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Even if you've never been there, most people recognize the chiseled peak of Mt. Otemanu on Bora Bora . This is where James Michener was stationed as a young naval officer, which later inspired him to write 'Tales of the South Pacific' . You can find remains of rusting WWII gun batteries hidden in the jungle-choked hillsides. Then quench your thirst at a bar called Bloody Mary's. In pre-European times, Bora Bora was the launching place for fierce war parties to other islands. Today the peaceful lagoon is a favorite snorkeling place where you can hand feed harmless black-tipped sharks. |
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More than 250km from bustling Papeete, and contrasting markedly with the Society Islands' volcanic peaks, the far-flung Tuomotus are low-lying coral atolls scattered in palm-topped leis on a languid sea, seldom visited by tourists and cruise ships. Lucky for you! For this is a naturalist's nirvana and diver's delight. On Fakarava Lagoon, the Garuae Pass ' 150 foot visibility offers in-your-face encounters with enormous schools of dolphins, rays, sharks and rainbows of reef fish. An old Catholic mission, dating from the 1850's, watches over Fakarava's 250 inhabitants, who support themselves mainly by pearl farming. |
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A laid back haven for surfers, ex-pats and others who prefer the road less traveled, Huahine offers an authentic example of what the islands used to be. Tahitian, rather than French, is the lingua franca and the island's numerous archaeological digs offer a fascinating window into the past. In sacred maraes reminiscent of Stonehenge , giant stones looking like gravestones remind you that human sacrifices were part of the Polynesian religious rituals. Near the settlement of Faie, ogle six-foot blue-eyed eels undulating in the water. |
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