Huahine ticked, next two islands Raiatea and Tahaa are both behind the same reef. We start at the south east end and work our way north and around Tahaa. Our first trip ashore was to visit the most important Polynesian traditional temple area Marea Taputapuatea, this is where all their long sea voyage started. Voyages that started into the unknown with no GPS, no charts and no sextant, they steered by stars, wind and wave patterns. Brave sailors.

From Baie Opoa we motor up to Baie Vairahi, where we take a path up towards some waterfalls.

Kirsty manages to cool off in the stream. On the way back to Giselle, we pass the garden of an ex soldier who gives us some large avocados and apologises that his bananas are rather small, with five stocks of bananas on board we are quick to tell him we have plenty. We could probably set up our own little stall selling bananas. At Uturoa, the main town, we stop for some diesel, some fresh meat and veg and quickly move on, this time we pick up a buoy outside a turtle sanctuary, the turtles are rescued from fishing nets mainly, when they recover from their ordeal they are released back to sea.

We continue on around the north of Tahaa, stop by some coral gardens and have the most wonderful snorkel, the water is only waist high, flat with very small amount of current, lots of fish that love banana and all come racing in to get their piece, the coral is very pretty too. It was great it was so shallow but you did have to suck in your tum to get over the top of some of the coral heads! It’s too exposed to stay here the night, so we move for our early start next morning.

Link to photos