KIA ORA travel agency
4th September 2007, Tuesday - Fly Air France: Venice/Paris and Paris/Los Angeles.
Wednesday 5th September 2007 - LOS ANGELES, visit of the mythical city: streets and skyscrapers often filmed by famous movies; Hollywood Stars road has actors' names and their hand printed on sidewalk; in Beverly Hills looking for the actors houses: Paul Newman (collection of Ferrari cars in the garden), Steven Spielberg (his garden is like a wall of intricate dinosaur forest), inspector Colombo (with personal policeman), Tom Cruise hidden entrance, Barbara Streisand bloom house, Frank Sinatra yr. and many others VIPS. Shopping in Rodeo drive street. Universal Studios for Terminator show (very spectacular 3D), Shrek 3D (built to bespatter with mud European tales culture) and tour of all studios by a little train surrounded by special effects from 07 movies. Hight wonderful mattress in Crowne Plaza hotel (Beverly Hills).
6th September 2007, Thursday - Fly from Los Angeles (USA 4pm) to Papeete (Tahiti 9.30 pm)
7th September 2007, Friday - TAHITI, Papeete market: pareos, perfumes, Monoi's oils, fruits and food take away. Island tour with minibus: Gauguin painter museum, maraes (ancient polynesian temples) and black beaches for surf. Roulotte restaurants in Vaiete square: good fish!
8th September 2007, Saturday - 25 minutes local bus and visit to the disappointing Tahiti's and islands museum (French foreign occupation is not very interested in Polynesian tribal tradition).
Fly Tahiti/Huahine island and first long desired swim. Meherio pension in Fare.
9th September 2007, Sunday - HUAHINE, near Fare lonely beach where the reef is close to the shore. Barbara went snorkeling while I laid and had rest. When I stood up I didn't see Barbara on the sea, I looked everywhere but she is lost: the sky is grey, glacial silence. Panic! I shouted her name in a crazy way and I thought to have lost Barbara for ever... Then local people came to help me and with a kajak they could pick up Barbara far away, outside my view.
10th September 2007, Monday - Boat tour of Huahine, island called the "Women island". All around magnificent landscapes of green hills and wild forests. Exciting sharks feeding with about ten sharks two meters far away from us.
11th September 2007, Tuesday - Fly to BORA BORA. Snorkeling in front Novotel of Matira: a turtle and a ray.
12th September 2007, Wednesday - Lagoonarium boat tour; intense colors of the lagoon, crystal water and imposing green mountains on the back: Bora Bora fame of best sea in the world is right, the island atmosphere is magical! Inside Lagoonarium (divided by artificial nets) we can swim in affable and impassible sharks company. Show about pareo's different kind of winding upon the body. The Tahitian people that organized the trip were friendly, they greet us with songs and guitar.
13h September 2007, Thursday - By kajak I went to the motu (little island) in front of our hotel.
14th September 2007, Friday - I dived at Anau, deep wall of reef.
15th September 2007, Saturday - Ferry-boat Bora Bora/Maupiti.
16th September 2007, Sunday - MAUPITI, have a rest or esploring the motu in which we had accomodation. The bungalows of Kuriri pension had a nice atmosphere like "lonely adventurers place" http://www.maupiti-kuriri.com/.
17th September 2007, Monday - By bicycle complete tour of Maupiti shores (9 Km), a big shower stopped us! Only one beach, the island is scarcely inhabitated. At 2 pm o' clock we didn't find any food, only sandwiches. There is a pension for 20 Euro/day, cheap one.
18th September 2007, Tuesday - Woke up 5.30 am in order to fly to Rangiroa, with short landing in Raiatea and Papeete. Just in front of our pension, Raira Lagoon, we had a wonderful snorkeling.
19th September 2007, Wednesday - RANGIROA. Boat tour to the Blue Lagoon, place like a postcard: the paradise lagoon is surrounded by motus like a pearl's necklace. By foot along low waters I reached the motu of the "bird island", Barbara followed me walking slowly behind. I was ecstatic when I saw the Kuriri birds with long curved beak and some graceful birds like white doves in the blue sky. This time Barbara was looking for me lost and was desperately looking for me in the intricate forest of the motu. Fortunately we met again in the shore while other turist were are all away from the motu.
20th September 2007, Thursday - Dive 13 meters 40 min: white fin shark, camouflaged sole, amazing wall built by a shoal of red fish; in the surface dolphins and manta rays.
21st September 2007, Friday - Bicycle trip in the only asphalt road of the main island, than taxi-boat to Tiputa (500 CPF). Lunch in the magazine of the village, where the owners Vetea and Ilona (ph.967358) give us a passage for free in their lorry: happy trip to the most beautiful beach with all their six dogs!
22nd September 2007, Saturday - Fly Rangiroa/Tikehau. Accomodation in Relais Royal in a good bungalow directly to the beach. Just in front of the pension spectacular corals; my idea is that the less turists and pollution has one island the more the corals are nice and healty.
23rd September 2007, Sunday - TIKEHAU, trip to Bird island: chick of Sula and white common Fairy tern (Gygis alba).
24th September 2007, Monday - 40 min Dive in the pass, nice reef and interesting meetings: a giant moray, a lion fish (very poisonous) and a turtle, I fed with coral by myself.
25th September 2007, Tuesday - Fly Tikehau/Papeete and Papeete(9pm)/New York(4pm, night in plane).
26th September 2007, Wednesday - NEW YORK, walk in Manhattan: Madison street and crosses between 29th to 48th street. Mc Donald's local fast food.
27th September 2007, Thursday - City tour: districts of Haarlem, Chinatown, Little Italy. Stop at ground 0 and Memorial museum (just pictures of 11th September's victims). By ferry-boat to the liberty statue.
28th September 2007, Friday - Fly New York/Paris
29th September 2007, Saturday - To Venice, everlasting Capital.
