Tahiti Family Adventure

This cultural adventure has been created to provide the children of visiting families, ages 5-12, with an inspiring, entertaining, educational and holistic view of French Polynesia. While the program features exploration and adventure, our priority at all times, in every activity, is safety for your kids. Your children will experience the best of the island’s youth activities, broadening their skill sets, comfort zones, and realms of possibility. There will be lessons on surfing, snorkeling, restoring coral reefs, making flower crowns, and much more.

The entire week of adventures has been designed around a treasure hunt, based on the legend of Maui, the hero of Polynesian mythology. The treasure hunt has been brilliantly woven through the whole program, culminating on the final day. Your kids will learn about the environment and Polynesian culture, support local communities, and create lifelong memories and friendships.

To provide this Kids program, Working Without Borders has partnered with Nani Travels, French Polynesia’s first inbound tour operator focused on sustainable tourism. Nani Travels helps protect ecosystems and ancestral Polynesian traditions. They aim for their operations to have a direct positive impact on the environment, the economy, and the local population. The goal is to give young travelers a deeply meaningful, culturally-immersive experience that helps parents to raise global citizens. 

Minimum group size to run this program: 5 kids

Day 1: Sunday, April 3 

After a delicious breakfast, the head of the youth program, Alexandrine Wan, together with her enthusiastic and energetic team, will meet with kids and parents for an orientation. Together we will talk about the legend of Maui and the amazing treasure hunt we will experience during the week. The team will explain everything and answer any questions.  

Soon after that, the treasure hunt will begin. Kids will start their quest by exploring the resort, meeting legendary characters along the way. (Parents are welcome to join in the fun of this hour-long adventure.)  

The rest of the day will be free for families to enjoy their time at the resort, culminating in a festive, resplendent and delicious Welcome Dinner at sunset. 

Day 2: Monday, April 4

After breakfast, we meet for a quick orientation with the kids before going on our first offsite activity -- call them “expeditions”. We will take your kids high into the mountains where trees will be our playground: we will do zip-lining at our beloved Rainbow Park. Along the way, kids will look for clues to resolve the first enigma of the treasure hunt. Then we will enjoy a picnic together, with a breathtaking view of Tahiti and Moorea.  

Upon returning to the resort in the afternoon, we will do arts & crafts, learn local dances, and play athletic games. All of these activities will be linked to the legend of Maui and our continuing treasure hunt. 

Day 3: Tuesday, April 5 

After breakfast, we will meet with the kids for a quick orientation before launching our second expedition. Today we venture into the Tahitian lagoon, with its crystalline blue waters and thriving sea life. First we will meet with a local organization that works to preserve coral reefs. We’ll learn all about Tahiti’s marine biodiversity, seeing some of the hundreds of species of fish and coral which inhabit our waters. Then we’ll jump in the sea ourselves. Closely supervised at all times by experienced divers, your kids will snorkel with countless tropical reef fish in every color of the rainbow. We might even see sea turtles, moray eels, or eagle rays. After this fun time in the lagoon, we will picnic under the shade of palm trees on a white sand beach. Upon returning to the resort, we will do arts & crafts, dance, and play athletic games, each activity linked to the Maui legend and our ongoing treasure hunt. 

Day 4: Wednesday, April 6   

Today your children are in for a real treat. We will spend the day with local kids at a pedagogical gem called Eco-Place (“Eco-Lieu” in French). Located not far from the resort, Eco-Place is a not-for-profit educational center focused on supporting kids as they learn about nature, culture, and wellbeing. Amidst tropical gardens and many different outdoor stations for self-directed learning, a team of trained and passionate supervisors stimulate children's creativity, intrinsic motivation, critical thinking, and autonomy. All together, expats and locals, we will share our stories, forge new friendships, and enjoy a vegetarian lunch, grown organically, mostly onsite. Based on their preferences, kids can choose to focus on activities involving art, science, nature, cooperation, DIY building, and more. They will have lots to share with parents after this culturally-immersive day!

Day 5: Thursday, April 7  

After breakfast, we will meet for a quick orientation before setting out on today’s expedition to a beach that’s perfect and safe for learning to surf. Upon arrival, we will meet with representatives of a local organization dedicated to protecting the local biosphere, who will teach the kids how ocean currents are bringing plastic waste to our shores and what this means for our ecosystem. After joining local kids in an enthusiastic beach clean-up, we’ll reward ourselves for a job well done by heading into the warm waves, with the soft sand beneath our feet. Kids who know how to swim will practice surf skills under the watchful eyes of our expert instructors, led by Tereva, one of the best surfers in the islands, a surf coach for young professional surfers around the  world, and member of the most respected surfing family in French Polynesia. Kids who don’t know how to swim can bring their floaties so they can boogie board on the small waves lapping the beach. Then we will picnic at the beach before returning to the resort.  

In the afternoon, we will pick flowers from the garden and prepare our own flower leis and crowns for the evening’s Farewell Dinner. If they’re lucky, parents might even get to have one of these treasures made by their kids!  

Day 6: Friday, April 8  

Today is our last day and the climax of our week-long treasure hunt! The legend of Maui is now alive in the minds of your kids, and we are ever so close to discovering the treasure. We will depart the resort at 9am, take a short hike to some waterfalls, pop into some local homes to get hints and clues from residents about where the final items on the  hunt might be hiding. Then we’ll board a sailboat to ride the winds to another very special beach, as the ultimate venue for finding the hidden treasure. In the end, every kid will discover a treasure of their own, filled with lots of local art and crafts along with special goodies to take back home as treasured souvenirs. 

Yet the greatest treasure of all will be the once in a lifetime adventures of learning and exploring a new culture and the beauties of nature in our island paradise. Everyone comes home a winner, filled with exciting experiences, newly-developed skills, wider awareness of other peoples and places along with new-found friends from Polynesia and their trip group!

PS: Please help us in keeping this expedition itinerary a total surprise for the children. 

This youth-oriented cultural adventure has been created to provide visiting families with an inspiring, educational and holistic view of French Polynesia for their teenage children (aged 13 to 18). While the program features exploration and adventure, our priority at all times, in every activity, is safety for your kids.

The goal of the program is for your teenagers to experience French Polynesia from the inside. Discover the islands through the eyes of Polynesians, who have grown up loving their island home. Their playgrounds are the waterfalls and the ocean. They will share their deep connection to nature and their appreciation for their culture.   

The Teen program is a cultural exchange between international teens and locals. Based on their preferences and interests, visiting teens will be matched with local teens. The visiting teens will meet and interact with their Polynesian peers during the activities. The visiting teens will give the local kids an opportunity to practice their English and make friends. The local teens, in turn, will show their islands in a special, new way, letting their visiting peers see Polynesia through their eyes.  

To provide this Teen program, Working Without Borders has partnered with Nani Travels, French Polynesia’s first inbound tour operator focused on sustainable tourism. Nani Travels helps protect ecosystems and ancestral Polynesian traditions. They aim for their operations to have a direct positive impact on the environment, the economy, and the local population. With this Teen program, their goal is to give young travelers a deeply meaningful, immersive experience. 

Minimum number to run this program: 5 teens

Day 1: Sunday, April 3 

Today is for you and your children to settle in, explore, and just enjoy your new home in paradise. Relax by the pool. Play tennis. Go kayaking, scuba diving, or hiking. Meet the other parents and kids who have come on the trip. We’ll have the chance to tell you more about their adventures to come. Warning to hard-working parents: you’ll envy the many adventures which await your kids!

Day 2: Monday, April 4  

After a delicious breakfast, we will gather all teens together for a quick orientation before going to meet a Polynesian elder named Herves, one of the most renowned and respected leaders of the local community. He will host us in his humble home, nestled between two rivers in a lush valley. Teens will learn about traditional Polynesian life-ways, like how to start a fire, to navigate with the stars, to plant based on the soil and moon, to cook with produce from the garden, to fish, and hunt. They will come to feel a bit like a Polynesian, and grasp the beauty and depth of Polynesian culture.  

Day 3: Tuesday, April 5  

Today we venture into the Tahitian lagoon with its crystalline blue waters and thriving sea life. Supervised at all times by experienced divers, your teens will snorkel with countless tropical reef fish in every color of the rainbow. We might even see sea turtles, moray eels, or eagle rays. Then, after lunch, we will visit one of the island’s beaches that is perfect for learning to surf. Before jumping in the water, your kids will learn how ocean currents flow in the Polynesian archipelagos, including the unfortunate side-effect of bringing plastic waste to our shores, and what this means for our ecosystem. After joining local teens in an enthusiastic beach clean-up, we’ll reward ourselves for a job well done by heading into the warm waves, with the soft sand beneath our feet. Together with their new Polynesian friends, your kids will practice surf skills under the watchful eyes of our expert instructor, Tereva.  

Day 4: Wednesday, April 6   

Today your teens will explore the magnificent treasure of Moorea’s coral reefs, and do their part to restore damaged reefs, too. We’ll grab our snorkeling gear and jump on the ferry to Tahiti’s sister island. In the morning, our resident naturalist, Genevieve, will explain the fragile reef ecosystem, describing the nature of coral, the diverse creatures which inhabit them, and the threats our reefs face. She will show and explain what they can expect to experience underwater, safety precautions for the dive, and cutting-edge scientific work that’s being done to restore the health of the reefs. Then we’ll go snorkeling as a group, and together, lend a hand to restoration efforts by carefully cutting fragments of resilient corals so they can be grown in a gene bank nursery, then get transplanted to restore damaged areas of Moorea’s reefs. We will have a tasty lunch together and then canoe, kayak and snorkel some more before returning to Tahiti in the late afternoon. 

Day 5: Thursday, April 7  

After breakfast, we’ll head to the southern side of the island, Tahiti Iti. But our mission today is not playing in the waves. Your teens will help implement an important project of great meaning to the local people. Together with their Polynesian counterparts, they will contribute their time to build and furnish a community center for women who have suffered domestic abuse. We will construct benches, tables, gardens, and a veranda. Then we will have lunch together, celebrating our hard work and the lasting impact our efforts will have on the community. 

Day 6: Friday, April 8  

Time has flown and we don’t want this island adventure to end! But today is our last day together and we have something special planned. We’ll take all of the teens, expats and locals, up into the rainforest. There nature and history meet adventure! We’ll hike on mountain trails to reach one of the highest and most wondrous waterfalls in all of Polynesia. In the heart of the jungle, a naturalist will explain the biology and geology of this remarkable island ecosystem. And yet the teens will do more than just listen and watch. A day of cool, wet fun awaits them: water slides and fresh springs will be their playground. We’ll have a festive picnic lunch, then continue playing in the crystal-clear pools. After an unforgettable afternoon, we’ll descend the mountain to reunite with parents.  

A wonderful option for kids aged 5 to 12 is the Multi-Sports Day Camp run by Taina Natation, a widely-respected organization that has been operating youth programming in Tahiti for over a decade. When our founder and his family lived in Tahiti in 2020/2021, their 6-year old daughter and 10-year old son did this week-long camp several times. They loved it. So did their friends. Activities may include paddling traditional Polynesian canoes, surfing, sailing, playing tennis or badminton, archery, hiking and soccer.  The camp goes each day from 8-9am to 5pm. This is a fantastic opportunity for cultural immersion as participants consist primarily of Tahitian and French expat children. Though it is helpful to speak French, it's not necessary by any means. The staff members have experience with visiting kids who only speak English. They are extraordinarily warm and friendly. 

Minimum to run this program: 1 kid