Tahiti, the recap

Notice the new background? The photo was taken by the blog's chief photographer Jen.

Before settling down in New Zealand, Jen and I spent three days in Tahiti. We stayed at the Sofitel Maeva Beach Resort in Papeete. Everyone speaks French and with my mumbling and Jen's speed, communication was tough.

I don't want to give a long journal entry about the entire trip, so I decided to list of some key moments and advice. So in no particular order:

1. Don't be afraid to take a bus. For $4 (Tahitian) Jen and I traveled all the way to town and back to the hotel. It cost us $2,500 (Tahitian) just to get to the hotel from the airport. Riding the bus gives you an up close peek of the people and the culture.

2. The women really do wear flowers in their hair. I always assumed it was something done just for tourists.

3. Everyone has a tribal tattoo. They're on legs, shoulders, arms ... everywhere. I was really tempted to get inked up, but I was advised against it.

4. If you're a vegetarian, finding something to eat will be tough. Meat is a big part of the Tahitian diet. To combat this problem find a grocery store. It was the highlight of Jen's day and it gave her a chance to have a full meal.

5. Can anyone say baguette? Everyone in Tahiti can. I think I had one every day of my trip.

If there was one knock against the beautiful island, it was trying to get to the beach. Buses didn't go and our hotel didn't offer any beach excursions. So in three days, Jen and I only saw one beach worth swimming in and it was at another hotel resort.

What to pack?

I'm the kind of person that will pack four types of pants for a weekend stay. In my mind, one should be ready for any occasion. And despite the many years of never, never needing all the clothes I pack, I do it anyway.

There must be some type of support group for this!

So when it came time to pack for my six-month trip, I just pulled out everything I wanted to bring. I then went back and took out all the stuff I really, really didn't need. It was a terrible process and I honestly don't think I did too well.

The idea of making a list came to me long after I packed all my stuff and by then, if a piece of unnecessary clothing made it into the bag, I felt it should stay.

I'll let you know what the TSA thinks once I put my bags on the scale.

Why New Zealand?

No matter how many times I tell people I'm moving to New Zealand for six months, I never seem to be ready for the obvious question that comes next: Why?

In my opinion the statement alone is enough.

But after hearing the question a few times and stumbling through "the chance of a lifetime" kind of stuff I found the best answer. It came courtesy of my boss when he said "She's going to New Zealand because she can."

I like that answer.

The point of this blog is to show you New Zealand through my eyes. There will be pictures and stories and maybe even a few bad days mixed into this six-month odyssey. But in the end I hope to come out with some awesome stories and great memories.

So let's get cracking!!!