36mmthick

After dinner, we found ourselves lulled intoa false sense of security by a cabaret ofdrums, sweet singing voices, grass skirtsand fire dancers. Our trance was broken aswe were hauled abruptly on to the stage totry the knee jiggling and hip undulation forourselves. Clearly these Polynesians arenot from the same mould as us.trFrom Moorea we made the 85-mile passage to Huahine, a giant orchard of anisland, with fruit from one end to another. Serviced by a small grass airstrip andthe occasional cargo boat or small ferry, it is happily off the beaten track of massFantasytourism and retains a tempo of life that is calm, friendly and musical. After anevening ashore, we returned to the dock to find a gang of youths had takenresidence in the ferry shelter. Armed with ukulele and a key board wired to a lightsocket, they were passing the evening harmonising. It was a scene hard toimagine anywhere else in the world.Raiatea and Tahaa lie within the same coral reef, 20 miles west of Huahine.Raiatea, the larger of the two, was once the cultural and religious centre of theSocieties and is still dotted with ‘Marae’, sacred ceremonial grounds of stone andcoral, that escaped the destruction of the missionaries. Raiatea is now betterknown internationally for its popular Moorings base.Tahaa, is by far the prettier of the two islands, with vanilla plantations, pearlfarms, a turtle breeding centre, outstanding snorkelling and a fringe of smallsandy, palm clad motus, a perfect set for a ‘Castaway’ film, or an Oyster photoshoot,as we soon found out. That night, under the light of a full moon,Oystercatcher XXIV appeared to float in mid air, casting a shadow on the whitesand beneath her keel. The effect was spell binding.From Tahaa we made the final twenty-mile hop to Bora Bora, perhaps the bestknown of all the Society Islands. With its tall mountain peaks and sparkling clearwater, Bora Bora has a justifiable reputation for having the best lagoon in theworld. However, even paradise has its problems. In February this year, the islandsuffered an exceptionally low tide destroying around 40- 50% of both the coraland the sea life. In spite of this set back, there is still an abundance of colourfulmarine life that is beyond belief.“That night, under thelight of a full moon,Oystercatcher XXIVappeared to float in midair, casting a shadow onSeveral more hotels have been built in the three years since our last visit to BoraBora, so one wonders how many years are left before the island starts to feelcrowded. Right now it is still a paradise with relatively few people around andplenty to do. Our own itinerary included exploring the depths in a submarine,snorkelling with rays, shark feeding, quad biking and sitting for hours watchingthe locals practise the new, high octane sport of kite surfing.the white sand beneathher keel. The effect wasspell binding”As the sun set over Bora Bora on our final night,I realised that the explorers, writers, poetsand artists were right, these islands are anearthly paradise. Sparkling, clear water,great sunsets, very friendly people, andwonderful island landscapes. Theyreally are fact not fantasy.www.oystermarine.com 29