Ah, the famous Bora Bora, where the ancient volcanic peaks rise dramatically straight up from the bay.
There’s a lot to see and do here; so much so that we stay two days. Some options include ATV rides, e-bikes, jet skis, day passes or even overnight stays at the local hotels. I chose snorkeling.
We lost count of the many shades of blue in the water, on our 30-min ride out to the first snorkeling spot. At this spot, there were a few fish, but many manta rays, who are quite tame and come over to play. These were about 3 feet across and ranged in age 3-5 years. Also a couple black-tipped sharks, about 3 ft long and probably weighing 30 lbs. After a half-hour, we climbed back in the boat and headed to our second stop, a coral garden. This was an all-fish zone: so many different types, shapes and colors! And so many – hundreds! I’m was beginning to get the hang of my newly acquired snorkel gear (I ordered a prescription mask, which worked especially well). Lots of different types and colors of coral too. Unfortunately none of the underwater pictures turned out, so you’ll just have to take my word for it. Another half hour of swimming tired us out and we climbed back in the boat. Continuing around the lagoon, we landed on a motu, an islet formed from the barrier reef, for lunch.
This was quite the feast, all cooked in the traditional style in a pit of heated lava rock, and eaten in the traditional manner, with a taro leaf for a plate and one’s fingers as the implements. Very tasty, with roast suckling pig, marinated chicken, several kinds of fish, several vegetables, and a roasted banana for dessert. We were all hungry after our morning activities, so we dug right in. It was delicious!
Afterwards we continued around the lagoon, passing the US Navy gun emplacements from WW2 (the feared Japanese invasion never materialized), and back to the ship. What a full day!
Lodging: MS Paul Gauguin
Kitsambler's Journeys 