TAHITI- a natural magical oasis

What to say....where to start... thats a toughie. I can't deny this trip was almost too good to be true. And I hate to sound like I'm bragging, but it truly was. If you ever get the chance to go. DO NOT THINK TWICE!! Pounce at the opportunity like a cat would seeing a mouse after fast sunday! I mentioned in a previous post that my good friend Amber Mozo and I had talked about a trip like this for the past 6 years. it was definitely worth the wait! (and you are possibly in for a lot of photos and words :P) I will give you a break down of our happenings for the week so that you have no reason to say no about going!

Dont forget... when in Tahiti... nutella is good on almost everything! Pastries and Baguettes are totally acceptable. "Poisson Cru" Raw fish is a must! (i love chinese style). Time is just a measurement of light in the day but not an expectation of anything. Seeing shades of blue your've never seen before is expected. And Being in awe every second of everyday is totally normal!

Lets rewind a little and shout out to the Mozo Ohana. This little place in the middle of the Pacific Ocean was a regular destination for Ambers parents. Her legend of a father Jon Mozo was an amazing water photographer, and through friendships and relationships he and his wife Nikki created many years ago now, it has left doors open for his children to return year after year. And what a privilege it was to go along with Amber herself and see the legacy her father has left behind, and the amazing, most incredible experiences he has enabled his children and now me, to have. i feel lucky beyond measure! Amber is a special soul and those of you who know her would agree that she has the gift of her father, the eye of a an artistic photographic magician. Her work is drool worthy, and I warn you that you may experience envious feelings following along with her haha. Check her amazingness here!
*Most of these photos she took, the odd one I took (you can probably tell lol)

So lets talk french and polynesian... BONJOUR and IA O RANA!

I only went for a week, and we jam packed it with all the fun we could I was pooped by the end of it. Our crew was on point!! Amber, her husband Colby and Taylor our talented videographer friend. We stayed on the island of Mo'orea, and I highly suggest any of you who plan to go- to stay here!! Its a ferry ride from the main island of Tahiti and Its absolutely beautiful!!Its a natural magical oasis. It has the necessities, but feels totally raw and away from the hustle and bustle of regular urban life. We were lucky enough to stay with Ambers unty Nani who lives in the cutest little bali style house on a canal type thing that opens out to the ocean and is so close to all the fun!! Its amazing, all the houses that live on the canal all have a boat ramp out the back of their house, so they pretty much cruise around on their boat and park it right up at their house like its a driveway ha. its GENIUS! 

We were right next to the intercontinental resort, so sneaky swims there were rather enjoyable. But thats not even the best part! Our front yard was basically heaven! no joke. The sandbar where the stingrays and sharks hangout is right there, so it pretty much was a daily ritual to go see them. If you come to Mo'orea many people do the tours, but I would suggest renting your own kayak from the hotel and paddling yourself out there, its that much more of an adventure and its only like $20 or so. Our transport for the first half of the week was pretty much kayak, bike, or foot. We had no car, no boat, no plans, but NO WORRIES!!

Our morning ritual was up with the sun, bike to the little market store to buy hot fresh pastries for brekky then paddle to the little dock out front, do a little yoga perhaps and talk about how insane it looks when its so glassy, and then go see the rays and sharks. Cant complain. I hope I never forget those feelings of awe! I miss it just thinking about it! You can read my emotions about all things living underwater here.
Also, right in front of the intercontinental is the surf break "Beachcombers". There is a right and a left (each side of the pass), we surfed it a couple times which was small and fun :)
God is good and even surprised us with a pod of dolphins before we paddled out to the line up. We slipped in and the water was a deep blue but clear as daylight!  

We snuck off one arvo on our friends moped they rented (which is a must do if u wanna see the whole island, its so fun! and there is a guy that will drop it off to you for about $60 and pick it up too) we checked out the local fruit stands down the road. They had a lot of about 6 different things ha, bananas, mangos, coconuts,papaya, star apples and pineapples. I think thats about all that grows there haha. I love how they put so much effort into making their stand cool and cute with their flower decorations. 

One of the days was cloudy and super windy so we scored another bike from a local so we didn't have to pack each other like the usual. We rode with no destination in mind and stopped at 'Le Motu' for lunch. We explored through a coconut grove and found paradise lit up like Gold as the sun began to set. Talk about magical! The sunsets here were insane. everyday! No matter where you are in the world the sun will set, but it will never look the same. So soak up every bit of light and do yourself the favor and make it a goal to see a tahitian sunset!

 THE MOTUS

There are a few little islands, called "Motus" out front of our place. Its honestly something you dream about. Its like a huge swimming pool, thats how clear it is! you could kayak, but id say boat it instead. We scored a little tinny boat, loaded up our things, along with mangos and snacks and rocked up to an empty motu. just us. We swam, snorkeled, ate, and just cruised with no where to be and no schedule. Time was never an issue! That in itself was epic!

Knowing someone with a boat always comes in handy in the islands! Our friends Charlotte and Jesson from Tahiti came across and picked us up on their epic boat. We surfed empty Atiha (a left break that is to the left of Haapiti), had lunch, then surfed Haapiti. Man oh man. Talk about INSANE!! All ill say is, we thought the water out front was amazing... this place was seriously 50 shades of BLUE. WHAT A DAY!! pure stoke! Ill leave it at that..

 I have to butt in here and say thanks to SUNBUM, you saved our skin so good! We were fully out in the sun all day long. So we lathered up in sunscreen and chapsticks. And without being bias, I legit love their stuff! And it actually works! You also don't feel like its secretly bad for you and soaking toxins into your skin like a lot of others. Its a natural sunscreen that feels and smells good! And their hair products just took them up a notch in my books! I love the leave in conditioner spray especially! With a rats tail as long and wild as mine, anything that hydrates and detangles it after all the salt and sun is worth praising and raving about. You can check out their stuff here if you are interested! Ill say "your welcome" in advance! ha

My last day was a special one. The crew surprised me with breakfast at the sandbar with the sharks and rays. Then to top off the trip we drove way back into the mountains, further than I had imagined and hiked to a heaven sent waterfall in what seemed like the middle of nowhere. 

My love for this beautiful world we live in continues to grow. It has changed me, and without realizing it, perspective has become everything. Nature doesnt need people. People need nature!

“As you move through this life and this world you change things slightly, you leave marks behind, however small. And in return, life—and travel—leaves marks on you. Most of the time, those marks—on your body or on your heart—are beautiful. Often, though, they hurt.”

                                                                                             -Anthony Bourdain

There is so much more to tell you about other than what Ive shared but you will have to go see for yourself. Enjoy the rest of these random other photos. Let yourself connect and feel whatever it is gravitating towards. It usually means you need it! Dont stop exploring where ever you are and remember that your perspective can change everything!!

Thanks ber. i love your sassy buoy xx