Well I guess there is never a bad time to visit Tahiti/French Polynesia. My friends in the know advised it is THE BEST sailing destination they have been to! And so begins the planning stage. Firstly, I am fortunate enough to not have to go through the "which charter company is best for me". As an employee of Queensland Yacht Charters in the Whitsundays (part of the Dream Yacht Charter group), I find that this is a great opportunity to learn about this great destination to pass my first hand knowledge on to my clients. I have been sold on a Catana 41 sailing catamaran, firstly as I am unfamiliar with this brand and secondly a cat because they are just so comfortable in the tropics. It is just the two of us and we are incorporating a holiday into this famil. We have chosen to visit French polynesia late November/early December mainly to celebrate a very special milestone birthday that my partner Dale is having.
The next step is investigating flights. From Australia, I have found that Qantas & Air Tahiti Nui both depart Sydney & Brisbane via Auckland to Papeete. Air New Zealand don't show available flights from Australia but do have the flights from Auckland to Papeete. Therefore I look at flights with Virgin Blue & Jetstar which have some great specials from Sydney or Brisbane to Auckland. However, I find that the best priced flight is booking direct through the Air Tahiti Nui website. The difference in price will knock your socks off. Qantas $3202 & Air Tahiti $2380 for two of us from Sydney to Papeete via Auckland. Same flights too as they codeshare! Pays to shop around.
So after many, many hours of investigation, the flights were sorted with Air Tahiti Nui departing Sydney on Sunday at 9.15am and arriving to Auckland at 2.20pm for a 1.5hr stopover, departing to Papeete and arriving at 10pm on Saturday (the day before). Our departure from Papeete is on Saturday at 9.20am arriving back to Sydney at 5pm on Sunday - the day after we set out!
The way they do the flights from Auckland to Papeete finds you landing late at night, so you have to stay in Papeete before departing the next day on the Air Tahiti Aero domestic flight to Raiatea.
So the accommodation is booked in advance - after much searching on websites, tripadvisor etc and I hope I have chosen wisely. I have booked Sydney airport hotels as we have to stop over for the night as we can't get in early enough for a flight back to the Whitsundays. In Papeete for the first night I booked the Hotel Tahiti Nui which is located in the centre of town and for the last night in Tahiti, I have booked the Manava Suite Resort. Arriving in Raiatea, we are spending 2 nights at the Raiatea Lodge before heading off on the yacht. This will give us the opportunity of looking around, plan & do our shopping and having a drive around the island.
So, everything is organised and I have my planning charts and pilot guide to the Iles Sous le Vent - our cruising area. Lots of planning to do on our itinerary before we get there.
So after many, many hours of investigation, the flights were sorted with Air Tahiti Nui departing Sydney on Sunday at 9.15am and arriving to Auckland at 2.20pm for a 1.5hr stopover, departing to Papeete and arriving at 10pm on Saturday (the day before). Our departure from Papeete is on Saturday at 9.20am arriving back to Sydney at 5pm on Sunday - the day after we set out!
The way they do the flights from Auckland to Papeete finds you landing late at night, so you have to stay in Papeete before departing the next day on the Air Tahiti Aero domestic flight to Raiatea.
So the accommodation is booked in advance - after much searching on websites, tripadvisor etc and I hope I have chosen wisely. I have booked Sydney airport hotels as we have to stop over for the night as we can't get in early enough for a flight back to the Whitsundays. In Papeete for the first night I booked the Hotel Tahiti Nui which is located in the centre of town and for the last night in Tahiti, I have booked the Manava Suite Resort. Arriving in Raiatea, we are spending 2 nights at the Raiatea Lodge before heading off on the yacht. This will give us the opportunity of looking around, plan & do our shopping and having a drive around the island.
So, everything is organised and I have my planning charts and pilot guide to the Iles Sous le Vent - our cruising area. Lots of planning to do on our itinerary before we get there.
