So it turns out that not only is Tahiti one of the most expensive places on earth, but they're also pretty picky about which bank cards they choose to accept. Unfortunately, none of my three debit cards (Australian, UK and Belgian) worked in the ATM machines in French Polynesia, and I met a couple of other people who had the same problem, including one guy who had been camped out at the airport for days waiting for a Western Union transfer. Tahiti >sucks.

I said goodbye at the bus stop to Susie and the hapless "Mr. Baldy," who were staying in "CI" for another week. I had carefully used up my New Zealand currency but at the airport I found out I had to pay $30 departure tax, which put a spanner in the works. Luckily, a very friendly English family gave me a lift to the nearest ATM. We were serenaded onto the aeroplane by a man playing the ukelele. I ran into Mark, who had been staying in the same hostel as me, and we both decided to kip at the airport in Tahiti before catching the early ferry to the island of Mo'orea. Tahiti is just one of the 118 islands and atolls that make up French Polynesia, and it is pricier ones (along with Bora Bora). Our flight arrived at 12.40, so it didn't seem worth shelling out an exhorbitant NZ $40 for a few hours in a dodgy guesthouse. I've spent the night in a few airports (Heathrow, Singapore and Bombay), but Pape'ete was one of the least appealing. The arrivals area was open on one side to the street, and there were just a few narrow wooden benches. In preparation, I'd nicked the Air New Zealand pillow and blanket, so I fashioned a bed with a towel, cagoule and sarong as best I could and spent an uncomfortable night listening to constantly repeated tannoy announcements about not leaving baggage unattended. At around 3.30, I fell into a deep sleep and Mark woke me up at 6.00. I then found that I couldn't withdraw cash from the ATM but Mark said he'd lend me the money, bless his heart. We waited a while for 'le truck,' the public bus, but ended up hitching a ride in the back of a ute to get to the port on time. We caught the ferry ('le boat'?) and then a bus to the budget accommodation on the other side of the island.