Giovannis Shrimp truck

some really good food can be found on the North Shore!

GOOD EATS

polynesian cultural center

stick game

we sat front and center for the show-we were this close!

The Polynesian Cultural Center is the tour of tours for Hawaii. It really has no competition. We went on their "super ambassadors" tour and got the royal treatment: a private guide, who saved the best seats for all the attractions, and a special dining experience. You haven't been to Hawaii till you go here.

Dole Plantation

JAMESONS BY THE SEA- Haliewa

A delicious day, all the way around!

The north shore

best hamburger on the island KUA 'AINA
famous shave ice MATSUMOTO'S

Laie Temple

BYU Hawaii

not as peaceful as Tahiti, and not much like our beloved Maui...but it had it's places!

Pearl Harbor

tree of life
oil that still leaks from the downed ship
proudly may it wave over these brave men...

may this blessing remain firm

This turned out to be a sacred experience for us. There emanates a quiet sacredness for those innocent men who's lives were lost for our country at Pearl Harbor.

le Belvédere

the view after the rain passed and the sun went down
our favorite restaurant
taken just as the mist and rain lifted-looking down to the ferry and the airport
at the top of Papeete
the end of our lovely stay in Tahiti...we left the ferry at 3 PM and were headed to the airport to sit till 11PM take-off when I looked up things to do in Papeete. One of the suggestions was dinner at Le Belvédere. Little did we know the adventure ahead of us, but it made our trip complete. Under grey drizzly skies, our bus driver offered to take us to the restaurant after we missed a connecting bus. Winding 27 hairpin turns in a lush jungle of vegetation, 600 metres above the bay of Papeete, we reached the spectacular restaurant. As our meal of beef fondue arrived the mist rose to offer us the awsome view of Moorea, the ferry landing, and the airport...it was dazzling. We won't soon forget this magical spot.

Tahit 4

we ventured out one night with some friends to this lovely restaurant~delicious! I should have kept a journal of all the great food menus we had...an idea for next time!

our night out from the resort

One of the fun things about a small island is that there are amenities offered that aren't anywhere else...like free pick up from any restaurant or shop you'd like to visit. We rented a car for one day just to drive around the island (that was only an hour!) and the rest of the time if we needed to venture out someone came and picked us up in their van. Nothing like good old "island hospitality".

Tahiti 3

so we hadn't hear this before, but the 30th anniversary gift is the pearl! and lucky for us Tahiti is THE only place in the world that cultivates BLACK PEARLS. (see why I love black pearls)

Black pearls, frequently referred to as Black Tahitian Pearls, are highly valued because of their rarity; the culturing process for them dictates a smaller volume output and can never be mass produced. Look how lucky I am to receive two very special gifts of these pearls one with the designer -Marie Noèlle and Jean Luc JOUAT (Coco Blanc cocoblanc@mail.pf) and one from the owner of a pearl farm - William and Tania Haring!!!

Tahiti 2

I know you're hating us by now! (we'll live with it!) here are more pictures of our lovely life...just remember we waited 30 years for this. It made it even more special than if we'd done it any sooner!

Tahiti 1

we spent the first night in Papeete
our arrival at the Moorea Resort included a cool lime water
we were welcomed to our glass bottomed hut with fresh island pineapple

and everyday we had island flowers decorating our room

Here we are! The anniversary of our dreams...after planning a wedding, this was the best thing to be able to look forward to. We planned this earlier in the year to celebrate our 30th anniversary (17 August 1979) and it lived up to all of our expectations and more! We spent almost all of our time at the wonderful Moorea Pearl Resort in a Deluxe over water bungalow. It was amazing! How did we spend our week?:

1. lazily waken with the sunrise
2. kayaking out to the reef
3. breakfast at the open air buffet overlooking the lagoon
4. staring out over the ocean from our deck
5. lazily watching the fish swim by
6. a dip or two into the water to cool off
7. read a book
8. lunch
9. more of # 4-7
10. dinner prepared by a wonderful French chef. Food is exquisite!
11. lying in bed drifting off to the sounds of the ocean.

Visit from nana & pop-pop

Nana and pop-pop came into town for a visit through the holiday's. It just so happens that their anniversary and nana's birthday are just 2 days after Christmas, so a celebration was in order.