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Imagine that you’re floating on the water’s surface, looking down through your snorkelling mask.
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Some 15 feet below, a manta ray with a wingspan of perhaps 20 feet languidly swims around and around over a coral reef with not a care in the world.
It’s a mesmerizing image, but it’s not one that comes from a dream.
It’s real, and if we may, it’s spectacular.
On the last Saturday of November, it’s late in the morning and the sun is high above Bora Bora. Clouds are scarce.
The water in this particular spot is turquoise, though any shade of blue is visible today.
We’re making one of several stops on a snorkelling tour with guides Pierrot Taati and his grandson, Kenji, who ably steers the boat through the lagoon that surrounds the main island and its distinctive peaks, Mount Pahia and Mount Otemanu.
We swim with sharks — literally. There’s a spot in the lagoon where the blacktip reef sharks mingle among snorkellers in chest-deep water, and try as we might to touch one as they go past, they’re too evasive.
We get back on the boat and stop at a coral garden. Then, after some communication with another boat to alert us to what’s below, we’re back in the water and observing as a group of 16 manta rays (called a squadron) swim along the ocean floor.
The pinnacle of the tour with the Taatis, who have been doing this for decades, is lunch.
The boat pulls up to a white-sand beach at property owned by the family, and soon, a set of table, chairs and umbrella are set up in knee-deep water. A barbecue is placed in shallower water nearby, and Kenji begins preparing lobster, beef and shrimp while we sip wine and enjoy some appetizers.
The food is mouthwatering, the experience incomparable.
There’s no debating that a trip to Tahiti and Bora Bora falls into the once-in-a-lifetime category. Fresh, locally grown fruit, flowers and the vivid colours of the tropics weren’t highlights. They were constants.
Going off the beaten path in French Polynesia brings revelations about some of the lesser-known islands, and we were grateful for visits to Raiatea and Taha’a.
On Raiatea, we were picked up at the airport by guide Naiki Lutz and made our first stop at Faora Lab, a farm-to-table operation, for breakfast.
There’s a drive on the islands for sustainable practices, and Faora Lab, opened in 2021, is the epitome of that.
Everything we ate, whether it was boiled quail eggs, fresh pineapple, papaya and coconut or banana pancakes (we’re listing just part of the menu here) was produced, grown and prepared on the farm. Owners Momo Lemaire and Sandrine Pinson have opened their farm to local school trips and wish to expand that to tourists in the future.
Next, after skirting around the top of the island, Lutz commandeered her Toyota SUV up a winding driveway through jungle-like vegetation to NIU Shack. Nestled beside a creek, the purpose of the wellness guesthouse is to give visitors a chance to connect with nature and one’s self, whether through meditation, massages or other care rituals. We took part in a coconut scrub and river bath, and the effect was immediate. Owner Vicky Tihopu prepared a vegan lunch of quiche, taro and other local foods, and our appetites were satiated.
The following day, guide Yvann Mama collected us at our resort and we were off across the water to Taha’a. The gregarious Mama epitome of the local people we met — outgoing, knowledgeable and proud of their roots.
As it was, booting around the island in the open back of Mama’s 4X4 for the day was a blast.
Mama has built an informative outing that provides visitors with much insight into the history of Taha’a and what’s happening today. Stops at a pearl farm, a vanilla plantation and a rum distillery were engaging and informative.
At one point, Mama pulled over and within moments had made a flute out of a hibiscus branch.
The shrimp dish for lunch at Tahaa Maitai in the village of Ha’amene, accompanied by a glass of Hinano, the beer of Tahiti, hit the spot.
No matter where you are in the islands, indulge at least once in Poisson Cru, Tahiti’s national dish.
It’s a mix of raw fish, usually tuna, marinated in lime juice and coconut milk and mixed with diced (or sliced) raw vegetables, including onion, bell peppers, cucumber and tomato. It has a fresh, delicious taste and once we tried it, we had it several more times during the week.
Seafood was the way to go at any meal, whether it was tuna steak, lobster, shrimp, scallops or mahi mahi. On the resorts or off, the food throughout our visit was outstanding. There wasn’t one meal that left us wanting more.
Our week ended with a stop at the Museum of Tahiti and The Islands, a 15-minute drive from Papeete. We recommend a visit at any point during your trip for a deep dive into the Islands’ history and culture.
WHERE TO STAY
Wespent four nights at a pair of luxurious Pearl Resorts properties — Le Taha’a for two nights, followed by two at Le Bora Bora.
At Le Taha’a, we had the pleasure of experiencing an overwater bungalow.
If there’s something that beats waking up in the morning, peering through the glass floor at the end of the bed to watch fish swim underneath and then taking a quick dip off your private deck, we can’t quite place it. Sitting on the deck sipping a coffee, there isn’t a bad view, whether it was gazing across the water at the main island of Taha’a, or a kilometre or so away at the three catamarans that were moored during our stay.
On the boardwalk stroll to breakfast, lunch or dinner at one of the resort’s top-notch restaurants, be sure to keep an eye out for rays, sharks and other marine wildlife making their way through the shallow water.
If you do find yourself in Le Taha’a one day, there’s a snorkelling treat that can’t missed. At the coral garden adjacent to the resort, the current is your guide as you drift along the top of the top of water, observing the colourful fish and reefs that abound. The water isn’t deep, even at high tide, and you simply walk out and back to the white-sand beach once you’re done. You’ll have to go past the pool bar to return to your room, so why not stop and have a cocktail?
At Le Bora Bora, we had the pleasure of staying in a garden villa. Lush begins to describe the grounds at this resort, though doesn’t capture it fully.
The villa was no different. Each one is built as a traditional Polynesian home, enclosed in a private garden with a plunge pool, deck and a gazebo. When you’re sitting in on the deck with a drink or lounging in the pool, it’s the height of relaxation.
A Mahara massage at the on-site Tavai Spa was the perfect indulgence to end the afternoon.
On both nights at Le Bora Bora, our group met at the Uaina Bar, overlooking the pool, for pre-dinner drinks.
Upon landing to begin our trip, we headed to the Hilton Hotel Tahiti for a two-night stay. A quick drive from both the International airport in F’a’a’a and to downtown Papeete, the capital of French Polynesia, the Hilton overlooks the ocean and the island of Moorea can be viewed in the distance. Relaxing by the pool with a Pina Colada in hand put a nice cap on our first afternoon in the Islands.
A visit to the market in Papeete, where local, handcrafted goods are waiting to be snapped up, was worthwhile.
IF YOU GO
We flew Air Canada from Toronto to Los Angeles, and after a short layover, were on the way to Tahiti on Air Tahiti Nui for an approximately eight-hour flight.
One factor that most don’t realize — French Polynesia, a direct shot south of Hawaii (more or less) is east and south of the international date line.
With just a five-hour time difference with Toronto, and a mere two hours for our colleagues who came from Vancouver, we didn’t experience the jet lag that is the result of a majority of long trips. That went for both arriving in the Islands and in the days that followed our return home.
Once we arrived, our mode of transportation between Tahiti, Raiatea and Bora Bora was with Air Tahiti, the domestic carrier for Air Tahiti Nui.
Not only are the flights between islands rather short, if you manage to get a window seat, from the view above you’ll marvel at the islands and the reefs that surround them.
We found Air Tahiti to be efficient and on time, musts on any trip.
X: @koshtorontosun