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south pacific

15 Dreamy Photos of the Pacific Ocean to Drool Over

As a born & bred Australian, I’ve always loved living by the ocean. In fact, I’ve never lived more than five minutes from the coast in my entire life. As a result, I have grown up as a water baby with a deep love and respect for the ocean – I’ve always wanted to trade places with Ariel, and often daydream about life as a mermaid. I find spending time by the sea very therapeutic, and is where you’ll find me most of the time!

I thought I’d try something new and share with you a few of my favourite snaps I’ve taken over the years of my all time favourite body of water – the Pacific Ocean. I have fallen in love with many islands across the Pacific, and hope to one day live on one of them permanently. Until then, let’s drool over these dreamy shots…

Enjoy!

SOUTH BEACH | WOLLONGONG, AUSTRALIA

TEAHUPO’O | TAHITI, FRENCH POLYNESIA

NORTH STRADBROKE ISLAND | QUEENSLAND, AUSTRALIA

ZENITH BEACH | NELSON BAY, AUSTRALIA

PRETTY BEACH | BAWLEY POINT, AUSTRALIA

ARORANGI | RAROTONGA, COOK ISLANDS

BONDI ICEBERGS | BONDI BEACH, AUSTRALIA

MO’OREA | FRENCH POLYNESIA

FITZROY ISLAND | TROPICAL NORTH QUEENSLAND, AUSTRALIA

LALOMANU BEACH | UPOLU, SAMOA

BLACK ROCK BEACH | RAROTONGA, COOK ISLANDS

SOFITEL PRIVATE ISLAND | BORA BORA, FRENCH POLYNESIA

GENTLEMAN’S POOL | NORTH WOLLONGONG, AUSTRALIA

MO’OREA | FRENCH POLYNESIA

CYLINDER BEACH | NORTH STRADBROKE ISLAND, AUSTRALIA

Where’s your favourite place in the world to get wet?

February 12, 2018 0 comment

Favourite Travel Experiences South Pacific Islands

The End Of The Road: The Wonderful World Of Teahupo’o

written by Courtney

“We just have to drive to the end of the road,” replied Scott, after I’d asked him if he knew how to get to Teahupo’o, the first stop on our trip around French Polynesia. We’d just picked up our hire car, and with nothing but a dodgy map in one hand and a banana in the other, I wasn’t convinced it would be that easy. “Okay, then!” I said, looking forward to the moment when we’d realise we were lost and Scott would have to ask someone for directions while I sat smugly in the passenger seat.

Alas, that moment never came, because it really WAS that simple. About an hour and a half’s drive south of the main city of Papeete, Teahupo’o is a charming little surfing village located quite literally at the end of the main road that circles the island of Tahiti. Around mid-August every year, the tiny township hosts the world-famous Billabong Pro Tahiti, attracting surfers from all over the world to ride one of the craziest reef breaks on the planet.

It was a bit of a coincidence that we happened to be in Teahupo’o at the same time as this year’s Billabong Pro event. We’d already booked our flights and planned to spend our first weekend in French Polynesia exploring the area, and a few weeks before we left it was announced at the surfing competition would take place on the exact same dates we were going to be there – yay!

In my previous post, I talked about our long journey to Tahiti, which ended with a beautiful sunset over the Pacific Ocean from our gorgeous hotel in Teahupo’o (catch up on it here). Now, we pick up right where we left off…

GOOD MORNING TEAHUPO’O

Golden light shone naturally through the white mosquito net surrounding our bed in our little bungalow at Vanira Lodge. As I slowly woke, I heard the sounds of nature coming alive, greeting each other ‘Good Morning’ with chirps, clicks and buzzing. At least, I hope they were greeting each other good morning… for all I know, the birds could have been plotting with the geckos to catch the insects for breakfast. Either way, it was definitely time to get out of bed and start the day.

Scott and I had a quick breakfast before making our way down to the point at the end of the road to get on one of the first boats out to the reef break, where Day 2 of the 2017 Billabong Pro Tahiti had just kicked off. The tiny village of Teahupo’o was buzzing with energy; full of surfers, families, travellers and locals, who had all come together to watch an international sporting competition on the black sand beaches of southern Tahiti.

We jumped in a little speedboat, and as we jetted off over the bright blue lagoon on our way out to the channel, I could feel the excitement bubbling from deep within. The view from the ocean looking back towards Tahiti was amazing; I watched in awe as I took in the magnificent sight of the jagged mountains in the centre of the island, surrounded by low lurking wispy clouds that gave off a Jurassic Park vibe. Would I be seeing dinosaurs on this trip? Potentially.

As we danced across the lagoon en route to the channel, our speedboat slowed with the appearance of a massive pod of dolphins, who frolicked around us as we watched them with giant grins on our faces. I’ve seen more dolphins and whales in my life than I could possibly begin to count (thanks to growing up on the South-East Coast of Australia) but I still get beside myself when I see them!

The Billabong Pro Tahiti 2017

THE BILLABONG PRO TAHITI

After cruising with the dolphins, we finally made it to the channel, and found ourselves amongst a sea of boats; some big, some small, all vying for a view of one of the world’s most famous surfing competitions – the Billabong Pro Tahiti. As our speedboat nudged its way closer to the action, Scott got the okay to jump into the water with his underwater camera housing.

As I watched Scott paddle towards the action, I noticed one of my favourite Aussie surfers, Mick Fanning, chilling on his board in the water as he watched the competition unfold before him. It wasn’t his heat, but many of the surfers would sit at the edge, watching the competition and cheering each other on, which was great to see!

Somehow, Scott had managed to swim his way to the middle of the action, and he found himself a mere five or so metres from Mick (much to my excitement). Scott had the incredible opportunity to shoot some of the best surfers in the world, riding one of the best breaks in the world – how good is that?! It was just as exciting to watch the action from the channel; in fact, here is a direct quote from the notes I was taking – ‘HOLY SHIT THIS IS AWESOME!’

The fun couldn’t last forever, especially considering that the boats had to go back into shore every hour to drop people off and pick the next lot up. We still had about fifteen minutes to go, but our boat driver got into an argument with the Jetski patrol. At least, I’m pretty sure it was an argument… I don’t speak French very well but it certainly didn’t sound like they were inviting our driver over for a beer after the event. Anyway, we had to head back in to shore a little bit earlier than expected, but it was plenty of time for Scott to get some incredible shots from the water!

AFTERNOON HAPPINESS

After returning to the shore, Scott and I wandered down to the little village to grab some lunch. We found a spot to sit on the black sand beach, and watched the little local kids catching waves close by the shore. Obviously, the waves were nothing near as big as the ones further out on the reef, but we were still super impressed by the kiddie surfers. Some looked no older than four years old, absolutely killing it – I think we were definitely watching the future generation of world surfing champs!

Still feeling a bit jet-lagged from our journey the day before, we decided to head back to our bungalow to recharge. Vanira Lodge (where you should absolutely stay if you visit Teahupo’o) is built on the side of the mountain, meaning it offered stunning views of the Pacific Ocean from just about anywhere on the grounds. We settled in with our books, enjoying the view while we recharged in the sunshine.

The sun setting on one of the coolest days of my life!

A couple of hours later, we decided it was time to get back down to the Billabong Pro, so off we went back down to the end of the road. We managed to get on the last boat heading out to the channel for the afternoon, and arrived just as the final heat was beginning. As I watched the heat, I couldn’t help but look back towards Tahiti, where the afternoon sun was casting a golden glow over the island. It looked so epic; the sunshine really brought out the deep green of the mountains. It was one of those ‘pinch me’ moments, where you really can’t believe you’re doing what you’re doing, or you’re in a place you never thought you’d ever be.

When the announcement that final heat of the day was over came over the loudspeaker from the judge’s station, a stampede of local surfers jumped into the water and paddled furiously to the break, hoping to catch a sunset wave. Scott followed closely behind them, primed with his camera gear, still riding on the high from shooting the wave earlier that morning.

It wasn’t long before the sky began to turn a dusty shade of pink, and the glowing sun was just about to dip below the horizon. As we sat in the speedboat on our way back to the island, I turned and watched the last rays of golden sunlight say goodnight as it finally set on what was an incredible day. I smiled, and with the feelings of true contentment rushing through my body, I thought to myself ‘What a time to be alive!’

Here are some of Scott’s amazing snaps from the weekend at Teahupo’o. If you’re interested in purchasing any of the below images as a print (and you should be), please visit www.scottruzzene.com!

September 27, 2017 0 comment

South Pacific Islands Travel

Smiling Samoa

written by Courtney

On our first morning in Samoa, we woke to what we thought were the sounds of gale force winds tearing through our tiny island resort. As we lazily got up from our bed, Danni and I realised that the sounds were actually of the ocean, only metres from where we slept in our beach bungalow. The sun was hovering just below the horizon, so we sat on the balcony as we watched the bright ball of light slowly rise over the water. The tiny beachside bungalow that we would spend the week calling home was everything I’ve ever dreamed about living in. Located just metres from the sandy shore, our little fale was perfect in every way. However, as much as we could have spent every day hanging out in our new home, there was plenty to do on the island of Upolu in Samoa, and so it was time to explore…

Our adorable little fale.

KITTENS AND SWIMMING HOLES

Before we’d even left home, Danni and I knew there was just one place we absolutely had to see while on our Samoan adventure – To Sua Ocean Trench. Our constant email exchanges in the months leading up to our departure were full of stunning photographs of the iconic Samoan landmark, both of us not quite understanding how something so beautiful could possibly exist.

Then, we visited it for ourselves.

TO SUA OCEAN TRENCH

From the gorgeous photographs, we were expecting the trench to be within a lush, rich rainforest, with a long tunnel stretching towards the sea. When we arrived, however, we were surprised to find a vast, open space, full of tropical plants and a view of the ocean from the cliffside. We paid our 10-tala entry fee, and began to wander around the beautiful grounds, eager for our first glimpse of the ocean trench. Then, in typical wet season fashion, the skies opened up and the rain began to pour. Seeking cover in one of the nearby fales, Danni and I decided to admire the incredible ocean view until the rains had passed.

Our kitten friend.

Before long, a tiny orange kitten had appeared from under a nearby fale, meowing in earnest for a cuddle and a treat. Not one to deny a kitten a snuggle, I coaxed him onto my lap for some warmth. The kitten, however, had other plans. Ignoring my desperate pleas for him to join me, he insisted on giving his attention to Danni, who couldn’t have cared less for his love. I was overcome with jealously as I watched him snuggle into her lap, and Danni smiled smugly as she scratched his tiny head.

TIME FOR A SWIM

Thankfully, it took only about ten minutes for the rains to finally pass, and so we said goodbye to the little kitten and made our way to the ocean trench. As we wandered carefully down the narrow staircase, we caught our first glimpse of the sparkling aqua water through the lush vegetation surrounding the swimming hole. The entire trench came into view as we reached the thirty-metre ladder which extended down to the water. Holding on tightly, we descended the slippery ladder, hoping not to slip and fall into the water below.

After safely making it to the bottom, we put our towels on the small deck area and jumped straight into the salty water. There was no-one else in sight. As we frolicked around in the stunning swimming hole, we began to hear voices. Another swimmer suddenly emerged from one of the darker ends of the trench, and it was then that we realised we weren’t quite alone. The girl was swimming by herself, snorkelling her way around the trench when a huge splash startled us all.

The incredible To Sua Ocean Trench.

We looked up, and realised that someone had jumped into the water from high up on the ladder. Another person was up there too, getting ready to jump. It was then we figured out that these people were with the girl who’d been swimming alone, and they’d swum through the rock tunnel from inside the trench out to the Pacific Ocean. As they swam closer to us, we recognised the young couple from our flight the previous day.

Being the friendly people that we are, Danni and I began chatting to the couple, who were accompanied by a local Samoan tour guide. Their names were Lachie and Kara, and it turned out that they were both from Canberra, ACT, where Danni also lives. Not only that, but we soon realised that Kara worked for the same department as Danni – what a small world!

TAG-A-LONG TOUR

We spent a bit more time swimming and chatting with our new friends and their Samoan tour guide, Sili, before they invited us to check out the blowhole on the cliffside with them. We happily accepted, and the five of us made our way back up the slippery ladder.

We ventured toward the edge of the gardens and made our way down a path which lead to the coast. We scurried over the black, volcanic rock, admiring the views surrounding us. Sili took us toward the edge of a large rock, and pointed down to a hole a few metres from it. “Watch,” he said, before he jumped off the edge into the water. We watched as he floated underneath us and his smiling face appeared in the hole. A few moments later, he emerged from behind us, dripping wet and laughing. “Your turn!” he said.

Nervously, we all jumped into the water and began to swim under the rock. The water was a stunning electric blue, which almost glowed against the dark, black rocks. As we swam toward the back of the cave, Sili told us to hold our breath. Sure enough, a wave then rushed through the cave, causing the water level to rise for a few moments. Laughing and spluttering as the wave left as quickly as it came, we swam out and climbed back up the rock, politely refusing Sili’s offer to jump again.

Sili taking the leap off the rocks.

We walked back up around the ocean’s edge, staring out toward the Pacific with smiles on our faces. As Danni and I said our goodbyes to our new friends, we made plans to meet them at their hotel later that afternoon for cocktail hour.

NEW FRIENDS AND NEW ADVENTURES

We joined Lachie and Kara for cocktail hour and dinner at the Saletoga Sands Resort, about a 45-minute drive from our own resort. Over a few pina coladas, we made plans to pick them up the next day to explore the southern part of the island together. Hooray – we’d made friends!

SAMOA IN A DAY

After scooping our new mates from their resort the following morning, we set off to the south-east part of Upolu, which is famed for its spectacular beaches. With our eyes peeled, we looked for the perfect place to stop for a swim, and when we reached Tagiilima Beach, we knew we’d found it. After paying a few tala to park at the beach and sit in a fale, we eagerly ran to the shore and dived into the crystal clear water. Now, I know I’ve mentioned ‘crystal clear water’ in just about every island post I’ve ever written, but I honestly believe that the water at this beach in Samoa had THE clearest water I have ever seen in my life. Seriously.

It was absolutely stunning, as you can see by the pictures, and we enjoyed splashing around in the perfectly tempered ocean for about an hour before we decided that it was time for lunch. Not far down the road was brightly coloured little shack with the word ‘restaurant’ plastered across the side, so we decided to head on in and see what it had to offer. With incredible views of Lalomanu Beach, we figured it was as good a place as any to enjoy some food and a few drinks!

Stunningly beautiful beaches.

Our friendly (and not to mention fabulous) waiter gave us his recommendations for menu items, and more importantly, the best cocktails. I settled for a strawberry daquiri, but everyone else decided to try the ‘Wake Me Up, Sweet Jesus’ cocktail, which appeared to be the Samoan version of a Long Island Iced Tea.

WAKE ME UP SWEET JESUS

Oh, boy. I am still so glad that I only had one drink, because after just two ‘Wake Me Up Sweet Jesus’ cocktails, the rest of the gang were wasted. If I too had enjoyed one, we would’ve been stranded at that restaurant until we sobered up, which wouldn’t have been the worst thing in the world considering it was next to one of the most gorgeous beaches I’ve ever seen, but we had plenty of exploring to do!

I rounded up my drunken friends, and off we went to continue exploring the island. We decided to drive all the way around to the north side, and found ourselves cruising up and down the windy mountain roads. Coconut palms were scattered across the low valleys we drove past, and everywhere we looked we could only see green. It was the perfect scenery for a road trip, so we pumped up the tunes and admired the incredible views.

Finally, we made it to the other side of Upolu, just as school was letting out. The side of the road was full of young, bubbly schoolchildren making their way home. As for us, we were searching for the entrance to the Piula Cave Pool, which we’d heard was not only beautiful, but one of the most refreshing places for a swim on the island.

Piula Cave Pool.

After driving up and down the same stretch of road twice, we pulled over to enlist the help of the schoolchildren for directions. Taking cover under a shady tree, I couldn’t stop laughing as a drunken Danni tried to ask a group of young Samoan boys how to get to the cave. Between giggles, they eventually managed to point us in the right direction!

CAVE POOLS AND SLIDING ROCKS

We reached Piula Cave Pool to find a few locals splashing about in the water. We wasted no time before we jumped in, escaping the heat of the afternoon. We were surprised to find the water was actually fresh rather than salt, despite the pool being right next to the ocean. We swum inside the cave, and marvelled at the colour and clearness of the water. It was much cooler than the ocean, but it was so bloody refreshing!

Papase’ea Sliding Rocks – we slid down the far one!

Our last stop of the day was the famous Papase’ea Sliding Rocks, located not too far from the centre of Apia, Samoa’s capital. Again, we got a bit lost trying to find it, thanks to the lack of signs in Samoa in general! When we arrived, we made our way down the tall staircase and found ourselves at the top of the sliding rocks. It was steep, and the small pool of water at the bottom didn’t look too deep. Needless to say, we were all pretty nervous about sliding down, and no-one wanted to be the first to do it. Luckily, a group of New Zealand travellers arrived shortly after we did, and it became very obvious that they’d done this before! We watched them slide without fear, and Lachie soon become the first of our group to give it a go.

After watching him slide down the steep, bumpy rocks without dying, I figured I’d give it a go too, and soon realised how much fun it was, despite how much it hurt my butt! We all made it down the few different sliding rocks, and laughed and screamed the entire time – it was so much fun! All good things must come to an end, however, and so it was time to head back to our resort.

Smiling Samoa!

SUNSETS AND SMILING SAMOA

After dropping Lachie and Kara back to their resort, Danni and I began the journey back to our own resort. As we travelled through the tiny villages, we saw all the Samoan families getting together and playing sports; cricket, rugby and volleyball were the top choices, and the golden sunset sky cast an incredibly beautiful glow over everything. There was magic in the air, and as we passed each village, we waved furiously at the locals, laughing and smiling happily with every wave and smile we got in return.

May 25, 2017 1 comment

South Pacific Islands Travel

Journey to Samoa

written by Courtney

In hindsight, sharing a bottle of cheap red wine before a red-eye flight to a new country probably wasn’t the smartest idea. However, as Danni and I giggled our way through boarding, covering our purple teeth with our hands as we passed other passengers, we didn’t care – the journey to Samoa had begun! Resisting the urge to continue drinking red wine on board, we relaxed as the flight took off in the darkness of the night; knowing that when we landed, we’d be in beautiful Samoa.

DARKNESS AWAITS

We arrived at Faleolo International Airport in the dark at about 5:00am local time. Delirious due to lack of sleep, we slowly stumbled our way through immigration and baggage claim, relying only on the excitement of our arrival to keep us awake.

After clearing customs, we rubbed our bleary eyes and headed outside the terminal. We were a good couple of hours early to pick up our hire care, so we figured we’d chill out in the airport until the car rental place opened. As we wandered aimlessly outside, we realised that there was no place to chill at the airport; there was nothing but taxi drivers, airport transfer drivers and tour operators, all with eyes glued to the arrivals gate waiting to pounce on their next customer.

Suddenly aware of the many eyes upon us, Danni and I played it cool, and walked confidently through the tiny arrivals section of the airport like we knew exactly where we were going. I grabbed our car hire confirmation from my backpack and realised that luckily, the rental place was open and we could pick up the car early – phew!

ON THE ROAD AGAIN

By 6:00am, it was still completely dark, but we’d managed to get our hire car – a white Toyota Yaris – without any trouble (despite a few minor language barriers with the Samoan Avis attendant). We put our bags in the back of the little car, then took a step back and stared at each other. “Do you want to drive?” Danni said cautiously. I didn’t want to, but replied “Yeah, sure, but I can’t see very well in the dark”. That was enough for Danni to grab the car keys and take position in the driver’s seat, ready to take us to Apia, the capital of Samoa. It only took us about 5 minutes of cruising down the road to realise we probably shouldn’t have been driving…

We were quite sleep deprived, but the conversation went something like this:

Danni – “How many suburbs until Apia?”

Courtney – “They’re called villages, not suburbs. Also, I can’t read the signs in the dark”

Danni – “My eyes keep dripping”

Courtney – “Gross”

We were bloody tired. With finding coffee as our new biggest priority, we picked up the pace and increased our speed from 35km/hr to a modest 40km/hr, and trudged along in the darkness, watching ever so patiently for the first glimpse of sunlight.

The beautiful harbour opposite the Sheraton at sunrise

HELLO, APIA

As we slowly navigated our way through the Samoan villages, first light began to appear, giving us a better sense of our surroundings. Huge mountains appeared on the right side of the island, remaining dark against the glowing dawn sky, and we could finally see the Pacific Ocean quietly lapping the shore to our left.

As we drove through the quaint Samoan villages, we waved at the early rising locals walking along the road, no doubt on their way to Sunday church. We continued down the road at a modest pace, and we began to notice our surroundings getting larger in size. We soon came to realise that we were approaching Apia.

While not a large city by Western standards, the capital of Samoa was quite populated for the small Polynesian island. We navigated our way through the streets, relying on a small map in Danni’s Lonely Planet guide, until we reached the Sheraton Samoa Aggie Grey’s Hotel & Bungalows. Overlooking Apia Harbour, this colonial-style hotel looked like the perfect place to grab a coffee, so we parked our little Yaris across the road and wandered sleepily in the front door.

Comfortably seated in the beautiful marble lobby, we breathed a sigh of relief. We were in Samoa! We had coffee! We had free WiFi! The sun was rising! Sipping our delicious lattes, we quickly sent messages to our families letting them know of our safe arrival to Samoa, then relaxed until the sun had fully risen over the island. It was time to head to our home for the next week, Sa’Moana Resort Beach Bungalows, located about an hour away on the south side of Samoa.

Whitey standing proud outside the Sheraton

JOURNEY TO SAMOA

Once we’d been sufficiently caffeinated, we left the Sheraton en route to the other side of the island. We’d been given another map by one of the friendly staffers at the Sheraton, so we felt a bit more confident in where we had to go. Since the sun had risen, it was my turn to take the wheel of our little car, who we’d affectionately nicknamed ‘Whitey’ (very original, I know).

As we made the return journey along the same road we’d driven into Apia, we realised that we were in a whole new world. Where we’d driven in near darkness was now fully lit in a vibrant display of colour, with everything appearing bright and animated. It was hard to concentrate on driving when I was surrounded by lively, yellow-tipped hedges, deep burgundy shrubs, and countless green coconut palms.

The locals we’d seen earlier in the morning were now making their way home from church, and waved at us with enthusiasm; huge, friendly grins decorating their happy faces. Waving at the locals wasn’t just a novelty for us, and was something we got pure joy out of during our entire stay on the island. Everyone just seemed so happy, and the feeling was contagious!

After a few wrong turns and driving past the turnoff we needed to go down a couple of times, Danni & I had finally made it to the Cross-Island Road, one of two major roads running straight down the middle of Upolu. If you’ve ever visited Samoa yourself, you will know that the whole street sign/signs in general thing hasn’t really taken off yet, so trying to navigate your way around with nothing more than a tourist map is quite the challenge. Even in our sleep-deprived state, we found it to be an adventure, and we laughed every time we went the wrong way (which was almost every time).

Danni checking out the amazing infinity pool at Sa’Moana Resort

SA’MOANA RESORT

Eventually, we made it to the turn-off to Sa’Moana Resort, which luckily, was actually signposted. The road to the resort was a six kilometre, unsealed dirt path with plenty of chickens, pigs with piglets, and locals milling about on the sides. We carefully navigated each and every bump, and finally made it to the coast, where the shoreline was dotted with coconut palms – the signature of a tropical island. Noticing the colourful bungalows lining the beachside, we cried out in happiness – we were finally there.

Upon arrival, we immediately jumped in the volcanic rock infinity pool, and washed away the past 24 hours in the cool ocean water. We’d made it; the journey to Samoa was complete.

March 24, 2017 0 comment