To me, Tahiti has always represented the most intricate and beautiful amalgamation of everything I have ever wanted in a place. Its lush, green mountains rise sharply out of a vibrant ocean, creating a heavenly sanctuary in the middle of the Pacific. Passing clouds are captured in the remnants of an old volcano, and their rain gives life to the abundant flora and fauna that inhabit the land. The island is protected by barrier reefs that mold incoming swell into perfectly-shaped waves, while leaving the interior lagoons perfectly still and crystal clear.
This was the vision of Tahiti I had created in my head over the countless years I had dreamt of going. Between social media and my own research, I had seen all of the best sides of the island on full display. Tahiti began to represent a reoccurring, idealized dream of a paradise that lay waiting in the South Pacific.
When I finally had the chance to go, I was honestly a bit hesitant. It’s a weird feeling when something you have truly, deeply wanted for so long is within reach. By stepping foot on that island, all the hopes, dreams, and promise Tahiti had come to represent would suddenly vanish, leaving behind Tahiti’s true nature. What if it wasn’t everything I had expected? What if it was? Then what do I look forward to?
I’ve found that it is so essential for me to have a Tahiti in my life. I need something to work towards and dream of, something to motivate me to keep exploring through the vast opportunities this world presents. Without a final destination, or end goal, it is easy to get complacent and get stuck in redundancy and ultimately boredom. Often times, the end goal, Tahiti, isn’t even the most meaningful part. It’s the path we take to get there that opens new doors and shapes us into the people we become.
I can’t tell you where my path to Tahiti started, but I can say it prepared me quite well for when I finally got there. When I look back on it, it’s quite astonishing how well everything came together this past week. I know I said in a previous post there is no inherent reason our chapters need to conclude with a happy, scripted ending, and I still stand by that statement. Sometimes though, they do end in a poetic fashion, and it makes for great blogging.
At 1 am, I landed in Tahiti after my flight being delayed an extra 3 hours. I hear my name being called over the intercom with instructions to see the baggage services desk. Once I made it through customs, I set foot in the baggage services office only to learn my surfboards were left in New Zealand. Great.
To her credit, the woman working the counter was very nice and promised to have my bags delivered to the small village I was staying in once they arrived. Neither the woman nor I knew exactly where I was staying, but she wrote down my host’s phone number and sent me off with a bag full of toiletries for the night. Suspicious but exhausted, I put my faith in the woman and went to find a taxi at this hour.
Since it was the middle of the night, and I was staying an hour-and-a-half away from the airport, the taxi drivers wanted to charge me an exorbitant rate. I attempted to negotiate with the manager, despite his extremely limited English and my non-existent French, and eventually he found me someone who would drive me for a slightly better price. I left with this woman, who didn’t speak English, and she started going in the wrong direction. We continued going to the wrong side of the island—deeper and deeper into not the most welcoming neighborhood. Eventually, she pulled into a driveway, and left the car.
When she reemerged from the shadows, she, and three other people, were helping this incredibly large man hobble towards the car. I was so confused and honestly a little worried. When the team finally managed to get him in the passenger seat, I learned he was the driver’s father, and she wanted to take him with. I was so relieved I started chuckling. It’s like Tahiti knew I needed a little adventure to keep things interesting.
After that, things worked out so well. We managed to find the house I was staying in, even without knowing the address, and my host family was waiting up at 3 am for me. I thanked them graciously for waiting and headed to bed for some much-needed sleep.
When I woke up the next morning, I didn’t even care that my boards weren’t here. I was in Tahiti! Determined to make the most of the day, I asked my host if there was anywhere I could go hiking. She told me her uncle owned land in a nearby valley that I could explore, so I grabbed my flip flops and a camera and wandered off into the jungle.
At every turn, the land offered a new surprise. First, I found a star fruit tree that I promptly raided. Next, I found guavas. After that I stumbled on a herd of white horses. Then finally, I found a waterfall, and you can bet I swam under it. Day one was a success.
On day two, I woke up to people talking outside my window. I looked out and there were my surfboards, just like the baggage lady promised. Eager to get in the water, I unwrapped them and paddled out for my first session at Teahupoo. The waves were friendly, despite Teahupoo’s reputation as a dangerous surf spot, and I made friends with two other surfers. After our session, we spent the rest of the afternoon on the beach watching the sunset and sharing stories.
Over the next few days, the waves got bigger, and Teahupoo felt a need to demonstrate why it is a wave so many surfers fear. I foolishly caught a bad wave, fell, and resurfaced to my favorite board being cracked down the middle. Then, the wave behind it blasted me into a coral ledge that was sticking out of the water. Since I was wearing a wetsuit top for protection, I slid on my stomach across the coral and somehow fell into the lagoon behind without too many cuts. When I paddled back out on my backup board, I got bounced over the coral a few more times but sustained no major damage.
Eventually though, I started finding a rhythm in the ocean and had some magical sessions at a wave I had always dreamt of surfing. After each session, I would come in and eat star fruit off of a tree that was planted along the shore.
What surprised me the most is how welcoming the local surfers were. They made a point of introducing themselves in the water and regularly smiling and cheering everyone on. I have never been somewhere where the locals behave this way. Their behavior is a reflection of the town’s perspective and attitude toward tourists.
Despite Teahupoo’s international fame throughout the surf community, the town has done a superb job of limiting tourism in a sustainable and healthy way. With no hotels, one restaurant, and one small market, residents have effectively capped the number of visitors at any given time. The local surfers and community members then welcome the few foreigners who arrive because the visitors benefit the Tahitians without disrupting their village and way of life. For the many tropical surf destinations around the world, Teahupoo should be used as a model for productive, sustainable tourism.
I think it’s fair to say that my experience in Tahiti lived up, and honestly out-did, the incredibly high expectations I had set for the island. The natural beauty was unparalleled. On land, the abundant flowers and plants were so vibrant and lively that they looked like the cartoonish, overly-colorful, tropical decor often associated with Hawaiian shirts. In the ocean, there were times where the water was so smooth and clear, it was hard to tell where the waves were going to break because all I could see was a healthy coral reef beneath the surface.
The local community surprised me with its hospitality and ability to resist so many of the pitfalls associated with tourism and globalization. And lastly, the wave humbled me and gave me another goal to work towards and dream of. Although I was able to get some great rides, I was there during a relatively small swell. I hope to one day return, prepared to tackle the larger, more challenging, surf that the reef is capable of producing.
I’m in no rush to go back and face those waves. Like I said earlier, the path to achieve our dreams is much more formative than the end result. I just hope when I do step foot on that island again, the local Tahitians have continued to preserve their paradise, so generations to come can enjoy its unique beauty.
-Chris Buchanan