By Jan Bonville
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When one thinks of Tahiti, what comes to mind is honeymooners in overwater bungalows, and divers seeking rays, sharks and magnificent expanses of corals in the lagoons and atolls. It is a bucket list destination, magical, a dream for people around the world since the tales of James Michener and paintings of Paul Gauguin. It is all that. But Tahiti is also a destination for families—and—based on my personal experience, for travelers with mobility impairments traveling with companions.
Sandy beaches, swimming in clear, warm aquamarine waters among multicolored fish, and boat activities, however appealing, are hardly the first thing one thinks of for someone who cannot walk nor swim anymore, like me. But with the right planning, clear communication and setting appropriate expectations- both for myself and for travel operators, I found Tahiti to be an inclusive dream of a destination, where somebody with a mobility impairment traveling with help, like me, had a truly fabulous and memorable experience. More than a month after my return, I find myself in withdrawal- the sun, the soft sand, the majestic landscapes of volcanic crag, blue lagoon, and stunning sunsets. But it wasn’t just the beauty of the destination–it was the measure of inclusivity, hospitality and creativity that all contributed to a unique experience.
I used to love the sand, the water, and going to the beach. As my symptoms of MS progressed over time to the point where I first needed to walk slowly, then with a cane, a walker and now a wheelchair, ocean and water activities were some of the many activities I resigned myself to giving up, along with mountain hikes and jogs around the neighborhood. Well, this trip proved me wrong.
Don’t get me wrong: I am far from being able to do everything I can before and certainly could not do the beach and water activities in exactly the same manner as fully able-bodied people. But I could snorkel, put my hands and feet and legs on the sand and in the water, enjoy the water and land beauty of Tahiti, in my own way.
I had visited Tahiti several times; all at varying stages of my mobility loss. The first time, over 20 years ago, while I had trouble walking long distances and with balance, I was able to do small hikes as well as get in and out of boats and the water on my own. Afterwards, visiting with my then teenage children and husband, using 2 canes, I had trouble but still was able to go to the beach, resorting to techniques like getting into boats through using canes as support and sliding on my bottom on the sand. I was not able to swim with any level of confidence, though, and while I still enjoyed the beauty of the destination visually, I was unable to fully take advantage of the beauty of the underwater landscapes. This time, I traveled with the lowest level of mobility that I have ever had: I can no longer get around without a wheelchair. And I can safely say—of all of my trips- this is the one where ironically I saw and experienced the most.
Tahiti is a dream destination for its incredible landscapes, luxuriant vegetation, colors on both land and sea, and warm, gentle lagoons teeming with a paradise of underwater life. It consists of 118 islands, dotted through the South Pacific. During this trip, we visited three islands, Tahiti and Moorea, two of the largest and best known Society Islands, and the atoll of Rangiroa, part of the Tuamotus archipelago.
ATOLLS, ISLANDS AND LAGOONS: WATER EXCURSIONS
The atolls of Tahiti are a core part of its magic. Atolls are ring-shaped coral reef that surrounds a lagoon. It was awe inspiring to think that the entire atoll area of Rangiroa, our first stop, once was a volcanic island like Tahiti or Hawaii, with the island subsiding and eventually submerging. Imagine yourself like Robinson Crusoe, surrounded by nothing but sand and water for miles and miles. It was fun to Google Map ourselves and see where we were in relation to the rest of the world—well, we were really, truly, in the middle of nowhere!
The atoll of Rangiroa is famous for divers and its variety of marine life, and among other things the Blue Lagoon and its motus, island surrounded by pink sand and with nothing but palm trees in the middle of the ocean. Not being a diver and with my limitations, though I appreciated the incredible vistas, I was unsure of what to do. The kindly manager at the hotel suggested I go on an all day boat trip to the Blue Lagoon. This is a lagoon within the already huge lagoon of Rangiroa, famed for amazing hues of blue and shallow water that is so clear you can see the fish while sitting in the sand.
I will admit a bit of anxiety—I always have some—to spend the whole day on a boat based and water excursion; for someone who cannot walk and essentially has lost my ability to swim.. how was I going to experience the Blue Lagoon? Well- as we must do, as wheelchair users—with creativity, resourcefulness, help and a whole lot of attitude! With the combination of my husband and the captain I was able to lower myself into the boat on my bottom, swing my legs over sideways—lifting them with my hands, and get inside the boat.
We set out on our excursion and initially I didn’t get in the water because I was afraid. But it was hot, and the cool water looked so inviting and our friendly guide convinced me, helping me clamber over the side of the boat to get into the water. Once in the water I held on to a buoy- more for emotional support than anything else as the lagoon waters are incredibly calm- and was able to see into the depths of the water; the magical coral, fish of all colors and varieties, black tip sharks (friendly- really) and the underwater beauty for which Tahiti is so famous. It was a magical experience to see the world that lives underwater; I could spend hours just watching the fish swim, glide, gently, peacefully.
The excursion—and many of the boat excursions on Tahiti- have guests having lunch on an isolated motu, which means “islet.” Motus are made of broken coral and sand and are small, low-lying islands that surround the larger atoll. The motu in question was within the Blue Lagoon.
Getting there involved some doing because wheelchairs as we know are not great on sand. Thanks to the combination of the free wheel on the wheelchair and of course the incredible helpers who were ready to carry me and my wheelchair across the water and sand, I got onto the motu. Being on the sand in the middle of this island with incredible blue of all varieties—blue, cobalt, aquamarine, emerald all around the water lapping at me, little fishes poking at my toes; the feel of the warm sun on my back, was magical. Yes—I couldn’t move much, but I felt a sense of liberation, adventure—being somewhere I’d never been before and where I had only dreamt of.
I don’t want to discount how difficult it was to get these pictures taken. As I said it involved first, identifying the free-wheel, before I left home, figuring out how to attach it to the wheelchair, having a helper carry the chair and me, and once there, being pushed by my husband to get to a relatively flat spot. But difficult does not mean impossible and certainly doesn’t mean I wasn’t going to try. This place is the stuff of dreams, for able and mobility impaired alike, and I can’t begin to share how grateful I am to the lady who suggested it.
After the magic of the Blue Lagoon, I was emboldened for my second snorkeling excursion, this time in the lagoon of the larger volcanic island of Moorea. Each boat and each dock is different- something that an able- bodied person will not even notice or have to think about is deeply anxiety-inducing to those of us who cannot walk. I need to think about how I will get into and out of the boat. In this case, I needed to be lifted physically to get into the boat, by a combination of my husband and a helper. Similarly to the other tour, the guide and the captain were incredibly creative, kindly and helpful. I went out snorkeling using a noodle to help support my body and a full-face mask. I can’t even begin to describe what it felt like to be underwater here—we saw sea turtles, which I’ve never seen before underwater, close. With their fins, their black eyes, their tortoiseshell colors, they were majestic and beautiful, appearing to be in light, like a dream. I also saw black- tipped sharks and all manner of colorful fish. Another stop in the lagoon involved swimming with stingrays who were friendly enough to come up to us and caress us with their soft velvety skin. The glass bottom of the boat allowed us to see an underwater museum of sorts, of submerged tiki. These are volcanic stone sculptures placed on the seabed who created this display as a tribute to the Polynesians ancestors who had to put away their religious symbols due to the missionaries.
VALLEYS, WATERFALLS AND FORESTS: LAND EXCURSIONS
Tahiti also has beautiful land vistas and land-based activities. The Society Islands are made-up of extinct lush volcanoes with their resultant gorgeous forests and rivers. For those of us who cannot hike, there are 4WD vehicles which can take you up to see the vistas, the waterfalls and enjoy the forest. A highlight of our trip was a 4×4 truck tour to the interior of the island to the Papenoo Valley—the deep interior of Tahiti.
Our tour started off on an incredibly busy road—as the majority of inhabitants are clustered into a relatively small space near the capital, Papeete. It’s lively with scooters, cars, schoolchildren, workers. But the true tour began once we got into the interior and into one of the roughest, most potholed-ridden roads that I have ever seen (and I’ve seen my share of them!). We understood afterwards that the condition of the road is intentional to prevent too many tourists going through the valley which has family owned land and is magically remote and untouched. As we went deeper into the valley, we were surrounded by forest with all hues of green, and the occasional waterfall. Our driver stopped a couple of times so that we could get out of the truck and breathe fresh air; once to see some large freshwater eels in the river below, pluck fresh wild raspberries on the side of the road, and stop in front of the tunnel going through the Valley which looks like something out of Raiders of the Lost Ark. Jurassic Park could have been filmed here: at any moment we expected the dinosaur to come out of the foliage.
I was able to get into the back of the truck because the driver very thoughtfully, had brought a stool for me to step on. Since I still have some leg strength, I first stepped on the stool, then onto the back rim of the truck, then inside the truck and slid myself on the bench—so a four-step process! If one is not able to move their legs, it’s possible to be lifted into the back of the truck and not get out of the truck at all during the expedition–most of this travel is really through your eyes as there is no hiking. In my case, albeit with difficulty I enjoyed being able to get out of the truck and be out in the fresh air and be a bit closer to the nature. The drive was rough and shaky but for me it was magical, mystical and wonderful to be in the interior of Tahiti which I had never been to.
Visiting Tahiti island is not a bad idea for someone with a chronic healthcare condition fatigue or elderly. All direct flights stop in Papeete, and most visitors simply stay a few hours in the airport itself to go to another island or take the ferry directly. But the island itself is beautiful and it was restful to stop there for at least a little bit before continuing another journey. While we went inside the interior, of the valley but there are other areas that can be explored such as Tahiti Iti which has the surf break made famous during the Olympics and different neighborhoods and areas up in the other areas.
LODGING
We stayed in a variety of lodging during this trip, larger chain hotels in Tahiti and smaller more bed and breakfast type hotels. I was greatly impressed by the latter. They were not fully accessible but had made a sincere effort to be inclusive and helpful. In Moorea, Tahiti Tourisme had recommended a smaller bed and breakfast rather than a large hotel on the quieter, farther side of the island. It’s a lovely drive– there’s only one road and it’s quiet, surrounded by palm trees, houses with papaya and mango trees, the volcanic hills on one side and the blue lagoon on the other.
The lodge, the Moorea Beach Lodge, was incredibly charming, tasteful and inclusive. I would not say it was 100% accessible: there was one step to get into the bungalow as well as the main dining area, but this was more than made-up for by the fact that the staff did everything they could to help me and being with my husband I was able to manage these obstacles. The room that I had been given had was large and comfortable with good turning radius for my wheelchair. There was a completely flat shower and they had installed a plastic shower chair specially for me. I really appreciate these kinds of gestures as this is what makes all the difference for me. Having breakfast in the morning overlooking the lagoon and the calm waters was a surreally calming and almost spiritual experience. This lodge had a lovely room full of books about Tahiti including on history, culture and travel. The lodge consisted of a number of bungalows surrounding an ancient and impressive banyan tree–something which reminds me of the tropics and of islands and stories. We had tea on our outdoor verandah looking over the garden, listening to the birds and sound of the ocean. I still think about these sounds and the lovely view over the lagoon at breakfast, when I drift off to sleep at night.
In the atoll of Rangiroa, we were at the MaiTai Rangiroa, a midsize hotel with bungalows dotted throughout a garden overlooking the lagoon. They had put me and my husband in one which had a ramp to get to the entrance and also had a flat shower. Not having a shower chair, they had put a real cane chair in the shower! This was more than I needed as I am able to hold on to the bar of the shower and the chair actually took quite a lot of space-but I was touched and actually tickled by the fact that they had done that and deeply appreciated that. This hotel was accessible and inclusive- there appeared to be ramps to the dining area and reception.
In the island of Tahiti we stayed at larger chain hotels the Hilton and the Tahiti Pearl. These hotels appear to be fully accessible in terms of wheelchair accessible facilities bathrooms or grab bars and toilets and also restrooms in the public areas. The Hilton was perfect for a short couple of hours rest in between flights after we arrived on the red eye from San Francisco. The Pearl is farther away and a little bit quieter. The hotel is in a maze of gardens and looks over the black sand beach as well as the view of Moorea. We very much enjoyed our nightly drinks looking over the sunset. Umm
LOGISTICS: PLANES, FERRIES AND CARS
It would be remiss to not mention how this trip actually was realized. The part of travel that I’ve always disliked is the actual travel itself- getting from my comfortable home to the lovely place I’m going–as necessary as it, is I’ve always been anxious about airports, airplanes and logistics of all types. Yet in this particular case, the transportation piece was relatively straightforward thanks in no small part to the French Bee airline, as well as the infrastructure that exists on Tahiti.
My trip started with a direct flight from San Francisco on French Bee. I give my heartfelt thanks to French Bee for creating the first direct flight from SFO to Tahiti, to avoid the nightmare that is Los Angeles International Airport (in the past, San Francisco residents were obliged to fly through LAX and connect). In addition, their flights fly at night, which is incredibly convenient. An 8 hour flight at night leaving at around 11 lands you in Tahiti by 5:00 AM and if you are able to sleep even a little bit it is actually significantly preferable than flying during the day which always feels like a waste of time. French Bee is relatively low cost, comfortable and extremely friendly. I requested and was given an aisle seat close to the restroom. Arriving in Tahiti is magical –as you arrive at 5 AM and see the sunrise through the windows of the plane. While we were in regular economy I found their planes comfortable and clean and their staff incredibly courteous–more so honestly than many larger International Airlines where you are treated more of a commodity.
It is important to communicate to the airlines, both the international ones and the inter island ones, if you are a wheelchair user and cannot walk. This is because the planes have stairs to go up and down including at the main International Airport. The staff brought a special lift for me, which took me directly down to the tarmac where my wheelchair was waiting for me and a friendly Tahitian wheeled me directly to the terminal.
Air Tahiti which handles the intra island flights was an incredibly comfortable and inclusive experience. The airports were small, but they had restrooms which were large enough for my wheelchair. I was able to board first, along with other wheelchair passengers. As in the capital’s larger airport, getting on the planes involves stairs, but they had brought out a ramp specifically for wheelchair passengers. I was rolled directly to the bottom of the ramp, transferred from my own wheelchair into a narrower wheelchair, strapped in like a psych patient (but I understood afterwards this was for my own safety as the ramp is narrow!) and then rolled up the ramp to the back of the plane where I had reserved seating with my husband. As always, I was the first to get on and the last to get off. I don’t mind that, and it greatly reduces my stress level of flying. The flights themselves are part of the magic, as one sees the ocean and its incredible, beautiful expanse of blue, and the atolls and motus many of which are uninhabited, dotted throughout the sea like jewels from the windows.
In the smaller islands I was picked up by vans. While these were not technically wheelchair accessible, they were low enough to the ground that I could relatively easily transfer out of my wheelchair by holding on to a bar within the van. In both cases where these vans were used, I got to sit up front with the driver where the seats are lower than the seats in the back. On the larger islands of Tahiti and Moorea the agency had suggested that we rent a car which turned out to be an excellent idea, for mobility as well as independence. The car was a blessing when we traveled from the island of Tahiti to the island of Moorea and back as we were able to use the ferry rather than take the plane. This was a highly inclusive and comfortable experience and fun way to travel between the islands–we drove directly onto the ferry, parked the car where the car park was; and were guided to the inside seating area by friendly staff. There is a ramp specifically for PMR or people with reduced mobility. I will say it is good to have help here, as the ramp is steep and there are some challenges, but I was impressed that they had thought of this and found the whole experience quite comfortable and seamless.
For such a small set of islands in the middle of absolutely nowhere, I was impressed by the infrastructure and the touches of inclusion everywhere. It was not perfect. I didn’t see for example wheelchair accessible vans and as I’ve mentioned it was difficult to get in and out of boats with some of the ramps not being truly accessible. While there is a bike lane in Moorea which looks wide enough for a wheelchair or an adaptive bike, some of the sidewalks were clearly difficult for a wheelchair. But there were ramps albeit not perfect ramps in many shops and dining areas. The two smaller hotels that we stayed at went out of their way to be inclusive and helpful to me. And what they did not have in terms of ADA type infrastructure was more than made-up for by sheer helpfulness and creativity. Everyone everywhere tried their best to be helpful, understand my needs and offer to help. The government and Ministry of Tourism are making efforts to make the islands more physically accessible to people with mobility impairments as they have been sensitized to this by local advocates and populations with disabilities, as well as by tourists.
Tahiti has a reputation for being inclusive to different types of people- they may in fact be one of the only destinations in the world to have an active public LGBTQ marketing campaign– and open to different types of lifestyles. Those of us with disabilities are evidently a critical segment of inclusive travel. Not everything was perfect an I needed help all the way– there were many instances when I had to be pushed, pulled, lifted and overall needed help either from my husband and /or the operators. But their goal was that I have a fabulous experience just like everybody else. This to me is true inclusion. And that is what I look for when I travel.
COMING HOME AND REFLECTION
I’m always glad to come home after my travels to my beautiful home city of San Francisco, but this time I will say I was sad to leave. It could be for several reasons. Tahiti is gorgeous, beautiful and warm and I came back to a rainstorm. But I believe another reason is that I wanted to stay longer and fully immerse myself in the quiet, the calm and the peacefulness of these islands. Their beauty over and under water and is almost spiritual and this time, unlike all of the other times, I was truly able to experience almost every part of it.
Maybe it is because at this point I have fully accepted that my MS has resulted in disability and embraced my identity as a person with a disability and a wheelchair user. Using the wheelchair has also helped– or forced me rather– to be creative. As my fellow wheelchair users know, our wheelchairs may be good for the house and the office but are pretty useless when it comes to rough terrain. Thanks to a friend back in San Francisco, I was introduced to the free wheel. If you’re not familiar with it and you love nature this is a must have for an outdoors wheelchair user: a free standing wheel which attaches to the front of your wheelchair and allows you to go in rough terrain including but not limited to rough roads, gravel, some level of snow and ice and some level of sand. This is what allowed me to get onto motus and atolls in the middle of nowhere and experience the sand and the beaches of Tahiti- and also the interior, with its rough roads and terrain. With the combination of that, my husband accompanying me, and having fully communicated to the operators the extent of my disability and being wholly, fully, ready to accept help any and everywhere I could get it, this made Tahiti open to me.
By owning my challenges, leaning into them, and being honest about my limitations, I find that I can do so much more and so many more doors are open to me. I communicated literally everything, to the point of how often I needed to stop to use the restroom as well as to what level I could get up and off my chair and my comfort level with being touched and where. Of course, none of this would have been possible without the incredible warmth, hospitality and welcoming culture of French Polynesia. I had seen this before in other cultures but in this case what I found was a unique combination of acceptance of the fact that I could not do everything, with real creativity on trying to help me figure out how to have the same experience as others. Everywhere I went I felt welcome and like a cherished guest, versus someone requiring additional help (although I did).
This was easily one of the most fabulous trips I’ve ever taken in a list of fabulous trips and I can’t wait to go again. I’ll do everything I did the first time and more-I’ve embraced and realized the freedom that comes from accepting disability and importantly accepting and receiving help. As per my disclosure my level of comfort with help may not be the same as that of others. But to the question of whether a wheelchair user can enjoy French Polynesia, with the right planning, communication and most important, attitude with a capital A, my answer is a resounding YES.
Disclosure:
This trip was sponsored by Tahiti Tourisme and French Bee. Lodging and tours were chosen by Tahiti Tourisme, however all the opinions and descriptions above are my own. I write based on my own personal experience only.
I am a wheelchair user with multiple sclerosis and I am able to get up out of my chair though I cannot walk unassisted. Importantly, I always travel with a companion my husband or my family. Equally relevant, I am very ready to accept help, including being bodily lifted. I am not uncomfortable with being touched or being lifted in this way. As described, some of these activities did involve a very high level of comfort with this level of contact.