Huahine
Huahine, with its lush forests, untamed landscape, and quaint villages, is one of Polynesia's best-kept secrets.

A deep, crystal-clear lagoon surrounds the two islands while magnificent bays and white-sand beaches add drama and solitude to their virtues. Relatively unchanged by the modern world, Huahine's few residents welcome visitors with great kindness. The island's soil is rich and fertile, providing the farmers a bountiful harvest of vanilla, melons, and bananas.

The spell cast by Huahine will last a lifetime.

Hermosa
This name bestowed by Captain Cook in 1769 means "beautiful" in Spanish. The name Huahine may come from the profile of a mountain which reveals the shape of a pregnant woman.

Mythology provides two legends for the creation of the two islands of Huahine: either the god Hiro cut the island in half with his canoe or a spear thrown in a contest among gods pierced Moorea's Mt. Mouaputa and then sailed 100 miles where it split Huahine in two!

Raiatea


Raiatea, meaning "faraway heaven" and "sky with soft light", was first named Havai'i after the homeland of the ancient Polynesians and is the most sacred island in the South Pacific.

This, the second largest Tahitian isle, was the center of religion and culture over 1000 years ago and still lends enchantment to ancient legends told to this day. The green-carpeted mountains covering the interior include the celebrated Mt. Temehani, a sort of Polynesian Mt. Olympus.

Where legends began and dreams are fulfilled.

Tiare Apetahi Flower
Upon Mt. Temehani on Raiatea lives a flower so rare it can be grown no place else on earth. Ancient legends spin a tragic romantic tale where the five petals of this white flower represent the hand of a common Tahitian girl who was in love with the son of a Tahitian king. Because she was not allowed to marry him, she died of a broken heart; the sound of which is re-created each dawn as the delicate petals open with a slight crackling sound.

Taha'a
Taha'a, with the rich aroma of vanilla lingering heavily in the air, offers a glimpse of the traditional, tranquil life of the Tahitians. The flower-shaped island's simple beauty is charmed by soft mountain shapes and surrounded by tiny motu with bright sand beaches. In the fertile valleys cutting within the island, local farmers grow watermelon, vanilla, and copra.

With a heart-beat rhythm of life unique in the world.

Rangiroa
Rangiroa, a string of coral encircling a luminous turquoise and jade-green lagoon, is one of the world's greatest dive destinations. From the air, the atoll - the second largest in the world - seems to be a giant pearl necklace laid upon the water.

Here is a world where 240 tiny islets, or motu, each no more than three feet in elevation, lay upon the ocean for more than 110 miles completely encircling an infinitely deep lagoon.

Surrounded by two legendary bodies of water, Moana-tea (Peaceful Ocean) and Moana-uri (Wild Ocean), the main villages of Avatoru and Tiputa offer the visitor with a unique look at the South Pacific lifestyle of the residents. Along the few roads, coral churches, craft centers, local restaurants, and tiny shops provide enjoyable land-based experiences to complement the many activities awaiting the visitor in the lagoon.

A world where drama and simplicity share the same breath.

Manihi
Manihi, lost in the vastness of the South Pacific, conjures up castaway dreams of a tropical isle.

Far from the modern world, the crystal-clear lagoon was once filled with mother-of-pearl and is the site of Tahiti's first black pearl farm. Today, Manihi is still the leading supplier for the Tahitian cultured pearl industry.

This is "farm country" South Pacific style. Instead of crops, over 60 farms here produce the world's most sought after gem: pearls. Manihi's lagoon waters are among the most perfect on earth for cultivating pearls because of the temperature, density, salinity, light, and overall climate.

Besides the pearl farms, visitors enjoy exploring the lagoon and the main village of Turipaoa. There are few cars here so walking around the town square and along the coral paths is as peaceful and romantic as the lagoon itself.

Tikehau
Tikehau, a graceful oval crown of pink-sand beaches, can only be described as a picture postcard.

Considered to be one of the most beautiful atolls in Polynesia, the fragrance of the air is matched only by the abundance of life in the bright-blue water. The friendly people, their homes awash with gardens, invite you to share and explore their world beyond imagination.

In this pristine world, fish seem to outnumber people one-billion-to one. In fact the density of the fish in the lagoon is so high that Jacques Cousteau's research group declared that Tikehau's lagoon contained the highest concentration of fish in all of the Tuamotu atolls.

Fishing is among the primary industries here for the 400 residents. Families share fish parks - underwater fenced areas - where they trap parrotfish and other lagoon species as a primary source of food and income. Families also ship fish by air to Papeete for sale in the local markets. Visitors enjoy endless hours of exploring the perfection of the lagoon, the Isle of Birds, and the tidy island village of Tuherahera.

Fakarava
Fakarava, is an untouched world where nesting birds and marine life live in harmony with the land and water.

The rich ecosystem is home to rare birds, plants, and crustaceans while the dive sites are virtually undiscovered. Life along the quiet shores is equally unique with quaint villages, old coral churches, and welcoming people.

Even though Fakarava is the newest destination to welcome resort visitors among Tahiti & Her Islands, it was one of the first population centers and the ancient capital of the region. The lagoon, the second largest after Rangiroa, is rich with life below and above the surface and a prime example of nature at its finest. So pure is the environment here that Fakarava is being considered for classification as a UNESCO nature reserve for the preservation of rare species.

Life among the 400 residents is centralized around the quaint villages of Rotoava and the Tetamanu.

The Marquesas Islands
The Marquesas, or Henua Enata meaning "Land of Men", are seemingly lost at the end of the earth.

Even now, some of the islands are virtually untouched since the era of European exploration. The isolation of the Marquesas from other lands has created an immense pride among the people and a fascinating culture. The language is unique to Tahiti, as the lilting Marquesan dialect is traced directly to the ancient Polynesian tongue of Maohi.

Natural wonders abound as 1000-foot waterfalls cascade down sheer volcanic cliffs, and towering mountains disappear mysteriously in the clouds.

This world belongs to the past where the spirits of the ancient Maohi still live.

The primary islands with lodging are:

Nuku Hiva
The largest island in the Marquesas is known for towering spire-like peaks; secluded, lush valleys; ancient religious sites; fjord-like bays; and waterfalls so high that most of the falling water evaporates as it descends.

Hiva Oa
This majestic and historic island is known for its wild, untamed landscape, giant stone tiki, endless and unearthly vistas, and as the final resting place of poet Jacques Brel and artist Paul Gauguin.

Gambier Islands - Mangareva


Islands At The End of the World

Over one thousand miles southeast of Tahiti are the Gambier Islands. The cradle of Catholicism during the nineteeth century following the arrival of the first missionaries to the region, hundreds of stone buildings from that era survive including churches, convents, schools, and watch towers.

Mangareva, the largest island of the region, is home to most of the population and the center of the region's pearl industry. The island's only small family pensions are located here in the town of Rikitea

Austral Islands
Hundreds of miles to the south of Tahiti lie the Austral islands, a chain of five high islands located on the Tropic of Capricorn.

The islands are known for the traditional art of weaving coconut and pandanus leaves into elaborate hats, purses, mats, and bags. The ocean around the islands is also a home for whales from July to November.

The islands with small hotels and family pensions are:

Rurutu
Island of Whales

Tubuai
The island of Plenty

Raivavae
At the dawning of the world

Rapa
Easter Island's Little Sister