Black-and-white film photograph of Aquila standing in calm shallow water, head tilted back to the sun, a low island on the horizon behind her

PARADISE FOUND Journal

Journal · Culture + Travel

Postcard No. 01 · Moorea

Like film, the best journeys take time to develop.

The culture and history behind the places we travel to, by archaeologist, anthropologist and global traveller Aquila Ana Bergstrom.

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The Journal

Like film, the best journeys take time to develop.

The culture and history behind the places we travel to, by archaeologist, anthropologist and global traveller Aquila Ana Bergstrom.

Read Postcard No. 01 Take a bearing Follow the route

Postcard No. 01

Moorea, French Polynesia · 1 December 2026

Black-and-white film photograph of Aquila standing shoulder-deep in a glassy lagoon, eyes closed and face to the sun, the steep green ridges of Moorea and a row of thatched bungalows behind her

Mornings in the lagoon

Seventeen kilometres from Tahiti, Moʻorea keeps its own slow time. The first postcard of the journal.

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The Cook Islands

Postcard No. 02, arriving 1 January

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Aquila shoulder-deep in the lagoon at Moorea, black-and-white film

000° · North

Islands

Small worlds surrounded by ocean. Melting pots where isolated cultures, mountains and coral nurseries intertwine.

    The route

    Where the postcards come from

    One postcard a month, posted on the 1st. Choose a place and the boat (or the little plane) will take you there.

    Hand-drawn world map of Aquila's journeys: home bases in Noosa and Sardinia, the Indian Ocean Crossing, and the postcards from Moorea, Rarotonga, Aitutaki and Kagga Kamma drawn for paradise found journal · © 2026 aquila ana bergstrom bora bora cairns bali durban cape town noosaHOME sardiniaHOME kagga kammaNO. 04 · 1 MAR aitutakiNO. 03 · 1 FEB rarotongaNO. 02 · 1 JAN mooreaNO. 01 · 1 DEC
    • Postcard
    • Coming soon
    • Home base
    • Along the way
    • By boat
    • By Cessna
    • Still to come

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    From the road

    Snapshots

    1. Morning, through the hatch.

    2. Last light on the sandstone at Kagga Kamma.

    3. Shells at the wrist, hibiscus in hand.

    4. A path through the palms, Indonesia.

    5. Listening for the sea, already in it.

    Postcard: Aquila in a white dress on a path through tall palms and banana leaves, a thatched hut beside her
    Greetings from the Islands of IndonesiaParadise Found

    The Post Club

    Postcards from paradise

    The postcards are for Post Club members. Join and one arrives in your inbox on the 1st of every month: a photograph, a few lines from the road and a link straight to the full story.

    Founding members

    The first 100 members also receive a real, printed postcard in the mail from every destination. Add your postal address when you join.

    In the postPostcard No. 01 goes out on 1 December.

    Members' dream destinations help decide where the postcards go next.

    One email a month, on the 1st. Unsubscribe whenever you like. The Post Club is for readers aged 16 and over; see the privacy note for how your details are used.

    You are in the Post Club. Every postcard opens for you here, and the next one arrives in your inbox on the 1st.

    In the works

    From the journal

    Things I am making for readers who want to take the journey home. Choose what you would like, leave your email, and you will hear first, before anyone else can order.

    • No. 01

      The book

      My story so far: eighteen years on the move, the dreams that started it, the crossings, the expeditions and everything in between.

    • No. 02

      Pocket guides

      Small guides to the places behind the postcards, made to fit in a pocket and travel with you.

    • No. 03

      Travel journals

      Journals to carry on your own journeys, for the notes, tickets and small finds along the way.

    • No. 04

      Film prints

      Limited prints of the photographs in the journal, printed from the original film.

    Choose one or more above.

    Islands

    Islands1 min read

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    Postcard No. 02 The Cook Islands Join the Post Club

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    About
    Portrait of Aquila Ana Bergstrom on a beach, one hand in her hair, a headland softly out of focus behind her

    About the editor

    Hello, I'm Aquila

    Aquila Ana Bergstrom

    Founder and editor

    I am an archaeologist, an anthropologist and a global traveller. For the past 18 years I have travelled full-time, studying and working as I go, and along the way I have also worked as a model and a travel journalist.

    The dreams came early. At eight, I knew I wanted my own history and travel show on National Geographic, and I am still working towards it. At twelve, I added a second: to one day own a sailboat and take people to the islands less travelled.

    When lockdown came in 2020, I took to the water. I sailed out of Cairns to Bali, then across the Indian Ocean to Durban and down the coast to Cape Town. You can follow the crossing on the map.

    Since then I have joined archaeological expeditions in Laos and Thailand, and worked as an anthropologist and filmmaker in Botswana and Namibia, documenting remote cultures and the languages that are fading with time.

    I am bound to be somewhere, always.

    Home, when I do stop, is Noosa in Australia or Sardinia in Italy. Paradise Found is where I share the culture and history behind the places I travel to: the people, the traditions, the sacred sites and the stories that shaped them. Alongside it comes the raw stuff from everywhere in between: the good, the bad, the what-the? moments and every challenge along the way.

    Pull up a chair, take a bearing, and stay as long as you like.

    Aquila

    In calm water at dusk with a conch shell
    Below the sandstone cliffs of Kagga Kamma at golden hour
    A shell bracelet and a red hibiscus
    Morning sun through a boat hatch
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    Partnerships

    Partnerships

    Work with me

    Paradise Found Journal is a travel and culture journal about the cultural and historical side of travel, written and photographed on film by archaeologist and anthropologist Aquila Ana Bergstrom. I partner with hotels, lodges, tour operators, tourism boards and brands whose places and work belong in those stories.

    Every partnership, hosted stay and commission link is clearly labelled for readers.
    Privacy

    Privacy and disclosure

    Your details, kept well

    A short, plain note on what the journal collects, why, and what you can do about it. Last updated 14 October 2026.

    What I collect

    When you join the Post Club: your name, email address, birthday, dream destination and the password you choose. If you ask for real postcards, your postal address too. If you join a waitlist, your email and the things you chose. If you send a message, what you write.

    Why

    To send you a postcard by email on the 1st of each month, to let you log in and read the postcards in full, to post printed postcards to founding members who ask for them, to send a note on your birthday, to tell you when something on a waitlist is ready, and to understand which places readers dream of, so I can plan where the postcards go next. Your details are never sold.

    Where it is kept

    The site is hosted by Netlify, which stores sign-ups, messages and log-in accounts. Your password is handled by Netlify Identity and I never see it. The monthly emails are sent through an email service that holds the mailing list. Postal addresses are used only to post your postcards.

    Counting visits

    If visit counting is switched on, the site asks first. It only counts which pages are read and for how long, never for advertising.

    Links and partnerships

    Some links in the postcards earn the journal a small commission if you book, at no extra cost to you. Hosted stays and paid partnerships are always labelled.

    Your choices

    Every email has an unsubscribe link. To see, correct or delete your details, or to stop the printed postcards, send a privacy request through the contact form and it will be handled within a few days.