Sailing in Tahiti

First lunch stop was Ile Taoru. There are beautiful views in every direction, especially the mountains of Raiatea. And good snorkeling out by the channel marker.

First anchorage was in Baie Opoa. We walked through Marae de Taputapuatea, considered the most sacred temple in Polynesia. It was well restored with a lot of information to help you understand what you are looking at.

Our most thrilling experience was attending church on Sunday morning. The entire congregation made up the choir. The music was so incredible we all had goose bumps and tears in our eyes. We were the only visitors and treated as honored guests, greeting line, etc.

We went up the Apoomau River by dinghy. You can go in about 2.5 miles. The flowers and greenery were incredible. We stopped to pick flowers that lasted over a week.

Halfway up the river we found a dock, tied up the dinghy and walked through breathtaking gardens. The woman caretaker peeled a fresh grapefruit for us to taste and gave us an avocado.

We anchored in Baie Tuatau for the night. Snorkeling was very nice. Next day we had some spectacular snorkeling at Ile Naonao before heading up the western side of Raiatea.

We motor sailed up to Taha'a and anchored at Ile Tautau. Snorkeling in the coral garden just off the resort was out of this world, best ever. And we had a typical Tahitian dinner at Chez Louise in Baie Utuone.

Next day we motor sailed around Taha'a and made a lunch stop at Ile Atara. Our crew had called ahead and ordered a buffet lunch on the beach. The colors of the water were truly beautiful. Snorkeling is good here too but current was too strong when we were there.

We anchored in Baie Hurepiti, a great starting off point when you are sailing to Bora Bora the next day. It is a large bay, great mountain views and very quiet.

The views as you approach Bora Bora are incredible....just like the postcards. We had cocktails at Bloody Mary's, the best known bar there. And we hiked up the hill behind the next morning for this photo. We caught a jack as we left Taha'a and baked it in foil with vegetables for dinner.

Next day we went around Bora Bora to the Meridian Hotel to see the turtle farm. That was fun. We skipped the Lagoonariam. But we snorkeled the next morning nearby and swam with manta rays. That was very rewarding. But we decided to move on. We stopped outside the reef to swim with sharks. That was fun too.

The sunsets were out of this world night after night, but no green flash, too many clouds on the horizon. And the occasional rain storms were quite dramatic.

We sailed back to Taha'a for another night and another great sunset. The rest of our group did the snorkel at the coral garden by the Pearl Beach Resort the next morning. Then we prepared to sail to Huahine.

We took a land tour in Huahine and loved everything about these two islands. We stopped for a wonderful lunch of fresh fish on the south island. We saw melon fields, maevas, fish traps, sacred eels and vanilla farms on the north island.

We stopped and walked through the village of Haapu. One family invited us in to their yard and offered us bananas and grapefruit. The local people are so gracious. Note the box out front for delivery of fresh baguettes.

We enjoyed two wonderful weeks sailing in the Tahiti area, French Polynesia. We began in Raiatea, on to Taha'a, Bora Bora and Huahine. This is a "must do". Here are our highlights.