Day 8
Today the Bennetts picked us up again and we spent the day playing in the ocean near the house where Naea grew up. He told me that when he was a boy, he’d spend countless hours surfing and playing at the beach, and then climb a nearby mango tree and fill his tummy. Awesome.
Naea was kind enough to try and teach Candace and me paddle boarding. The ocean was kind of rough, but we managed to get up several times. Naea, of course, got up without even thinking about it and even surfed a few waves. Wow.
He then showed me how to pirogue paddle. It’s harder than it looks. I managed to not flip it and yes, even turn it around. :-)
After a full day of playing on the black sand beach with the Bennetts, we packed up our stuff and met up with everyone for a farewell dinner. Was great to see another old mission companion, Vanaa and some of his kids!
We said our sad farewells to the group, and then the Bennetts drove us to their home to finish packing up and for another sad farewell. After spending several days with them, it was hard to say goodbye.
Naea drove us to the airport, where Vanaa and Malaradi (another old mission comp) met us to say good-bye and see us off. They stayed until we checked in and waved farewell. Candace and I were both very sad to say good-bye to our family in Tahiti. Such wonderful, wonderful people and an amazing trip. Maruru!
Life here seems SO boring in comparison! Sounds like too much fun.
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