Dave and Simone Lynch took a ten day cruise in the South Pacific during the early part of November. The cruise began and ended in Tahiti and included stops on the islands of Huainne, Rarotonga, Raiatea, Bora Bora, and Moorea. The cruise was great but the travel time from Baltimore to Tahiti was more than 24 hours.

We did the usual things: swimming, sailing, snorkeling, sightseeing, shopping and even attended a traditional Polynesian barbecue on a small islet near Raiatea.

With the exception of Rarotonga (independent but administered by New Zealand), these islands are part of French Polynesia. There is no poverty on any of these islands. Tropical fruit trees (coconut, mango, citrus, breadfruit, etc.) grow wild so their fruit is free for the picking. Chickens are everywhere, are unowned, run free and are available for the dinner pot when caught. On Huahine, there are freshwater blue eyed eels, about 5' long,' that are considered sacred. On the other islands, these same eels are considered dinner when speared.

Black lipped oysters thrive in the waters around these islands and produce the black pearls that are the major exports of French Polynesia. These pearls must be of a certain quality or are considered worthless and not for sale at any price. I was watching some boys playing marbles with what I could only assume were rejects.

Unlike other islands we have seen, homes and surrounding areas are kept neat and clean. Cars are priced beyond the reach of most residents but every family owns at least one boat. All islands were surrounded by a barrier reef that formed an interior lagoon. Coral heads inside these protected lagoons were home to many varieties of colorful fish and the clear water provided some of the best snorkeling I have ever seen.

The aurthor James Michner spent time on Bora Bora during WW II. Moorea was his model for the fictional Bali Hai in his novel "Tales of the South Pacific".

A long way for us to travel but an interesting & exciting trip.

Dave Lynch

Island of Bora Bora

Island of Huahine

Island of Moorea

Over the water hotel cottages on Moorea