I’m all for a good surprise when it’s possible. With Mike’s 60th birthday approaching I told him we were going to Maui - that’s always a good time, and because we go every year it’s not unexpected either. In reality I had something bigger in the works. Yes, we would fly to Hawaii, but then immediately jump on another flight to Tahiti, then Bora Bora. After a few days there we would fly on to the neighboring Cook Islands where we would split our time between Roratonga and Aitutaki. To get home we would fly to New Zealand for a couple of nights, then at last to Honolulu, then home. All I had to tell Mike was to pack some extra “nice” Hawaiian-style clothes so we could go out to celebrate his birthday a couple of times.

A couple of days before departure, late at night, I’m surreptitiously getting our passports out of a drawer at home. CRAP! Mike’s passport is about to expire!! So much for my surprise as I’m now having a meltdown that is impossible for him not to notice. Maybe we can get an emergency passport issued if we drive to San Francisco the next day, but that is Good Friday so who knows if the passport authority will even be open, and we are supposed to leave on Saturday… 5am Friday I’m on the phone to the Washington DC passport office as soon as they open (8am on the East Coast) to ask if the SF office will be open despite the holiday - they are, but there is no guarantee they can turn a passport around in one day so we should be there early. By 6am we are on the road to be in SF when they open, after stopping for passport photos along the way. By 2pm we have Mike’s new passport. My surprise is of course wrecked as we had to list all the destinations on our trip, and the dates we would be places, in order to get the passport.

I did pull off one surprise the next morning at the San Jose airport. We get in line for Hawaiian Airlines and Mike corrects me that we are in the Business Class line and need to move. Nope - we’re in the right line (this was the first time we ever booked business class)!

I honestly hadn’t had time to do any research into this trip - work had me spending a good chunk of January in New Zealand, and February in Cuba, so vacation in March had taken a back seat. I did start out thinking that Tahiti was an island nation, only to learn that it is the main island (and international airport) for French Polynesia. Our time in Papeete, Tahiti, was just an overnight, with a few hours Easter morning exploring a very quiet city. From there it is a short 50 minute flight to Bora Bora - the views as we flew in were nothing short of spectacular, with turquoise lagoons surrounding a towering vibrant green central mountain, all fringed by palm studded motu (small islands) and the fringing reef. With my last minute planning our accommodation options were limited, especially as I wanted an over-water bungalow. The best option was the Four Season’s, and they only had a single room left - their nicest room at the end of a pylon with a view directly across the lagoon!!

The Four Seasons Bora Bora staff were in the airport with fragrant leis and cool drinks. A lovely antique (think “African Queen” when she was new) boat ferried guests across the lagoon 30 minutes to the exquisite resort. Located on a fringing motu only superlatives can describe the Four Seasons. Just 106 rooms in total, with 99 of them deluxe over-water suites, the resort never feels crowded. Arguably the best suite is #330. Located at the end of the 3rd pylon (out of 4 pylons), the room featured a double deck, infinity plunge pool, swimming/diving platform, outdoor shower, deluxe loungers, dining table, outdoor bed, and the most spectacular views of the entire property. The deck and all rooms (living/dining, bedroom, bathroom) also shared the same amazing views. The resort brochure lists the room as over 1500 square feet!

Another advantage was the amazing end-of-pylon privacy with the suite – it was like being in the middle of the lagoon with no one else around! The downside of that location is it was very nearly a kilometer from the door to the core of the resort with the restaurants, bar, activity center, spa, etc. You could always call for a golf cart if you didn’t feel like walking though…

A huge breakfast buffet is included, and there are several resort restaurants for lunch and dinner options. We enjoyed sushi at the sunset bar one night, and a beach-side family style dinner and show, complete with fire dancers, another night. Rather than trying the fine dining restaurant one night we went for the “romantic dinner” option on our private lanai. We were encouraged to “go to the bar” between 5 and 6pm so the dinner could be set up. Returning at 6pm we found the walkway to our room strewn with palm fronds and flowers. Inside the room was glowing with candles, music was playing, and the sweet aroma of flowers filled the air. A path of blossoms let to the lanai where the table was facing the setting sun. A sideboard held champagne buckets with champagne, wine, and water. Over the next 3 hours the waiter would pop in with new dishes, from small plates to starters, main dishes, to desert. Highlights were a “sushi heart” that filled an entire plate, and the dessert that was a chocolate outrigger canoe filled with tropical fruits (the outrigger’s chocolate pontoon was filled with ice cream).  

The resort includes kayaks, stand-up paddle boards, and floating bikes – we tried them all! They also provide snorkeling gear on loan. Afternoon and evening boat shuttles to the village of Vatape are available, with the trip taking about 30 minutes each way.

Additional adventures and tours available from the resort include a snorkeling trip with a marine biologist to see sharks and rays. The adventure that caught our eye however was the 2-hour WaveRunner trip around the island. This was an absolute adreneline rush as we zipped around with our guide, Rua. Along the way he pointed out a few landmarks (including old American WWII bunkers on the mountain) and taught us some of the history of his atoll. At one point we stopped for a break on a submerged sandbar. He zipped ashore and picked a grapefruit and a coconut, and brought them back out to us. We stood around in the water, mid-lagoon, snacking on sweet fruit while he told us more about his life in Bora Bora. All too soon we were back at the resort – I wanted to do it all again!

We had every intention of going into town one afternoon or evening. If nothing else I wanted to have a drink at Bloody Mary’s – famous from the days of the American GI’s (and also famous from the musical South Pacific). Despite our best intentions the room was just too magical, and the temperatures too hot, to ever pull us away from the resort.

From Bora Bora we returned to Tahiti in time to connect with the once-a-week flight to Rarotonga - the capital of the Cook Islands. We had pre-booked the simple Black Pearl Inn for two nights. Rather than booking the offered transfers we rented a car for our 48 hours on the island. It was the rattiest little rental, but it got us around just fine. The only challenge was remembering to drive on the left side of the road!

Like Bora Bora, Rarotonga is a coral atoll with a high mountain in the middle. In roughly an hour you can drive around the island. There are no large hotels or resorts!

My most vivid memories of Rarotonga are in many ways the food.  We ate well, and affordably.  The first night we went to Wilson’s on the beach (behind the Castaway Inn), where we wiggled our toes in the sand as we sipped tropical drinks and dined.  Breakfast the next day was at the Salsa Café where coconut pancakes, layered with sautéed bananas, and topped with bacon, were on order.  Lunch was at The Mooring Fish Café – picnic tables by the beach, with the kitchen inside several shipping containers – the fish sandwiches were Amazing (as was my lime milkshake).  With 3 great meals behind us we asked at the hotel for recommendations for dinner.  We opted for Vaima, which again had tables right on the sand.  A more up-scale restaurant that our previous stops, but equally good.  For our last morning we went to the Saturday market (a combination produce market, prepared foods, crafts, T-shirts, etc.)  More than a tourist market this is really a place for the locals to socialize over the week’s news.  Amid our shopping we also enjoyed some fresh baked treats and BBQ shrimp and chicken skewers.  Midday we made one last meal stop, at LBV deli for BLT paninis on the veranda – yum!

We tried snorkeling in the marine preserve one day but the tide was low and after several aborted attempts to work our way over the coral to open water we gave up.

Our last stop before returning the car was to stop at the end of the runway, where the road passes just feet from the arriving planes.  This is one of only a couple of places in the world where you can get so close to a jet blast.  Unfortunately the anticipated Air New Zealand plane was an hour later than we counted on because of a recent schedule change for daylight savings time.  Next time.

Like Bora Bora is to French Polynesia, so is Aitutaki to the Cook Islands. An hour north of the main island, and known for a spectacular lagoon. I believe the flight here on Air Rarotonga is the only time I’ve not been asked to show any ID for a flight – they just asked my last name, found me on a list, and gave me a boarding pass. That was the total of the formalities!  

On arrival we were met and once again given fragrant leis. This time however we were shuttled to our hotel – Paradise Cove – in a battered old Toyota minivan. Along the way we stopped at the village market to buy bottled water (the water at the hotel isn’t filtered). With a population of just 2,000 Aitutaki is a very quiet place! Our hotel is a series of 10 small matching bungalows on the beach. Our view out is between palm trees to the lagoon and reef. Below us the simple restaurant/bar has picnic tables at the water’s edge. Our room was perfectly adequate; clean and spartan. The hotel no longer had the promised kayaks – they said they had floated away. Bikes were available for rent, but it pretty rough shape. Dinner was fine, mostly because of the lovely waterside ambiance (and the geriatric cats circling at our feet).  

Our first day on the island we braved the rickety push bikes (their term for bicycles) and set off exploring. It’s a small relatively flat island so we easily saw a lot! The Cook Islanders are very religious so nearly everything is buttoned up tight on a Sunday. It felt like we had the island to ourselves, except for the singing coming out of the many churches we passed. Our hotel didn’t serve lunch so mid-day we stopped at the Pacific Resort for lunch, and fell in love.

The Pacific Resort is a member of the Small Luxury Hotels of the World group (a group of independent, and very special, hotels). After lunch we asked if they happened to have any rooms open… if we wanted to check in the following day they could put us up for our last 3 nights on the island (and at a rate that was roughly one third of the standard rate). We’re jumping hotels, from maybe 2-stars, to 5-stars. This really isn’t our regular style of travel, but for this trip at least Bora Bora and the Four Seasons have spoiled us.  

travel journal text and photography by Mark Grantham 
(except the drone shot of the Four Seasons)