Latest news with #hitchhiking
Forbes
13 hours ago
- Forbes
Bora Bora Too Busy? Explore Friendly Rurutu In French Polynesia
The limestone caves and sapphire seas of Rurutu make it a unique island to visit in French ... More Polynesia. Beneath a grapefruit tree on the road that rings the Polynesian island of Rurutu, my six-year-old daughter stuck out her thumb. The first car, a Mini-Cooper, stopped and the driver greeted us in Tahitian. 'Ia orana! My name is Tom. Where would you like to go?' We chose to spend our family vacation on the remote island of Rurutu to beat the crowds and experience a more laid-back version of French Polynesia. Many of French Polynesia's 118 islands fly under the travel radar. This is especially true of Rurutu, one of the seven Austral Islands that are strung like pearls across the ocean 400 miles southwest of Tahiti. Unlike more popular South Pacific destinations like Bora Bora or Moorea, Rurutu is a welcome throwback to a more mellow paradise with strong ties to traditional Polynesian culture. When we arrived after the 75 minute flight from Tahiti, everyone in the one-room, open-air airport was bedecked with fragrant, handmade leis. Our kids' eyes went wide with wonder when they, too, were adorned with flowers by our hosts at Vaitumu Village, a small, peaceful hotel where we rented a bungalow. Rurutu island in French Polynesia offers uncrowded beaches and unique natural beauty and culture. Hitchhiking Around Rurutu's Paradise To get a feel for Rurutu and meet some of the 1,200 people who live there, we decided to try hitchhiking. The island just three miles wide and seven miles long, bordered on all sides by clear, sapphire seas. Circling Rurutu on the narrow, tree-lined main road takes less than an hour. Friendly locals were always happy to give us a ride during our week-long stay. Many of them went out of their way to show us the island. Tom, a high school teacher who was the first person to give us a lift, took us to the grocery store in Moerai, the island's largest village. He told us he prefers the slow pace of Rurutu after growing up in busy Papeete, Tahiti. 'I don't have kids yet, but when I do I want to raise them here, where it is tranquil and everyone is kind,' Tom said. At the living-room-sized market, we selected crackers, peanut butter, cold Perrier and a few slices of handmade pizza for lunch, then took our bounty to a shady sea wall. After a quick dip in the jade-green shallows, we wandered back to the main road and once again stuck out our thumbs. Next stop: the Monster Cave, a stalactite-encrusted natural wonder tucked inside Rurutu's white cliffs. We were so enamored of the cave's unique beauty—and confused by the many trails disappearing into the brush—that we paid for a guided tour the following day. Iosefa Maaro, our guide, handed out gloves and showed us how to carefully climb the sharp limestone. He guided us with a flashlight through a series of caves, pointing out shimmering crystal salts on one side and sweeping vistas of the sparkling Pacific on the other. The author's family finds a hidden pocket beach on Rurutu, thanks to a friendly local driver. Rurutu Offers Abundant Fruit, Culture And Nature Rurutu is still wild and largely undeveloped, with gorgeous tropicbirds circling the cliffs and humpback whales breaching just a quarter-mile from shore. Tourists visiting this remote destination can explore its many caves, watch breaching humpbacks (from July through October), go fishing for jacks and tuna offshore, or learn to weave with grasses and palm leaves. 'Many of us come back here after we get an education, to be with our families and to hike and to live in the traditional way,' says Aufi-Yen Opuu, the manager of Vaitumu Village. One day we caught a lift with a Marquesan salesman named Raymond to the southern village of Haeti. He dropped us at a long stretch of deserted beach and said he would pick us up in two hours for 'a full tour of the island'. While we awaited his return, the kids made a fort out of palm fronds and pushed each other on a rope swing. I swam in the butter-warm turquoise water. At lunchtime, we applauded as local children played drums on the beach, snacking on the bouquet of baguettes beside them. Later that afternoon, Raymond chauffeured us around the rest of Rurutu, pointing out dozens of species of fruit trees. A past mayor decided to plant abundant food along the main route. Anyone can harvest delicious grapefruit, papaya, lychee, avocado, coconut, mango and more whenever they were hungry. Our kids learned to identify cacao from coffee, breadfruit from pineapple, and decided every community should provide free fruit. At the end of Raymond's tour, he dropped us off at the market in Moerai where we picked out souvenirs from the lovely traditional wares. Weaving is a cultural trademark of Rurutu, and we admired the intricately woven hats and purses, made from pandanus and coconut fibers. Vaitumu Village on Rurutu island offers ocean-view bungalows, a pool, and a restaurant and bar. Unwinding On Rurutu's Island Time The ease and abundance of Rurutu extended to our stay in Vaitumu Village, the island's premier lodging option. Our two-room, ocean-view bungalow was perfect for napping, as was the flower-strewn poolside patio. We enjoyed delicious poisson cru and other Polynesian meals at the village's restaurant, and chatted with other guests and locals during the bar's sunset happy hour. After a week of swimming, beach-combing, cave-exploring and plenty of conversations with locals, I was more relaxed than I can remember. 'It is very difficult to leave Rurutu, isn't it?' said Opuu, as she draped my family in beautiful leis before our departure. My daughter nodded, sipping one last pineapple juice mocktail. Luckily, I know where to return next time I want to truly unwind. For those looking for a perfect Polynesian getaway, Rurutu is the place to be.
The Guardian
3 days ago
- The Guardian
Why don't people hitchhike any more? Is the world more dangerous or just meaner?
Whatever happened to hitchhiking? You rarely here of people thumbing a lift any more. Is the world more dangerous or just meaner? Ann Langdon, Essex Post your answers (and new questions) below or send them to nq@ A selection will be published next Sunday.
Telegraph
04-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Telegraph
Race Across the World, ep 7, review: it's time for the sob stories to take a back seat
Warning: contains spoilers Just when you thought Race Across the World (BBC One) was running on a pretty familiar road, they go and wrong-foot you. In the penultimate leg of the race, the tried and tested helter skelter to the checkpoint, the edit skipping back and forth between competing pairs as they attempted to decipher baffling directions, was thrown out the window. Because it looked like ultra-competitive brothers Brian and Melvyn, the canny old codgers of the field, were a shoo-in. But in a devious twist that I was kicking myself for not seeing coming, all was not as it seemed and the glossy sign-in hotel book had a different tale to tell – Caroline and Tom were victors of this penultimate leg. It was a clever trick to play because, however entertaining a reality format is, viewers need to be kept on their toes. The cheeky twist showed there's plenty of life left, global meltdowns and closed borders permitting, in this compelling if tricksily edited travel race. The stunning cinematography of far-flung exotic locales we take for granted by now – India, here I come – and there are only so many times we can witness flustered Brits shouting, 'How much?! What no bus for five days?!' at ticket office windows. So the twist got a thumbs up. As did the welcome return of a spot of hitch-hiking, a dying art in our paranoid times. Admittedly, it was only Caroline and Tom and Sioned and Fin who got a lift to the nearest bus station rather than attempting a daring traverse across the sub-continent, but it was good to see trust being placed in the kindness of strangers rather than suspecting danger lurking around every corner. By this point, I'm usually rooting for my favourites to win and wishing a travel itinerary débacle on the ones who've got up my nose, but this year it's a pretty even field. No real heroes, no dastardly villains, which makes a refreshing change in reality casting world. It's not all plain sailing. This former backpacker would appreciate seeing more of India and the interactions with hosting families and employers, which have largely taken a back seat this series, and rather less of the prerequisite backstories that are going round in circles. How many times do we have to be told that Laetitia is gaining in confidence or that travel has brought mildly estranged brothers Brian and Melvyn together? I'm pleased for them, I truly am, but over seven episodes, the constant leaning into the other journey the contestants are taking, exorcising the demons in their lives, is becoming as wearying as a 12-hour night bus trip. Just the idea of that makes my back sigh. When we did see the racers engage with the locals, such as Sioned and Fin tucking into a home-made biryani donated to them by a kindly Indian chap on a bus, you got the real feeling of what a buzz life can be on the road. For that alone, I'd like the young Welsh couple to take next week's prize. For this passenger, the sob stories can take a back seat.
RNZ News
11-05-2025
- RNZ News
Coroner releases findings into death of Hemi James Rapaea in Hawke's Bay car crash
By Hannah Bartlett, Open Justice reporter of Hemi Rapaea was hitchhiking when the car he'd been picked up by crashed on State Highway 2. He died at the scene. Photo: File / New Zealand Herald When a truck driver came across a car that had crashed upside down on the road, there was a single passenger trapped inside, but no sign of the driver. The passenger, who was belted into the front seat, was responsive but three minutes after the truck driver called 111, Hemi Rapaea lost consciousness. By the time paramedics arrived half an hour later the Taranaki hitchhiker was dead . It's been nearly a decade since the crash on State Highway 2 and until now, it was unclear who was driving the Ford Fairmont when it flipped, south of Hastings. Now, Coroner Bruce Hesketh has named who he believes was driving, as well as the man he believes helped the driver flee the scene, on 10 March, 2016. The coroner was satisfied that, on the balance of probabilities, Thomas Albert McKinnon was driving and Maurice Tareha assisted him. He found the actions of the two men, known to be Black Power members at the time, reflected "unfavourably" on them, and gave them a chance to respond to his findings. They did not respond. Hesketh found Rapaea, who had been hitchhiking to Hastings after visiting a relative in Palmerston North, died from neck and chest injuries. He said the most likely reason the vehicle left the road was because McKinnon was fatigued and fell asleep. The coroner found Rapaea was still alive and responsive when McKinnon left the scene with Tareha, and they had failed to attempt CPR, nor did they call an ambulance. "It is unknown if the outcome would have been different if McKinnon had rendered assistance to Rapaea after the crash and called emergency services," the coroner said. A forensic pathologist believed Rapaea would have needed "rescue breathing", rather than regular CPR, and this would have required McKinnon to be a trained first-aider or paramedic. Police conducted an inquiry at the time into who was driving the car, even featuring the case on Police Ten 7 seeking more information. However, charges were never laid. The coroner suggested police did not consider there was sufficient evidence to "successfully identify the driver and succeed with a criminal prosecution". The coroner further explained that while a criminal prosecution requires facts to be proved "beyond reasonable doubt", a coroner needs only to be satisfied of the facts "on the balance of probabilities", or "more likely than not". CCTV footage showed Rapaea at the Dannevirke Caltex shortly before midnight on 9 March, 2016. McKinnon and Tareha started their night in Wellington, having travelled from Hawke's Bay to purchase the Ford Fairmont. It's still unknown when or where Rapaea got into the Ford. While Tareha was arranging the change of ownership in Wellington, McKinnon had left in the newly purchased Ford, leaving the Caldina behind for Tareha. Part of the evidence referred to by the coroner included a pie wrapper, Powerade bottle, and cellphone which were all found in the crashed Ford, and all of which were linked to McKinnon. McKinnon accepted he'd taken the Ford to a petrol station in Wellington where he'd bought a pie and Powerade, but said after that he'd been travelling in the Caldina. He had no explanation for what happened to the Ford after that. The coroner found neither Tareha nor McKinnon had been truthful in their statements that denied McKinnon had driven the car up to Hawke's Bay. At 3.22am, police received the first call from a witness who'd come upon the crash. When the first car arrived on the scene, the driver saw another car stopped in the northbound lane with lights on full beam. The coroner was satisfied that car was the Caldina and as the driver of the other car didn't see anyone walking around, it meant at this point McKinnon was either still inside the Ford, or already in the Caldina. A truck arriving on the scene then saw the Caldina driving away at speed. The police accessed text messages sent to and from Tareha's phone later in the morning of the crash. An unknown number had sent a message saying, "Bro as you read dis rng me 'important' bout car". Tareha's phone was later used to send a message to a senior Black Power member: "Yo lose wheel on car flipped it". Coroner Hesketh found Rapaea's death was accidental, but preventable. The crash analysis supported a finding that driver fatigue was likely to be the major contributing factor. He accepted while it was perhaps unlikely that McKinnon or Tareha would have had the skills to give the necessary assistance to Rapaea, neither man tried, nor did they call an ambulance. There was no way to know if an earlier call would have led to paramedics getting there sooner, and in time to save Rapaea. The coroner issued warnings about driving while fatigued, including avoiding driving during hours of sleep, getting a good night's sleep before driving, and sharing the driving. If a driver starts to feel sleepy, they're advised to stop driving and pull off the road to take a short nap in the passenger seat. A police spokesperson told NZME the case remained open. "Police has taken the investigation as far as we can at the moment, however there is currently insufficient evidence to file a charge in court. "If further information is forthcoming, police will assess it and, if required, reassess any next steps." * This story originally appeared in the New Zealand Herald .
