Text & Image: Tosca Waeber
It’s 5 0`clock in the morning. The plane touches down on an island in the Pacific. After 30h of travel I step full of curiosity and a bit dazed out of the plane, breathing in the cool and fresh morning air of French Polynesia. The taste of coffee and the scent of Tiare flowers fill my lungs. It’s dark. Distal lights and fine contours let me only imagine the uniqueness of this wonderful setting. Three local musicians welcome us travelers with their engaging smiles, wonderful sounds and Polynesian dance. I can hardly believe it. The long-awaited moment has finally arrived: Good morning, Tahiti! ☺
At the baggage claim, I meet Jesse Richman. Together with this crazy kitesurfer from Hawaii, I am off for the last part of my journey. The shuttleferry takes us to the dream island Moorea, where we pack our luggage and Jesse’s kite surfing equipment in the bus. Shortly after, we arrive at the Pearl Beach Resort. The neighbor island of Tahiti is a pure paradise! Wild chickens run across the road, the sea sparkles in all shades of different blues, palm trees line the coast and behind them, tropical rainforests overgrow the majestic volcanoes. Thierry Donard and his crew are waiting for us. Morgane, the good fairy of the team, welcomes us warmly and shows us our quarters. No, no simple wooden huts! Our intermediate homes are wonderful water bungalows with private access to the sea. Wow! We jump into the crystal clear water and enjoy ourselves, before taking a little nap and heading to the afternoon’s set.
Simon Favier positions his camera, and our drone specialists Andy and Davis of Aetherfilms are the final stage of screwing and repositioning the drone and getting ready ready with their screens and joysticks for take-off. Thierry gives final instructions. Aude Lionette is the object of desire in front of the camera. The beautiful Tahitian woman shows up on the stand-up paddle board and curves elegantly through the Cook Bay of Moorea, surrounded by the most stunning and impressive landscape. The drone takes off and glides smoothly above Aude. However, something goes wrong. The drone looses its GPS signal and circles for a few minutes abandoned over the ocean. Drops of sweat appear on Thierrys forefront, and I get aware of what could literally have fallen into the water. Fortunately, Andy and Davis bring it back under their control. What a relief for all of us. Now, it must be said that we already have a problematic “child” at home. The brand new underwater case is leaking. Luckily, our Mac Gyver Davis has already taken care of it and he seems confident.
The narrow 10 days window of the shooting in Tahiti doesn`t make it easier for the team. At the end, we should get a 30 minutes cut with our people of desire – the Hawaiians Tyler Larronde, Jesse Richman and the Tahitians Tikanui Smith and Aude Lionette -30 minutes of surf stoke pure.
Set change! We drive the winding road up to the lookout point Belvédère, where we shoot a scene with Tika and Tyler. While the sun slowly begins to sink into the sea, we head to the beach for the last shots of the day. The drone flies smoothly and our actors move skillfully. However, if you watch from closer, you can see that they are not used to pose for lifestyle shots. Satisfied, with a little growling stomach we walk into the restaurant and spoil ourselves with local specialties such as Hinano beer and ‘Poisson Cru’, which has become one of my absolute favorite dishes. We sit under a simple hut and enjoy the evening air, tell the stories of the day and create plans for tomorrow.
