Monthly Archives: May 2016

My last day in French Polynesia was spent at the Tahiti Pearl Beach Resort in Papeete, Tahiti. I didn’t do much of anything except have a meal, drink a bottle of Hinano (local Tahitian beer), and relax.  Pārahi, Tahiti (Goodbye, Tahiti). … Continue reading →

Tahitian black pearls are world renowned. On Huahine, there is a single pearl farm that cultures these beauties, the Huahine Pearl Farm. A boat carries visitors from the Sofitel Heiva dock to the farm in the middle of the lagoon near … Continue reading →

In a river that passes through the village of Faie there lives a population of eels with blue eyes. These eels are considered sacred by the locals and can be attracted by feeding them mackerel. While these eels live in fresh … Continue reading →

The beach at Mare Manunu is beautiful, although the rocks and coral make it treacherous to swim in the lagoon here. The map in the fourth photo is on display in the fare pōte’e in Maeva, and it shows the … Continue reading →

Being of great historical and spiritual importance on Huahine, the marae are scattered everywhere. Marae Manunu is located on the motu, across from the main marae complex in Maeva. Marae Manunu is dedicated to Tane, Huahine’s god of war and … Continue reading →

In January 1846, the inhabitants of Huahine fought a group of French soldiers and sailors of the ship Uranie. The bodies of twenty-four of the dead soldiers and sailors were buried near the bridge that connects the village of Maeva … Continue reading →

On Huahine, just inland from the fare pōte’e in Maeva, there lies a hiking trail. The trail passes a large mango tree before leading uphill to Marae Tefano. There, at one end of the ahu (altar), a huge banyan tree dominates … Continue reading →

Adjacent to the fare pōte’e in Maeva are several Marae. Like the marae on Raiatea, these marae were sacred and social spaces. Each marae includes a row of standing stones and a paved courtyard. The marae served as places for the … Continue reading →

Maeva was the old capital of Huahine. There, in Maeva, a huge fare pōte’e was reconstructed to house a museum of artifacts unearthed during excavations of archaeological sites in Maeva. The fare pōte’e itself is typical of traditional housing on Huahine, its … Continue reading →

One of the less visited of the Society Islands, Huahine is a gem that most people never see. Today, I’m just showing some of the beauty of Huahine. SOURCE: Huahine 1 (Huahine, French Polynesia); photographed by Stephen J. Danko on 10 April … Continue reading →