Our first stop in the Society Islands is the capital city of French Polynesia - Papeete - on the island of Tahiti Nui (Tahiti to the rest of us). After more than 2 months of ocean sailing and small island communities, Tahiti was a culture shock - complete with McDonalds and noisy traffic. Still, it can hardly be called an urban blight; the city still retains much of its French Colonial charm. Every day, the open air market pictured below bustles with vendors and buyers of every imaginable fresh food item.
Our anchorage off the Marina Taina was our home for almost 2 weeks, while we caught up with mail, packages, and boat projects. Almost anything you want can be found in Tahiti, but at twice its stateside price. The view below is Moorea, taken from the vantage point of our lower mast spreader.
Life's a beach in Tahiti. Here's a Tiki party boat that takes tourists out for the requisite "booze cruise" up and down the bay. 
They grow up fast, don't they? Our older son, Tyler, turned 17 in Tahiti. Luckily we had a few boats around with kids onboard to help him celebrate. An eclectic bunch, too: these kids represented Belgium, New Zealand, Australia, and the US.
The next island in the Society chain is Moorea. James Mitchener's fictional island of Bali Hai was based on Moorea. After anchoring in Opunohu Bay, we opted for a little swing time. In the background is one of the peaks that is captured in thousands of photos each year. Moorea would turn out to be a favorite spot. The days just melted away here, as we swam, hiked, or simply watched the way the clouds and shadows played on the hills and spires.
Austin perfects his head-first entry
Sunset on Moorea. There are tragedies in paradise, though. Only a few hours before this picture was taken, an Air Moorea plane crashed into the sea, right after take-off. 22 passengers onboard - no survivors. Cause of crash remains unknown.
Regardless of what some might think, sting rays are anything but aggressive. These guys get fed every day, and have no qualms about getting close to you.
Jackie and Austin are hand-feeding the rays. They swim right up on you, and don't mind if you pet or touch them. Their underside is very soft, and both sides are very slick.
SHHHARK!! Lots of them, too. These black tips were all around us while we fed the rays. They also get fed by the more adventurous dive guides. So, they were constantly swimming through our group. Usually they swam very slowly - almost like strolling. But, we saw one accelerate to warp speed right in front of us - very sobering!
Jackie watches a black tip cruise by. You got used to them after awhile. Still....
Flowers are everywhere. Here's an arrangement in the Bali Hai hotel. The hotel's glory years are gone, but it must have been a cool place 25 years ago.
The crews from Barbara Ann, Surcouf, and Tuscany out for a hike in an area called Belvedere. The peak that rises behind us separates Cook Bay from Opunohu Bay on Moorea. This lookout is named the 3 Pines summit. 
From the 3 Pines summit, we followed the trail down through pineapple groves and horse farms. Pineapples are the only edible bromeliads in widespread cultivation.
We needed to run the 7 miles back to Tahiti for spare parts, before heading on to Huahine. On our way back to Tahiti we had a close encounter with a humpback whale.
The next island in the chain after Moorea was Huahine. We had to send Austin up the mast to help us pilot the boat through the unfamiliar reefs. He took advantage of his time aloft to grab these two shots.
Vanilla is an important crop in the Society Islands. It's the second most expensive spice in the world, after saffron. Huahine has many small Mom & Pop vanilla farms, such as in the photo below.
No visit to Huahine is complete without a visit to the sacred blue-eyed eels. These guys are also fed by tourists, but aren't as personable as the sting rays. I touched one, but they always looked at you with their jaws open - kind of intimidating.
Lunch at one of our favorite restaurants in all of French Polynesia. Great food, great presentation, friendly ambience, and prices that make you want to come back for more. Edmond, from Surcouf, and I get ready to dig in.
People are always coming up with great ideas! Here's an alternative to high-priced resorts. How about Safari style tents, with all the amenities? 
A couple of photos Jackie took while on an island hike.
Here's two pictures from the boy's round-the-island hitchhiking adventure. For most of the boys, it was a new experience, but hitching a ride is very common in French Polynesia. 
The early missionaries to Polynesia tried to disrupt and destroy the belief systems of the Polynesians. Much was lost. Thankfully, in Huahine, a large, well-preserved Marae (religious site) and museum tells their story. The image below is of Captain Cook witnessing a human sacrificial ceremony, at a Marae, in the late 18th century. 
As much as we loved Huahine, the clock was ticking. Our next stop is Raiatea, ancient home to the French Polynesian ocean navigators. From this island, the first settlers of Hawaii, Tahiti, and New Zealand started their journeys. Raiatea and its sister island Tahaa are mid-way in their life cycle from a volcanic island to an atoll; although they are mountainous, they also have a fringing reef and lagoon. Here's Barbara Ann enjoying a leisurely sail around the completely protected lagoon of Raiatea. The next picture shows how the lagoon provides a perfect sailing area between the outside reef and the island.
The only navigable river in French Polynesia is in Raiatea. These two photos are from our dinghy ride as far up the river as we could go. Along the way we saw coconuts, bananas, papayas, breadfruit and mangos growing in small farms on its banks.
One of the most exclusive bungalow resorts in French Polynesia is the Le Tahaa Private Island and Spa - http://www.letahaa.com/main.php. We tried to go into the resort, in hopes of having a cocktail at the bar - no go - we were politely asked to skidaddle. The island in the background is Bora Bora (our next stop). 
The island of Bora Bora - probably the most exotic name in French Polynesia. Home to several large bungalow-style resorts, this island was a little more developed than we liked. However, the east side of the island boasts a beautiful lagoon, with excellent snorkeling and secluded anchorages. Scuba divers can also find some world-class dive spots on the outer reef and wall.
The only diving we did on our arrival was into the most famous watering hole in French Polynesia - Bloody Mary's. Besides the great ambience, the drinks and fresh fish dinners are excellent - and not too expensive at that! The photo below shows one of their two outside panels, listing all their famous guests since opening in 1979. 
We liked Bloody Mary's so much the first night that we brought the boys back for some great hamburgers and hot dogs the next day.
Bora Bora marks the end of the line for the beautiful French Polynesian islands. Here's Barbara Ann anchored in the east side of the lagoon on our last day in Bora Bora. We'll miss these islands, as well as the beautiful people who live here. It's still a paradise, despite "progress".
Cyclone season in the South Pacific starts in November, so our time is running out here. We need to move on towards New Zealand, and safety. On our way, we'll stop at Niue and the Kingdom of Tonga. Look for our next installment from these faraway isles.
Niue & Tonga
