. True to their name, the people of these islands parlay some serious Francais; consequently there is a surprisingly large language barrier. Ordering food in English produced random results so I found myself trying to speak French, which is always amusing.

The main island of Tahiti is surprisingly underwhelming. It's got an airport and a bunch of hotels but it's not the dreamy little island you might expect. A rather unglamorous city and ordinary coastline are all that the main city of Papeete has to offer. A short plane ride away, though, lie some of the most beautiful islands on Earth.

Our first real stop was the nearby island of Moorea. We proceeded to do Beach Things there for about 3 days. The water was clear, the snorkeling good, and the sun hot.

Above: Uncle Kraemer and Quinn at the pool; below,swimming with Uncle Preston.


It was during our stay on Moorea that we first encountered Hinano Tahiti. This beer deserves special mention: Hinano is the local brew and it has a monopoly on the place. Hinano is a soulless lager with strong undertones of skunked Beast. We worked hard to refine our beer drinking technique, eventually realizing that Hinano is at its best when pulled out of the freezer and consumed quickly while holding one's nose.

After a few days of chilling on the beach we took a short flight to Bora Bora, where we proceeded to chill out on the beach. Bora Bora is a classic atoll (follow the link for a nifty explanation of how these form), which means that its main island is surrounded by a coral reef. The water in the lagoon is an impossible shade of azure and the barrier reef ensures that the lagoon remains quite placid. We spent some time taking small boats around the atoll, snorkelling whenever we found a good spot.

Above: Bora Bora's main island

Above: L'hotel et la plage

Amelia, safety conscious as ever.

Grandad and Quinn

After a few days in Bora Bora, I began to understand why many of the US troops stationed there in the War decided not to return home. It's a beautiful and peaceful place and it was great spending so much quality time with the family.


Coming soon: The family vacation continues on the South Island; a nice tramp, demonic sandflies, and trout fishing.