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Raiatea and Taha'a
are two islands enclosed in a single barrier reef. Here you can see lush
green valleys, cascades, pineapple and vanilla plantations. Marae
Taputapuatea, Raiatea's most famous landmark, is an open air temple made
up of seven marae built of stone, once a religious homeland for the
Polynesian Maori. Shuttle
boats take you from Raiatea to Tahaa where you can choose to take a
panoramic hike through mountains and visit a vanilla plantation.
The Religious and Cultural
Center
When the Polynesian explorers
discovered the island we know today as Raiatea, they named it Havai after
their legendary ancestral home. Second only to Tahiti in size, Raiatea
today is the administrative and trading center of the leeward islands.The main town of Uturoa is a sleepy
little waterfront town reminiscent of Papeete from years past. With the
large protected lagoon around Raiatea and her delightful sister island of
Tahaa, the area has naturally become one of our top locations for sailing,
deep sea fishing and scuba diving.
The Vanilla Island Sharing a common lagoon with Raiatea
and accessible only by boat, Tahaa produces about 80% of all vanilla in
French Polynesia. Tahaa is the only island in the Society Islands that can
be completely circled by boat inside the protected lagoon.
With its many deep bays and small
deserted motus on the reef, Tahaa is an ideal island to escape the 20th
century. Here you can explore the reef and discover the beauty of its
multicolored lagoon, enjoy a picnic on a deserted motu or go hiking in the
mountains and through the vanilla plantations and learn the mystery of
these "orchids". With only a handful of guest houses and two
small hotels, Tahaa is slowly awakening to tourism and yet it still
maintains an authentic flavor of Polynesia.
Hotels & Resorts on Raiatea & Tahaa
For
more general information
on French Polynesia, go to: |
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We have included French Polynesia
in some of our specials to the South Pacific, eg. our Kontiki
Voyage
and South
Sea Dream Voyage. Another option is to create your own package to French Polynesia by utilizing the seperate travel components, like hotels,
flights and excursions
on the islands.
For a legal wedding the legal requires
in French Polynesia that you remain at least 30 days in French Polynesia
before the marriage. In practice this means you may only have a ceremonial
wedding in French Polynesia (see also Tiki
Village).
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