I stand at the Airport of Papeete. It is 5 a.m. and I am stranded and defeated. I had to book a flight going out of Tahiti. Otherwise I wouldn’t be able to board the flight from the United States. I tried to tell them, that as a European you don’t need this. They still wouldn’t let me through. This put my credit card to the limit unfortunately. Now in Tahiti I can’t get any money. The money was already transferred. Since banks don’t process transactions on a weekend. (I don’t know why. It is supposed to be electronically anyways.) This situation leaves me helpless , tired, frustrated and angry. I get a coffee with the last bits of money I have. I am already planning on how to use my hammock to survive these days. After a while I remembered that I had a little bit of cash in my backpack as a safety precaution. I jump up and search for the next money exchange. They happily accept my Euros and I happily take the CFP. I am safed!

Still tired I hitch a ride to Papeete. If you imagine paradise with a pristine beach you have to think again. It is the capital city of French Polynesia with a mere number 20.000 people living here. The city is quite ugly. The first experience in Tahiti was not the best to be honest. I stroll through the grey streets and to my disgrace it also starts raining.

Tahiti is divided by two parts. Tahiti-Nui, which means big. It is the main island and Tahiti-Iti, which means small. It is the peninsula in the south east. After a jetlagged sleep I start to explore the island with the intention to go to Tahiti-Iti. Only problem, it is Sunday. On a Sunday almost everything is closed. If you are German, you know the struggle as well. It is almost a ghost town. Every bar and restaurant is closed. The supermarkets are usually closed and even the busses don’t drive! My only option left is to hitchhike to my destination. However my luck never seems to disappoint. It is election day and there is more traffic than usual for a Sunday. After waiting a mere five minutes a women on a scooter stops. I gladly hop on. She even has a spare helmet for me! She drives pretty fast through the green scenery with the curvy roads. She seems to know what she is doing, though. We lean deep into the curve of the road on every turn. When I take a peak on how fast we are going, I can see that we are cruising at 80km/h. Of course I am wearing flip flops again… This reminds me of the horror motor ride I got in the Dominican Republic. This feels much safer, though. Afterwards I got picked up by a lovely couple in their jeep. As I said, my luck is guiding me! They did not only bring me to the destination I wanted to go. They also showed me the island and went with me to a beautiful waterfall.

We talk and laugh a lot. They explain what is going on on this election. The division between the people. At one point I asked them about a particular tree that was bearing some strange fruits.

“Oh what kind of fruit is that?”

“That’s breadfruit”

“Cool! What does it taste like?”

“Bread!”

“Uh Okay…”

I later tasted it and I can confirm it actually tastes a little bit like bread. I would say a mixture of potato and bread. What a crazy world… This interaction gave me the first impression how life on the island is. I also decided to do everything by hitchhiking now. I later found out , that almost all Polynesian people bring you exactly to your location. Doesn’t matter how far away it is from their actual destination. Only the French people drop you off where they need to go. So make sure you get picked up by the Polynesian people!

The ethnicity of the people resemble a mix of Latinos, Asians and Caucasians. An amazing combination that creates beautiful people. This resembles in the available food as well. The french culture is mixed with the culture of Asia and Polynesia. In every supermarket you can buy fresh spring rolls, baguettes and pastries, mochis and raw fish like sashimi. The next day I grab a surfboard and drive with a rented bike around Tahiti-Iti. Oh what a surfer is doing just to surf is sometimes beyond understanding. The sun is very treacherous, because the ozone layer is missing here. If you sit in the sun you can feel your skin burning on the spot. Equipped with a strong sun lotion. I jump into the water happy as a fish.

Tahiti-Iti also hosts a very famous wave. The name is Teahupoo. It is a treacherous big wave that breaks over a shallow reef. I often watched my idols surf this wave. I also zoomed into this place via maps quite often. I thought I would never be even close to this area. But here I am, biking 20 km to Teahupoo on a sunny day.

Happiness is flowing through my body, as I arrive in Teahupoo. I can’t believe that I am actually here. So many times have I zoomed into this place and so many time did think that it is just too far away to ever reach it. But here I am. It is even more charming than I imagined. The green mountains of Tahiti-Nui. The blue water is hugging Tahiti-Iti. It is just a place out of a Magazine. The mango trees bear multiple loads of fruit. The coconuts are bursting from water and the star fruits ripe as well!

Tip: If you ever travel to Tahiti without a surfboard. Don’t be discouraged by the missing surf rentals ask some locals instead. They are happy to have some extra income!

The best part about Teahupoo is, that it doesn’t only have a treacherous reef break. It also has a beach break. I thought I wouldn’t go surfing this day. After a while I found a family, that is willing to rent me a surfboard. First they wanted to charge a horrendous price. They thought I wanted to surf Teahupoo. I laughed with them and said “I am not crazy. Well a little bit, but not that much to charge Teahupoo!” I get the board and get into the water again. Happy as ever.

I get to experience the true watermen and waterwomen in the water. The level of surfing is on different level. Kids and adults just play in the ocean and show their skills. I also notice how damn shallow this wave is. The wave is surfed and there is about 20cm water below it. Not filled with sand, but with rocks! It doesn’t seem to bother them too much though…. They do tricks, and airs on their surfboard like it is nothing! Later That evening I got invited by some people for beers. On my way back I got gifted some mangoes, star fruits and coconuts. This shows how friendly the Polynesians are!

I top my first week off with the Taharuu beach. When I pulled up, I saw how big the waves got here. Taharuu is located on the south of Tahiti-Nui. It is just like Teahupoo firing during summer time (winter in the southern hemisphere). The south pacific swells arrive here first. When it is winter (summer in the southern hemisphere) the waves arrive on opposite side of the island, the northern shore.

Here I get another display of the true watermen and waterwomen. I went out in rough conditions with three to four meter sets coming in. It was often at the maximum of my capabilities. The waves would come in fast and build up, than crash down with a terrifying sound, that resembles the thunder. I was struggling from time to time. I had to bail my board sometimes. At the same time some parents were surfing with their 5 year old kids. No worry or fear on their faces. Their faces were just lit up with happiness. If we would be in Avatar these people would be the water tribe. Doesn’t even matter which Avatar…. The people would surf these waves like they have never done anything else. They surf it with ease and turn every section into a show.

I was startled. There was something moving next to me in the water. First my heart sank, as I thought of a shark. Then this beautiful head of a massive turtle pops up next to me. Seems that the turtle was enjoying the waves and the show of the locals as well! What a beautiful experience!

Until next time cheers!