From the dust of Easter Island to the rain of Tahiti. Mind you it is very hot. We have had quite a lot of rain on and off as it is the rainy season which started in December, but when the sun comes out its HOT. We arrived in Tahiti Papeete in the late evening and we left on the 11.00 ferry for Moorea the next morning. The taxi driver told us about the luggage arrangments of the ferry and suggested we watched the locals and watch that our luggage was actually loaded. It turned out to be high sided crates which you put your luggage in and when they were full a tractor wheeled them on to the boat. We nearly had our bags crushed as you had no idea what was to be loaded on the top of them. Coming back we knew to put them near the top.

We have a lovely authentic bungalow one row back from the beach (50 yards) and look directly at the beach, so we are relaxing and not eating. The reason for not eating is everything is two fold, one we are not doing much to use up the energy put in by food and two it is very expensive, we have overcame this problem by going to the supermarket and getting some groceries for our own teas.

We have done a 4 hour hike up to the volcano crater rim which was very good and made us sweat a lot as it was through the forest and though we were shaded from the sun the humidity was high. We were joined by two Americans from a cruise ship which we could see anchored in the bay from the top of the crater rim. The guide said we did well in reaching the rim in under two hours.

We have also done a 4 wheel drive safari and we have also hired a car. The 4 wheel drive took us along dirt tracks that no other vehicle would get to which was good. Unfortunately we hired the car on a Sunday and everywhere was shut, we did two laps of the Island there is only one road which runs all the way round the outside of the Island and returned the car early.

New Years Eve there was a special meal in the hotel restaurant with music by a local band. We had wondered how we were going to make it last till midnight as by 9.30pm people were already leaving, we were only on our main course by then. Then things changed and some locals came to sit either side of us as we were in front of the band. There followed a lot of talk in French and then some in English as we were then included in the group. The group also knew the band (3 ladies playing ukeles and guitars, one of the ladies was a real big momma, but could sing and play beautifully). At midnight everyone got up and kissed and hugged and said Bonne Annee, we left with everyone else at 1.15am. The rest of the day and the next day were a non event!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Mosquitos have been a big problem we have both been bitten a lot, but neither of us have suffered too badly with them. Thea's tablets seem to be working as normally she would have been in agony. On the trip today a young french couple were with us and they were bitten badly and they were itching. Us old leather skinned folk came away untouched.

Moorea has been good but being a lagoon island it is too shallow to swim properly only refreshing to get into the water, which we will do when we get back from this internet cafe.

We move on Friday to the main Island Tahiti ready for our flight on Saturday to New Zealand and then we lose a day as we go from being 10 hours behind here in Tahiti to being 12 hours in front in NZ.

We wish you all a very Happy New Year and hope that 2008 is a prosperous one for all of you.