As of Oct 2025,
only 4 spots remain for this trip.
Author: Zack Kruzins
TRAK Pilot and Owner of Such a Nice Day (S.A.N.D) Adventures
There are not many places left in the world where the pace of life slows down and people really live in the moment like they do in French Polynesia.
This ‘Never-Neverland is as close to a dream as you can get on this planet. Many people live their whole lives wishing to visit this bucket list destination. I was profoundly impacted by my experience travelling by sailboat through this amazing island archipelago. The vast landscape of Oceania evokes a powerful sense of remoteness that is increasingly difficult to find in this world. For the last 20 years of my life, I have been drawn to these beautiful, wild and remote places.
In 2012/13, I spent almost a full year living on a 53ft sailing ketch, Karaka. During this time, I was lucky enough to spend 3 months exploring some of the islands in this remote, idyllic paradise archipelago called French Polynesia. I knew that I wanted to go sea kayaking in this picturesque wilderness, but it was challenging to find proper performance sea kayaks that could be securely stored on the deck of the boat for the long passage across the Pacific. I wish I had known about Trak folding kayaks at that time, as that would have solved my storage issue. I eventually managed to find 3 shorter 12-14ft hardshell plastic sea kayaks in Mexico, which still allowed me to tour the islands from the sailboat.
Even after all these years, there are a few things that stand out to me about my time in French Polynesia. First, the lagoons. They are beautiful and offer shelter from the ocean waves while still showing you a vast array of marine wildlife. Second is the people I met. The island people were all so vibrant and kind. They eventually ended up connecting me with Patrice & Isabel Duval, an amazing French couple who were based on the Island of Moorea at the time. Our passions immediately connected as Patrice and Isa had made many sea kayak journeys in their folding Feathercraft sea kayaks all over the world. Our combined passions and excitement for paddling and life were through the roof!
Patrice was just starting a business, ‘Kayak Nomad Polynesia’, and was very excited to buy my kayaks to add to his small fleet. Importing sea kayaks to French Polynesia was no easy task, so he was excited to buy mine. Patrice went on to run his business for a few years, but sadly, in 2016, Patrice and Isa needed to move back to their home in Reunion Island, another French island group in the middle of the Indian Ocean. Patrice ended up selling off his small fleet of sea kayaks.
Patrice and Isa were also the people who introduced me to folding kayaks. I bought a folding kayak later that year. As a world traveller, the folding kayak gave me the freedom to bring a kayak with me when flying. I took this Trak Kayak with me to Australia and put it to the test, doing many miles in it, possibly more than anyone else at the time. Since then, I have built a strong relationship with Trak Kayaks that has opened up opportunities for myself and others to travel to and conduct interesting expeditions in stunning locations that can be difficult to find proper sea kayaks, including different parts of Canada, Greenland, Iceland, Hong Kong, Mexico, Patagonia, and even Antarctica.
I have kept in touch with Patrice and Isa over the years, and we have managed to share 6 amazing paddling trips:
-
Aotea (Great Barrier Island) Circumnavigation, North Island, New Zealand - December 2013
-
Haida Gwaii, British Columbia, Canada - July 2014
-
Mckay to Whitsunday Islands, Queensland, Australia - July 2015
-
Grand Canyon, Arizona, USA - November 2018
-
Silver Islet to Rossport Canadian shoreline of Lake Superior - July 2019
-
Outer Hebrides Islands, Scotland - June 2024
For each of these trips we passed a little tropical kermit back and forth alternating each time we met up. Kermit is dressed for the tropics and this return to French Polynesia expedition will be our 7th expedition together. French Polynesia holds such a special place in our hearts that we wanted to share it with others. For this trip, we are offering a unique experience to complete a circumnavigation of the islands of Raiatea and Taha’a.
Raiatea Island and Taha’a Island are the epitome of tropical paradises. From White sand motus (islets), translucent waters, lush vegetation and snorkelling, this is a perfect destination for sea kayaking enthusiasts. This is a once-in-a-lifetime experience that is made even trickier by the fact that there is no sea kayaking company in the area, and so renting proper kayaks is next to impossible. This is why I am so grateful to have my own Trak folding sea kayak, as it is the ideal journey to use this type of kayak.
If you are interested in this expedition, register here or reach out to a TRAK representative today to discuss how you might be able to get your hands on a boat and join an epic trip like this!
As of Oct 2025, only 4 spots remain for this trip.
Share: