A South Pacific surfer's paradise with some honeymooners in-between
“'Who the hell goes to Teahupo’o and doesn’t catch a wave?' He seemed to be mocking me. I jumped out of the small boat and began to paddle, certain I was going to be slammed into the reef or eaten by a tiger shark. Wave after wave passed while I mustered up my courage, this meant Fabron had to keep circling back with the boat, from his yelling and facial expressions it became clear he was growing frustrated. Not wanting to piss off my ride home I decided I’d ride the next one that came. It was medium size and looked promising, as it began to swell up I aggressively paddled and put my hands in the triangle formation, a technique I had learned during my summers dunking around the Atlantic. Within seconds I began to feel the force, the “heaviness” of the wave, my two hundred and fifteen pound frame was a feather for Poseidon’s push, as it began to crash I took a deep breath and prayed for a fate that did not involve stitches. This was my Laird Hamilton moment, something probably easily achieved by a ten year old local but hey, I was doing it."
--Luke's Journal
CITIES VISITED:
MUST DO:
FAVORITE MEMORY:
Papeete (drove the entire main island)
Enjoy French-Polynesian fusion food.
See the swells in Teahupo ò.
Catch a best-in-the-world sunset.
Appreciate the ferocity of the interior forest.
Around 5pm every day seeing every surfing spot completely full.
Papeete is more of pass through for the more romantic and scenic spots (Bora-Bora), but it's very accessible.
Most tourists go the way of a resort, which is understandable. If willing, rent a car and go the AirBnB or boarding house route. There's a lot of secrets waiting to be told in Papeete, find them outside the gilded gates.
