We took our post-wedding trip to French Polynesia. We chose French Polynesia as it was a far flung destination we would not have gone to otherwise. It took us about 30 hours to get there but boy, was it worth it. French Polynesia is home to gorgeous lagoons i.e. shallow bodies of water separated by reefs. Here is a French Polynesia primer in case you ever plan to take a trip there.
1. French Polynesia is a collection of islands in the South Pacific. It is between New Zealand and South America and south of Hawaii. The best way to get there is via Auckland, Tokyo, or Los Angeles.
2. They boast among the most beautiful beaches in the world but still suffer from relative obscurity. On the one hand, this makes it a lovely tourist destination but on the other hand, the tourism business is still struggling. One reason for that is unstable governance. They’ve had 7 or so government changes in the last decade and that doesn’t help.
3. French Polynesia has 4 groups of islands and the “Society” group are the most popular of the lot. Tahiti, Mo’orea, Taha’a, and Bora Bora form the tourist circuit.
4. Thanks to the large number of reefs, they are really great for diving enthusiasts. They are great for snorkelling too and you get treated to all sorts of marine life including large lemon sharks – a real life experience.
5. French Polynesia can range from mid-budget to extremely expensive. Since the economy is more or less built on tourism and since it is located so far away from civilization, it isn’t cheap by any standard but it isn’t helped by the fact that most tourism advertising is done by the big resort chains. There are many places for cheap/mid range accommodation and it is worthwhile thanks to the huge number of marine activities and the gorgeous views.
6. The locals are lovely island folk. They are typically engaged in fishing, farming, or tourism and are all friendly, warm and fun loving. Most of the pensions (i.e. cheap/mid-range accommodation) are owned by French settlers. French is the common tongue but most are familiar with English. Their dances, music, and love for coconuts had lots of similarities with South Indian customs.
7. Air travel between the islands is a lot of fun. All the airports are old air force bases and have cats walking around. There is no security check whatsoever and you are free to carry whatever you want into the plane. And of course, no need to switch of devices when you take off and land!
8. So, when should you plan a trip to French Polynesia? Any time really! Since it’s a huge distance away from most places except the West Coast of the US, Australia, New Zealand, and parts of South America, it makes sense to look for landmarks. There were tons of honeymooners, many celebrating their 10th, 15th, 25th wedding anniversaries with their families, among others.
Planning a trip to French Polynesia is not an easy task since information is scarce. We had a lot of help from a friend and my primary motive in writing this post is to offer help to you if you ever need it. Please just send me a note and I’ll be more than happy to help.
It’s a great place for celebration and just as a taster, I’d like to leave you with a few pictures. I only wish they did justice to the real thing..
View from the Magic Mountain in Mo’orea
Vahine Island – a small island off Taha’a
Bora Bora’s lagoon from the plane. Bora Bora is the most picturesque island.
Stingrays in very shallow lagoon water (4 feet)
Sudden dip in depth of lagoon water in Bora Bora
A better photographer would have converted this into a desktop wallpaper
A Learning a Day 
