Polynesia: Paradise on Earth

My love for the Pacific Islands goes back many years, when I got my hands on the book "Bora Bora", by journalist and writer Alberto Vázquez Figueroa....

Little did I know at that time that my beginnings in the world of tourism were going to go in that direction: to become a specialist, first of Polynesia, and then continue with the Fiji Islands, Cook Islands, Australia and New Zealand.

My first contact with the Pacific was in 2002 when I first visited French Polynesia. Polynesia has 118 islands spread over five archipelagos: The Society, the Tuamotu, the Marquesas, the Australs and the Gambiers. The latter two are for travelers in search of authenticity and who know how to appreciate charming, if somewhat rustic, accommodations and can spend a few days without wifi.

The first time I arrived in Bora Bora, the landing was an unforgettable experience in itself. The landing strip was in the middle of a strip of land, seeing the crystal clear waters of its lagoon while descending made a tear roll down my face, without being able to avoid it... That first impression I will never forget, and although I have returned on other occasions, the first one always remains in my memory.

Bora Bora is an island you have to go to, because, although it is the most iconic and visited, it still has a special charm and almost all of its bungalows on the water offer beautiful views of the famous volcano Otemanu, in the center of the island.

If a visit to Bora-Bora is combined with the Island of Taha'a, known as vanilla island, the trip will be even more complete. In my case, on a second trip to the islands, I did it the other way around: I started in Taha'a and when I was about to take the flight to Bora Bora, I was taken in a small golf cart to the heliport, having no clue where I was being taken, and there was a helicopter waiting for the transfer, in a private flight, to our next destination. This was a unique and magical experience, because the journey of flying over Taha'a until you land in Bora Bora is in itself a gift.

And to end a self-respecting trip to Polynesia, I would not fail to visit one of the atolls of the Tuamotu Archipelago. Whether it's Rangiroa, Tikehau, Manihi, or Fakarava, any of them offers a different view of what Polynesia is all about. We would be leaving the mountains and volcanoes to enter the atolls, where there is not even a barrier to obstruct the view.

In the Society Archipelago all the islands have volcanoes and high mountains, which offer, in addition to crystal clear waters, the option of quad biking, 4x4 SUVs, trekking, or even horseback riding, as in Raiatea. But in the Tuamotu, being atolls, there is not a single mountain, everything is at sea level and all life and activities revolve around it. This is where the famous pearl farms are located and the means of transportation are motorcycle, bicycles, or boats.

One of the activities I enjoyed the most in Rangiroa, was dolphin watching at Tiputa Pass. Around 5 pm, there is a change of currents in this pass and I could see the pods of dolphins, circling quietly on the beach while they had fun jumping over the waves. And of course, the wonderful Blue Lagoon, in this same atoll.

It was amazing when I arrived at a deserted and paradisiacal beach, which you can only access by boat. I enjoyed some time to walk around, catch "the food" from the boat, which the guide then cooked on a barbecue on the beach and, when finished, I threw the leftover fish to the small sharks that had shyly approached, noticing the smell of the cooked fish. 

¡It's awesome to have your feet in the water and baby sharks a meter away from you, tickling you while rubbing your leg! On the way back, I had the opportunity to stop in the middle of the lagoon, swim, and snorkel, surprised by the larger sharks that appeared. It was very impressive to be swimming with 30 or 40 sharks of about 2 meters around me. I won't lie, there came a time that I decided that photos of the sharks from the boat would be better. 

Artists shelter

If one wants to extend the trip further and is interested in the most authentic Maori culture, in Paul Gauguin or Jacques Brel, the islands to visit are undoubtedly the Marquesas. This archipelago would be the most similar to the island of Hawaii, for its cliffs and rock formations, although with less infrastructure and more virgins.

The Marquesas Islands have been the object of desire for numerous artists and intellectuals, eager to find places of exotic and authentic nature. That was the case of the writers Robert L. Stevenson and Jack London, or the painter Paul Gauguin, whose remains rest in Atuona, the capital of Hiva Oa, the second largest island of the archipelago. However, all of them owe their curiosity for the Marquesas to the American writer Herman Melville, the first to capture them in a work of art.

The author of Moby Dick arrived in the Marquesas in 1842 - coincidentally the date that France took possession of the archipelago - aboard a whaling ship and with the intention of escaping from his maritime confinement at the first opportunity. He abandoned ship with a friend and fell into the hands of the Taipi, one of the cannibalistic tribes of the South Seas.

He remained among the Taipi for a month, until the natives sold him to another whaling ship. Melville was thus the first of many intellectuals and artists attracted by the beauty and authenticity of this paradise on Earth.