A trip to French Polynesia would be incomplete without venturing beyond Tahiti and Moorea. Magnificent, secret islands, nestled in the heart of the most beautiful lagoons on the planet, await your visit. You will find incredible wildlife, especially underwater, and come face to face with the soul of Polynesian culture. By plane to save time and fly over the atolls or by boat to discover the water, it’s up to you how you will reach these corners of paradise.
The second largest atoll in the world is best known to diving enthusiasts. Whales, manta rays, dolphins and sharks are seen in an endless ballet in the turquoise waters of the Tuamotu archipelago. Whether you are an experienced Cousteau or a beginner in snorkeling, you will be seduced by this aquatic Eden. You can also taste a unique wine in Rangiroa: the coral wine.
This island, which would have been the first to be populated in Polynesia, still keeps the trace of priceless archaeological treasures. The marae of Taputapuatea is the most sacred site in Polynesia and has been listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2017. In Raiatea, you will move between ancient craters and breathtaking waterfalls. The Apetahi tiare flower has found here a unique land to bloom. You can take a pirogue ride on Faʻaroa, the only navigable river in Polynesia, or let the trade winds swell your sails idyllically.
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From the top of its 381 meters, Mount Teurafaatiu will offer you a 360 degree view on the shallow lagoon where manta rays are evolving. In the distance, you will see Bora-Bora. There is an air of the end of the world around here. Maupiti is an adorable little island located 315 kilometers from Tahiti, and can be visited by bike or canoe. In fact, the canoe of Hiro, a legendary Polynesian character, is docked on the island.
Only a 35-minute flight from Tahiti, Huahine offers the authenticity of French Polynesia. The island is untouched by mass tourism and it is possible to live like a local in one of the eight scattered villages. A bridge spans the lagoon to connect the two parts of the island. Coral gardens follow white sand beaches. Underwater, the reefs seduce divers; on land, the lush forests invite exploration. We greet the sacred eels in the village of Fā’ie before tasting melons and bananas and letting ourselves be intoxicated by the scent of vanilla. One word of order: take your time to discover the archeological sites and to be told the story of the queens of the island.
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French Polynesian Islands Away From The Crowds
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This website uses Google Analytics to collect anonymous information such as the number of visitors to the site, and the most popular pages.To one of the most remote places inhabited by humankind and the last outpost to be settled on Earth, this is the story of a 2, 817-mile sea voyage to Polynesia’s “Mysterious Islands”. Ancient cultures, exotic dances, bizarre anthropological theories and a tiny community whose status is far greater than its physical size – a journey to the edge of the Polynesian Triangle from Tahiti to Easter Island.
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On November 1, 1520, after over a year at sea on a journey that began in Spain, the Portuguese explorer Ferdinand Magellan is attempting to find a gap through the tip of the South American continent on his way to circumnavigate the planet. The path he chooses, a strait that would later bear his name, is a maze riddled with countless dead ends and plagued by unpredictable currents, relentless winds, heavy fog, and lots of uncertainty.
Tensely navigating through the strait for 38 days, Magellan emerges from the other side and enters the Pacific Ocean, naming it in light of the relatively comfortable weather conditions compared to the difficult weeks that have passed. However, Magellan is unaware of one important detail – the sheer size of the ocean he has just begun to cross.
The Pacific is the largest of the planet’s five oceans, covering about a third of the Earth’s surface. So immense is this body of water that one could fit all continents within its boundaries (in theory, of course) and still have space left for “another Europe”. The infinite blue of the “King of the Oceans” is interrupted on occasion by 1, 000 islands that make up the Polynesian Triangle , an area stretching between New Zealand in the west, Hawaii in the north, and Easter Island in the east.
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The vast size of the Pacific is an insurmountable obstacle even for today’s experienced seamen; but, for the ancient Polynesians, the ocean was viewed as a superhighway. Thanks to their remarkable navigation skills and courage, this obstacle would be conquered down to the very last piece of dry land that appears like a grain of sand on a world map.
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The South Seas journey begins in Tahiti, the beating heart of French Polynesia and the definition of exoticism. The ship that will carry us to Easter Island – the edge of the Polynesian Triangle – is due to arrive in a few days from Samoa in the west, providing an opportunity to adjust to “island time”, a chance to explore this mountainous island so perfectly sculpted by nature and connect with the hospitable Tahitians that call this place home.
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Tahiti’s wild interior is devoid of human settlement and the only way to explore it is on a guided 4X4 tour. At the popular surfing village of Papenoo on the east coast, we venture inland and follow the contours of the Papenoo River, the longest in French Polynesia. The river flows through the lush Papenoo Valley, a basin formed by the collapse of a caldera that once topped Tahiti’s volcano. Much of the massive amount of rainfall that falls on the island’s peaks find their way into the valley. Even in the dry season, our jeeps must ford the river and pause for us to admire the cascading waterfalls that drop from the mountain tops, some of which rise to a height of over 2, 000 meters.
Before the arrival of the missionaries in the late 18th century, the valley was home to thousands of Tahitians. They left their mark in the form of countless fruit trees and ancient temples, known in Tahiti as marae . As we explore what remains of the marae with our local guides, we can’t help but feel a strong sense of spiritual presence. Polynesians call this mana , the feeling of a supernatural presence that connects man with nature and the heavens. Despite the conversion to Christianity, even to the present day locals frequent these spots and pray to their ancestral spirits.
Before exiting the interior of the island on the west coast, we visit one of Tahiti’s most magical spots. At an elevation of 473 meters, Lake Vaihiria seems to be taken straight out of a tropical fairytale, a peaceful lake perfectly hidden by the emerald peaks awaiting the occasional visitor. In 1791, British troops made the arduous journey to this perfect hiding spot in search of Bounty mutineers from the infamous mutiny.
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On the following day, we are greeted at the entrance to the Museum of Tahiti and Her Islands by a duo of ukulele guitars and the broad smiles of Teuai Olivier Lenoir’s local dance group. Lenoir is a living legend in Tahiti, a talented choreographer, a personal friend, and an expert in the local culture. His dance group is coming off a recent win in the annual Heiva Festival , a coveted dance, song, and traditional sports competition between groups from French Polynesia’s five archipelagos held every July.
We rotate between stations manned by muscular men and beautiful young women wearing flowers in their hair. Each station is a kind of lightning workshop for the aspiring wannabe Tahitian. We learn how to prepare day-to-day utensils from the branches of the coconut tree, how to weave necklaces made from heavenly-scented gardenia and how to turn the inside bark of a local tree into fabric known as tapa .
All of a sudden, the sound of beating drums overpower the tropical bird chatter. It is time to gather on the lawn at the edge of the lagoon facing the neighboring island of Moorea and watch a band
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