FP Postcards: BORA BORA

The volcanic crater of Bora Bora

Okay, it's overrun with tourists and the beaches are privately owned by luxury resorts. But we had to go, because...it's Bora Bora! The hype and glitz haven't managed to suffocate its mystique as the Holy Grail of the South Pacific.

12 days after these bananas (pictured in the Raiatea post) were cut,
they began to ripen;
Bora Bora's peaks are in the background 

The iconic peaks from another angle;
they almost always snag clouds, whether a few...

...or a lot

Not a tourist event, the annual fishing competition
drew an appreciative crowd from the village...

...for some really big fish!

The colorful lagoon from a hilltop viewpoint

We got in the turquoise water whenever the weather allowed;
swimming with rays was particularly fun!

Celebrating our 45th anniversary,
at Bloody Mary's
(having a Bloody Mary, of course)

FP Postcards: RAIATEA

If Tahaa's adventures were primarily in the water, Raiatea's were primarily on land.

I said I'd limit explanatory text, but this magnificent historical area merits some detail. Now a UNESCO World Heritage site, Taputapuatea is the most significant religious site in all Polynesia. Every sacred temple had to incorporate a stone from this exact place in order to be legitimate--even as far away as New Zealand and Hawai'i. There are three enormous marae (open air temples) and multiple other stone platforms, all carefully maintained and still used for ceremonies. It was, in the best sense of the word, awesome.

On a dinghy river excursion we met James,
who enjoys telling people about local flora and fauna;

and Andres,
who sells produce directly from his
small riverfront farm
(here he is using a tool he devised
to snap limes off of high branches)

Andres cut a stalk of bananas for us,

and gave us "Polynesian tattoos"
by slapping the spore side of ferns on our arms

(Andres and Art, not Art and Nancie)

Oh goody!
When we don't get to shore, we get to have adventures on the boat!

FP Postcards: TAHA'A

We timed our arrival in Taha'a to coincide with their annual dance contest and festival. Groups from even the smallest of the island's seven villages had elaborate costumes and spellbinding dancers, young and old (adults one night, kids the next). 

The headdress (hei upo'o) partially blocking this photo...

...belonged to this stunning woman

Speaking of headdresses,
almost all women wear them for special occasions
(and no two are alike)

Produce is sold at stands along the road,
not in stores

We're not rum fans, but we couldn't resist
a bottle of award-winning spirits from the Pari Pari Rum Factory

This was all fun--but the best part of Taha'a was spending a lot of time in the water. The snorkeling was fantastic here!