View out of our window once we reached Tahiti area. This means that we already got through the night. Ryan was smart and took sleeping medicine. I did not-- thus, I did not get very much sleep this night!

 

We were welcomed at the airport with leis and taken to the ferry dock! We waited here for the ferry to come pick us up and transport us to the island of Moorea. It was about a 25 minute boat ride. I was surprised by how big the ferry was-- I think I was picturing a tiny wooden ferry from the game Oregon Trail!

 

This was the entrance to our the resort we stayed at in Moorea. Everything was open air.

 

When we first arrived, we were warmly greeted and given damp towels for our foreheads, which actually felt amazing after a bunch of sweaty traveling. I was undoubtedly starving at this point, so the delicious pineapple-mango juice was also a welcome treat!

 

On our first night, there was a special Polynesian buffet dinner with a special show (dancing). At the end, they pull up members from the audience to dance with them... and look who was a good sport and did it! I was basically hallucinating by this point, anyway, from being so tired... but I'm really glad I got pictures of this to prove it actually happened :)

 

It's interesting, because even though we were in this tropical location, I can't say we spent that much time on the beach. It was more so about the beautiful clear water, poolside activities, and other fun excursions. I would say you would maximize your time best on a beach in a place like Florida. With that said, this was one of the few times I did walk the beach-- which was a pretty small area-- one evening, while looking for items to photograph with my new macro lens.

 

Ryan is learning what it means to be married to a photographer. Having to stop and pose for pictures because the lighting is pretty, or take a selfie because every moment must be documented, or patiently waiting while I get the PERFECT shot of a bird bathing in the pool. I'm thankful that I married a man of patience who lets me capture life, no matter how long it takes :)

 

We ate breakfast every morning in this cute little building at the top of the stairs. We were often seated by a window, so could look out over the sunny morning and feel the breeze while we enjoyed our buffet of eggs, bacon, croissants, and fresh fruit.

 

This was one of the few evenings we actually ate dinner at the resort. But it did no disappoint! The food was amazing.

 

My chicken fafa... Ryan had a seafood dish.

 

This was the pool where we spent most of our days :) Off to the right was a swim-up bar and a breath-taking view of the mountains. Behind me would be the ocean, and in front of us was headed back to the resort area. There was also a pool beyond this one that was a little smaller. We were there during their low season, so it was very quiet, which was nice!

 

Ryan and I would usually stay at the resort and split lunch everyday. They were so accommodating and would always split the sandwich in half and give us plenty of fries. I often enjoyed an ice cold Coke with a lime. It was SO refreshing! This was a BBQ bacon sandwich... amazing.

 

Our first excursion was an ATV tour around the island. It was SO cool and we agree was one of our favorite activities. We made several stops and were able to enjoy the beautiful Moorean scenery.

 

The beauty of Moorea!

 

We stopped at a pineapple farm and learned all about pineapple. Like the fact they grow in a cactus-like environment (ouch!) and only yield 1 piece of fruit a season.

 

We stopped at this little stand and sampled some delicious jams and had some fresh pineapple. We also shared a scoop of lime sorbet. It was SO refreshing!

 

We bought some papaya jam to bring home with us!

 

We stopped at this overlook to see a beautiful view of Moorea's mountains and bright blue water. First though, we had to fight out way through the tourists and roosters ;)

 

Back to our resort... this is the view outside of our front door. Also, a common sight to see-- sunny rain!

 

Our garden villa walked out onto a deck with a plunge pool.

Front view of our garden villa

 

Ready for our jet ski tour!

 

Most evenings, we ventured out on the town for dinner. A lot of places had a free shuttle service that would come pick you up. This was an Italian restaurant we tried one evening. We shared lasagna and had homemade ice cream for dessert!

One day, we walked to this place called Snack Mahana for lunch. It was about a 15 minute walk from our resort. Walking on this island reminded me of walking along the road in Africa... you have to stay as far away from the road as possible so you didn't get run over by a car!

 

Another night out eating dinner at one of the favorites on the island-- you sit outside right by the ocean and it's so pleasant. I loved the presentation of my mojito, so wanted to share this picture :)

 

Snorkeling adventure #1!

 

YES, those are sharks and sting rays just inches from Ryan! We actually swam WITH them. We were advised to "not touch the sharks" but the sting rays were friendly and you could pet them. It was quite an experience!

 

 We got to snorkel by some beautiful coral reef, too. You can see it in the water. Doesn't look like much, but once you put your face underwater and look around, it is breath taking!

 

After an amazing first week in Moorea, we are ready to head to part 2 of our trip, which was Bora Bora. Ryan and I both agreed that only one week on this trip would have been way too short. We were really glad to have another week ahead of us!

 

We took a plane to Bora Bora...

 

And we were greeted with more leis and a boat transfer to the island!

 

Arriving here was a treat! We had such a warm and organized welcome. We got off the boat, directly loaded onto golf carts for a tour of the resort ground, and were transferred to check in and then to our room, where our luggage was delivered to us.

 

Oh, but first... cool, damp towels and sweet coconut tea :)

 

Our over water bungalow in one word: AMAZING. This was the living room area. Note the coffee table with a hold cut out underneath where you could see the water (and fish or other people canoeing by ;)

 

Outside our doors... an upper and lower deck overlooking the water.

 

Why did we ever leave this place?!?!

 

This was a little lagoon right off of where the walkway was to our bungalows where you could snorkel

 

The food in Bora Bora was my favorite. Every morning was the traditional buffet breakfast, we usually split lunch at the resort, and then dinner was a 3-course meal where you had the option to choose what each course was every night. They featured nightly specials, as well. This was the special for the appetizer on our first night-- it was this delicious asparagus over greens with bacon, fresh Parmesan, and some sort of puree.

 

The best part for me: choosing dessert every night! I was always excited to see what the special was. This was a chocolate creation with coffee ice cream.

 

Enjoying a glass of champagne out on our back deck... it was seriously like a dream. The air was mild and warm, the breeze was slight, the water was beneath us, the stars above us, and it was quiet and lovely. Oh, to be back there...

 

Just a sample of the breakfast we had every morning. This was not a trip for losing weight!

 

The view from our bed!

 

We kayaked one afternoon to our very bungalow!

 

Bliss!

 

Ryan out on the stand up paddle board. It was really fun!

 

The walkway to the bungalows

 

My cute guy.

 

We look like natives, don't we?! We should totally move there.

 

Ryan tried cognac for the first time!

 

More Polynesian dancing :)

 

Our spa day.. couple's massage and access to the spa all morning. We tried out the hot tubs, which as it turned out were not very "hot!" At least the view were good :) All of their pools in the spa area had salt water.

 

Enjoying our morning or relaxation!

 

This was the tea lounge. You could make your own cup of tea and relax here for as long as you wanted! It was quiet and breezy.

 

The magic of the self timer :)

 

Evening prettiness

 

This is Reef, the restaurant where we ate every evening. We usually sat outside at one of the 2-seaters.

 

There's no such thing as too many pictures of dessert. Here was another favorite-- coconut chocolate crisp.

 

Another one of our favorite excursions! The underwater helmet adventure!!!

I was mildly panicking when I saw these giant astronaut-like helmets sitting in a boat attached to oxygen tanks. I thought my life was surely over because I would die of an anxiety attack under the water or run out of air. But none of those things happened and in fact, it wasn't a big deal at all.

Here I am underwater! You could breathe really easy :)

 

Once you got underwater, the fish would rush towards you because there were little mesh bags of bread attached to you.

 

SO fun!

 

Petting the sting rays!

 

Ryan, getting up close and personal with a sting ray

 

Here we all are!

 

Ryan swam underneath our bungalow and I shot this inside the bungalow through the "coffee table."

 

Our last excursion was a photo booth boat tour. Our boat driver took tons of pictures of us-- including this one-- with our bungalow in the background.

 

Oh... to be back here!!

 

That water.

 

He cracked open a coconut for us, let us drink the coconut milk and then poured sparkling wine into them for us to enjoy.

 

 

Our last day in the sun!

 

Living it up in the pool with my favorite frozen mocha banana drink!

 

We left on a Friday... and had a bunch of time to kill before our boat picked us up, so we tried out the hammock underneath the palm trees.

 

 We are sad to leave... but happy to be getting back home!

 

Now here we are about 18 hours later... looking a bit rough! Made it to LAX...

 

And now in Chicago! Getting closer... just need to drive home to Madison.

 

We slept in until 11 the next day and then had a huge breakfast! Post-honeymoon hangover breakfast :) 

What can I say, other than our trip was outstanding! We had such a wonderful time together. It was the perfect mix or adventure and relaxation. I don't think I would change a thing about it. 

We were blessed to be able to use 2 weeks of Ryan's sabbatical from a special sabbatical program he has at work-- to be able to visit a country we've never been to, discover the culture, and also have a dose of tropical sunniness after our January wedding. 

I can look to none other than our great and loving Father and say thank you for this opportunity to start our first two weeks of marriage in such an amazing way.

We have been getting settled in since we arrived home several weeks ago, and I hope to update you soon on more of our "everyday life."

Until then... stay warm, and may these pictures warm you up by just looking at them! 

T