DEPARTURE TO TIKEHAU
I woke up at 06:30am. It was raining a lot today! Breakfast at 07:00am. I had talked with the other guests and Norbert until 09:00am.
Then, I paid my bill and Norbert gave me a special discount which was totally unexpected. Every time I was very impressed by the kindness and the big heart of this man. It was really a very nice family as you can meet so rarely, a family who will be stuck to my memories for a long time. I will miss them a lot because you can become attached to them very easily. And you know, you are so glad to have met such a nice family in your life.
So, I decided to give them a present, which was to my opinion the least I could do. I went to the grocery in the village to buy them a good bottle of Champagne. On my way, I met a man called Noana who asked me if I would like him to drive me up to the store. I accepted with pleasure. Noana had a Pension just close to Norbert‘s Pension and he told me a little bit about his life. At the store, I bought the Champagne and Noana drove me back, an offer that I accepted of course.
When I came back to the Pension, I went to see Norbert and Thildy to give them my present telling them that it was so rare to meet such a nice family like theirs and they were so kind and available for all their guests. I added that all their kind gestures touched me a lot.
At 11:45am, departure from the Pension. Norbert drove me to the airport and stayed with me to wait for the plane. Thildy, Mere and Brian came to join us and all were waiting for the plane with me. They gave me a necklace of Tiare flowers and a beautiful shell necklace.
It was the most difficult departure I had to endure since I arrived to Polynesia. Anyway I told Norbert that I will intend to come back to Rangiroa in June and I will go to see them again then. Norbert told me that there will be always a room for me in their Pension, even if all their bungalows will be full!!! IN-CRE-DI-BLE!!! I was very moved when I was getting on the plane and even I was a bit weepy...
I took off from Rangiroa at 1:00pm and I arrived at Tikehau at 1:20pm (just a short trip). A person from the Pension Aito Motel Colette came to pick me up. In the car, there was a couple of people who was here for their honeymoon and who stayed at the same Pension as mine. The Pension was 3mn from the airport. The bungalows were good and were located on a beautiful beach.
Tikehau is a very small atoll, with almost nobody in the streets and almost nothing to do except enjoying the nature and doing some excursions.
At 2:30pm, I went for a walk to the village: one store, one church, one town hall (or village hall?) and one post office.
I bought a packet of coconut cookies for lunch.
Compared to the Pension Tevahine Dream of Norbert and Thildy, it was like night and day. Actually, no other Pension can rank and even less go past the quality level of the Pension Tevahine Dream of Norbert and Thildy in Rangiroa. Their service quality is amazing!
I came back to the Pension at 3:30pm. I took a rest on the beach listening to my music, then I washed some clothes and took another rest until dinner time at 7:00pm.
There were 3 other guests at the Pension: the couple on their honeymoon (the man was French and the woman was German) and a French teacher on holidays.
It was Samantha, the daughter of the owner, and her brother who cooked and watched the Pension because their parents were in Tahiti for the week until next Saturday. I will not see them. The menu of the dinner was: marinated raw fish, grilled mahi-mahi with pineapple and potatoes, and for dessert fresh local pineapple.
I went to bed at 9:45pm.