As we continued to wander around the South Pacific Ocean, our next stop was the French Polynesian islands.  French Polynesia is an overseas collectivity of France comprising 118 islands and atolls scattered over an area roughly the size of Western Europe in the South Pacific Ocean, located about halfway between South America and Australia.  The population amongst all of the islands is only 300,000, and the capital is Papeete on the island of Tahiti.  The islands are grouped into five primary archipelagos, each with distinct geography, culture, and attractions.  Over the course of 23 days, we traveled to eight islands across three distinct archipelagos – the Society Islands, the Tuamotu Archipelago, and the Marquesas Islands.

Bora Bora was our first stop.  To say that Kathie was in “snorkeling heaven” is an understatement.  So, of course, it was off to the beach to find the best place to view coral and reef fish.  But first, we had to be greeted by the local native band.  Then from top to bottom, left to right - Bora Bora as seen from the ship, Christmas time on the Odyssey, over the water bungalows and up and down the snorkeling beach.

The next island stop was Raiatea.  We splurged and rented a car so we could circumnavigate the island.  Our route led us to a well-kept botanical garden, where we spotted a few new plants we had not encountered before on our many previous botanical garden visits and a few others we've seen many times.

Our next stop in Raiatea was a viewpoint that provided a panoramic view of the ridge line of this ancient volcanic island.  We were surrounded by evidence of its volcanic past at the viewpoint.

As we continued to move around the shore of Raiatea, are next stop was Taputapuatea, a UNESCO World Heritage site.  This site is believed to be the last region to have been settled by human societies, the Maohi civilization, 1000 years ago. In the native language, this site is known as a Marae, a sacred, ceremonial, and political place of worship… kinda like Mar-a-Lago :-).  We tagged along as a native guide provided insights into the various points of interest.  From top to bottom, left to right - Unu plaques, canoe parking spot for visitors from other islands, large temple and small temple ruins.

And of course, no island tour is ever complete without Kathie demanding that we stop along the road so that she can get her daily fix of snorkeling.

Our next port of call was Moorea, another relatively small volcanic island, a neighbor to the much larger island of Tahiti.  I’m sure you’ll be surprised to hear that on Moorea we went…wait for it….snorkeling.  As a matter of fact, Kathie went to the same beach two days in a row because she was so taken with the coral, fish, moray eels, and manta rays.  As a reminder Kathie has suspended her YouTube channel in favor of a Facebook page.  You'll find pictures of her snorkeling adventures there.   I did my obligatory 30 minutes of snorkeling, sans underwater camera, and then retired to the beach for rest, relaxation, and sightseeing. Here's a couple of views of Moorea from the ship.  And then a few pictures of our snorkeling beach.  Lastly here's our ship the Odyssey anchored in Cooks Bay.

After our first stop in Moorea, we docked in the marina at the capital of the French Polynesian islands, Papeete, Tahiti.  The first day in Papeete was dedicated to our obligatory walking tour of the city.  They have a nice central market just a few minutes from the pier, the always present Catholic cathedral (Sacred Heart), and a beautiful waterfront park and gardens. 

On our second day in Papeete, we headed to the central bus station, where we caught Bus 20, priced at $2 per person, and rode south out of town to the National French Polynesian Museum.  Although a little pricey at $15 per person, this was a very modern, well-appointed museum that covered everything French Polynesian.  From top to bottom, left to right - outside view of museum,

signs for Polynesian island map and history, plank built canoe, axes and sharpening stone, Polynesian statues, front and side view of ceremonial dress, mask and whale tooth necklace, and lastly they had primarily two sports in French Polynesia - stone pitching and arrow flinging.

Due to the cancellation of our visits to New Caledonia, we headed back to Papeete for a few more days.  By now you probably realize that when we need to get somewhere, which is a distance from the ship, our preferred transportation mode is public bus.  So with our $2 fare off we went in search of Waterfall Valley.  About 45 minutes later, we hopped off the bus and hike up a peaceful road until we found the valley.   I know you can't read the sign, but as they "a picture is worth a thousand words"  So here's a few pictures to replace a few thousand words.  We headed back to catch the bus back to town we got to wait at a scenic area with a black sand beach.

Okay, now, be honest, how many of you readers have ever been to an “atoll” and do know what one is?  Well, an atoll is a ring-shaped coral reef or a chain of small islands that encircles a lagoon, formed by coral growth around a subsiding volcanic island.  Well, we had an opportunity to stop at two of them as we cruised through French Polynesia.  Our first atoll was Fakarava.  We tendered into a small pier, hitched up our backpacks and snorkeling gear, and headed down this one-lane island road until the road ended.  There, we enjoyed a great snorkeling experience right off the beach.  We snorkelled amongst a group of nurse sharks and reef sharks.  According to Kathie, they are vegetarians, but they sure looked well-fed to me.  For me, it was a first-time experience, but Kathie enjoyed it so much she came back for a second day.  From top to bottom, left to right - view of Fakarava atoll from ship, snorkeling beach, resort next to snorkeling beach, nurse shark, black tip reef shark and moray eel.

Continuing on through French Polynesia, our next stop was the island of Nuku Hiva.  I’m sure you all know what this island is famous for – right?  Okay, well, it's Tiki statues of all shapes and sizes.  Tiki are carved representations of deified ancestors, gods, or mythological beings, believed to embody mana—a sacred spiritual power that can protect, heal, and influence both the natural and human worlds.  They are not decorative; they are scared and made of either stone, coral, or wood.  As we walked the island, we saw numerous examples of these tiki statues.  Here's Nuku Hiva from the ship and the native band greeting our arrival.  Next up are just a few examples of the tiki statues.  We walked along the waterfront beach until we arrived at our next point of interest.

In addition to the tiki statues, the island was also home to a beautiful Catholic cathedral, Notre Dame.  The entrance gate and the surrounding shrine were also impressive.

While the cathedral was impressive, a trip up the hill to the last tiki was a sight to behold.  First a picture of the tiki looking out to see and then another picture where you can see Kathie between the warrior's legs to give a sense of how big this statue actually is. 

We were scheduled to stop at two more Marquesas islands, but we had to cancel one; however, the final one, Tahuata, was a real cultural treat.  We tendered into a small pier and were greeted by a fully tattooed native playing his ceremonial horn.  Before you ask, I’ll tell you about all of those tattoos.  Each of the five archipelagos has its own culture and traditions regarding how men and women are tattooed.  Traditional tattoo tools tap ink into the skin using combs and mallets, turning tattooing into a rhythmic, spiritual ritual that connects the wearer to ancestry, land, and identity.  The ink is made by mixing water with candlenut soot.  The combs are made of bone, shell, turtle bone, or shark tooth with sharp ends.  The mallet is a small wooden stick used to tap the comb into the skin.  It creates a steady rhythm during tattooing.  The word tatau literally comes from this sound: ta–ta–u.

After a short walk along the shore where we could see the Odyssey swaying on the swells, we came to an open-air community center that was full of native handicrafts and native dancers.  For those of you who have been to Hawaii or watched Hawaiians doing the hula on TV, the dancing was very similar to what you would have seen there.  Lots of hand and hip motion, obviously telling a story.  We had performance from both groups of men and women....a few little very cute kids :-)

After the dance ceremony, it was another short walk down the stone road to the cemetery and local church.

Our final stop in French Polynesia was our second atoll, Rangiroa.  This is the largest atoll in the South Pacific.  To understand the dimensions of an atoll, you can get off on the lagoon side of the atoll, and not even five minutes later, you’ve walked to the ocean side.  As you can see from the picture, there’s quite a difference in the view from the lagoon or the ocean.  We spent the first day hiking up the one road on the atoll.  It had a number of bridges on it that allowed the water, depending on the tides, to move between the ocean and the lagoon.  It also allowed us to see some very colorful fish without having to put on our snorkeling gear. 

The second day, for me, was the highlight of all things French Polynesia.  We chartered a boat with our guide, Jeremy, and headed out to some serious snorkeling at the “aquarium”.  You can probably guess what we saw.  Thousands and thousands of colorful reef fish and coral were everywhere you looked.  Add to that a half dozen reef sharks circling around, and it becomes an adventure never to be forgotten.  Since Kathie always has the underwater camera, I’ve borrowed a few pictures from her.  

The trip was topped off when Jeremy pulled up to a small beach to allow one more shot at snorkeling while he went ashore in search of coconuts, which are in abundance everywhere you go in the South Pacific.  After dehusking and cracking them open, we enjoyed the coconut water and meat.

Our last stop in Polynesia (not French) was Tonga.  It is unique in the Pacific as the only Polynesian country never formally colonized by a European power, and it remains a constitutional monarchy today.  There are approximately 170 islands, of which 45 are inhabited.  We stopped at two of them - Vavaʻu and Tongatapu, the capital.  Tonga’s civilization dates back over 3,000 years, and it once ruled a maritime empire stretching across much of Polynesia.

Our first stop in Vava’u started with the traditional dance ceremony as we got off the tender.  Then it was an enjoyable hike, past a family cemetery and up to the steps to Mt Talau.  As with much of Polynesia, there’s always an interesting story about the points of interest, and the sign describing the story of Mt Talau was no exception.  After reading the sign, we walked up the 157 steps to the flat top of Mt Talau, where we found two viewing platforms for our picture-taking enjoyment.

Our second and last stop in Tonga was the island of Tongatapu, where the capital Nukuʻalofa is located.  We docked at a very convenient pier where a few native dancers greeted us.  We also had a nice view of the King's Palace from our balcony. 

On the first day of our two-day visit, we took our usual walking tour around town.  There’s usually the welcoming sign near the dock, and this was no exception.  Then we walked over towards the King’s Palace for a quick photo-op of the palace and the coat of arms.  Pay attention to Tongan flag which is flying above the palace.  It means that the king and the royal family are in residence.  Because Tonga is 90% Christian, we walked past the St. Anthony Catholic Cathedral and then on to the abandoned Wesleyan Cathedral.  Our last stop for the day was a photo-op of the Royal Tomb.

On the second day in Tongatapu we joined our friends Barry and Cindy for a driving tour of the island.  Here are the points of interest we saw on the tour – from top to bottom, left to right – Mormon temple (those Mormons really get around) , three-headed coconut tree, blowholes, tidal pool beach and swim, front and back views of Tsunami Rock, Flying foxes sleeping in a tree, Tongan beach looking north and south.