Bora Bora Peak

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In the lee of Bora Bora's mighty peak, the water of the main bay was protected from the wind, but it was over 100ft deep here, and few boats wanted to anchor in such depths.

What we did want was to go around to the windward side to the huge lagoon, famous for underwater beauty, but the strong winds kept us away.

Bora Bora Calling

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On the last night at Tahaa, we anchored in the lagoon on the west side of the island. We could see Bora Bora in the distance, and could feel it calling to us from across the channel.

Tahaa Scene

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Motoring slowly along Tahaa's shoreline, the jungle behind is seen to be dense, but along the shore itself, a road runs, and quiet scenes with homes like this were common.

Carenage Raiatea

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Near the marina on Raiatea we found this carenage, boatyard. It was filled with cruising boats left by their owners, many had been damaged by a recent Cyclone.

Resort, Off the Beaten Path

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A resort is located on Huahini at the end of the road, which is also the end of the island.

We visited this quiet place by dingy, had a drink, & relaxed for a while.

See the surf crashing on the reef in the distance, past the green shallows?

Its thunder remained constant in the background.

Huahini Paradise

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A paradise setting on Huahini Island, French Polynesia

Walking on Moorea

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We found the diving to be unattractive in Moorea, so we spent our time ashore, and walked on these park-like roads.

Robinson's Cove

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Anchored with Annapurna in Robinson's Cove, Opunoho Bay, Moorea.

Moorea

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Mount Tohiea rising behind Opunoho Bay, Moorea. We made our arrival in late afternoon to this stunning view, and felt like we were in a movie set. We were.

The North Coast

Tahiti Driving Tour-15


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Between stops, we drove furiously to make the complete circuit of Tahiti in one day. By late afternoon we could again see the North Shore, and we were nearing Papeete.

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Chapel

Tahiti Driving Tour-14


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Again in Tahiti, as in the Marquesas, we saw scenes like this, which looked more like Switzerland than the South Pacific.

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Boatyard on Tahiti

Tahiti Driving Tour-13


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We didn't have time to drive out to Tahiti Iti, a smaller island on the Southwest corner of Tahiti, but near the turnoff we found this boatyard. The boats parked here are typical of French cruising boats, with sleek hulls and retractable centerboards.

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Galapagos Turtle

Tahiti Driving Tour-12


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Jim introduces himself the the Galapagos Tortoise living in the botanical garden. This tortoise was brought to Tahiti from the Galapagos Islands on a sailing ship over 100 years before, and is still here, munching plants and still growing.

The tortoise seemed mildly interested in Jim, even though he has probably been seeing visitors to his spot for a long time.

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Botanical Garden

Tahiti Driving Tour-11


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We turned into the botanical garden parking lot, and went for another walk; this time among the trees in this well tended and groomed park. This is a neat botanical garden with many plants and trees which were new to us. Carol inspected the Banyan trees.

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Tahiti

Tahiti Driving Tour-10


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The views were beautiful, but we saw few people, but then, it was a weekday; maybe they were all off to Papeete at work.

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Gauguin Museum

Tahiti Driving Tour-9


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Next stop, the Paul Gauguin Museum. People in French Polynesia are immensly proud of Paul Gauguin, the french painter who repeately travelled here to paint. Though he had a wife and family in back France, he spent many years here, and eventually died here. His paintings were sent back to France and sold, and few of Gauguin's works remain in French Polynesia. What there are, are displayed here in this quiet roadside museum. We read of his life and work, and saw some of his paintings, and reproductions of others, and were glad we stopped.

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Walking into the jungle.

Tahiti Driving Tour-8


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We parked the car and headed up this trail, hoping to find a waterfall, but instead, at the end of the trail, found impenetrable jungle.

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Stream Flowing on Island Time

Tahiti Driving Tour-7


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In places where the coastal plain is wider, Tahitian streams, like this one, flow more slowly and then, as part of an endless cycle in which the water from the sea evaporates and rises to the sky to form clouds, falls on land as rain and then flows to rejoin the sea, again part of the vast ocean.

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Stream Flowing from Tahitian Mountains

Tahiti Driving Tour-6


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Tahiti is a large island with a mountianous interior, where rain is nearly constant. Out of this rainy mountainous center of the island of Tahiti flow many small rivers, and we were constantly crossing them as we drove along the coastline.


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Colorful Church

Tahiti Driving Tour-5


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Churches are pretty gaudy in the South Pacific. We passed several on our trip around Tahiti

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