Tahiti is a heaven on earth located in the South Pacific and it is the largest island of 118 others that make up French Polynesia. Tahiti and the islands in its vicinity are referred to as the Society Islands which include Tahiti, Bora Bora, Raiatea, Huahine and Moorea. French Polynesia also goes by the name of Tahiti and its black and white sand beaches are the closest you will ever be to paradise, at least in this life. Apart from the pure enjoment of the nature and culture of the archipelago, the Society Islands offer a number of activities you can take part in.

Tahiti

The capital of Tahiti is Papeete and it is surrounded by breathtakingly beautiful beaches. The main beach in Papeete is the Bain Lot Beach. The waves of this area are an interesting phenomenon, as they break in both directions due to steep shores and underwater currents. This is why it is also called the ‘ins and outs’ beach. Here you can enjoy golfing right next to the shoreline and a variety of water sports too, such as swimming, sail boarding, snorkeling and more.

Bora Bora

The island of Bora Bora is located 230 miles northwest of Papeete and is famous for its incredibly wonderful white sand beaches. One of them is Matira Beach, which is about 1.5 miles long and it is the best public beach in Bora Bora. It is excellent for swimming or just enjoying the vivid colors of your surroundings. Some of the other heavenly beaches on the island are locations for luxurious Bora Bora resorts, which offer glorious holiday experiences such as staying in magical overwater bungalows.

Huanine Nui and Huahine Iti

These islands may have the most beautiful beaches and beach resorts in all of Tahiti. They are connected by a small bridge and surrounded by a coral reef. Avea Beach is one of the most extraordinary resort beaches in Huanine. Imagine yourself swimming in a lagoon with trees hanging above you as you float carelessly all day long. It is suitable for swimming at any tide and stretches to the coral reef which is a perfectly safe location for snorkeling.

Raiatea

The name of this island literally translates into bright sky. Its beach resorts and spas are also worthy of a visit, especially if you want to vacation in style. There are not many long stretches of sand on Raiatea, but you could explore its nature and find perfect little spots under the bright sky for yourself and your loved ones. Raitea is also believed to be the birthplace of Polynesia, which can be seen by the remains of many temples and holy places. You can explore its jungles or its shoreline and one thing is certain, you will not be disappointed.

Moorea

Moorea is located 11 miles northwest of Tahiti and  that is why it is very convenient to visit it from Papeete. It is considered to be the most beautiful island in the whole world and an attractive destination for young newlywed couples as well. Its stunning nature and the fact that it is shaped like a heart are pretty strong reasons to spend your honeymoon on Moorea, wouldn’t you agree? One of its lovely beaches is called Temae Plage Publique and it is a continuous stretch of white sand with a stunning view overlooking Tahiti and the lagoon. Other than swimming, you can also enjoy various other activities such as surfing, diving or snorkeling. If you don’t enjoy water sports, you can always go hiking or horseback riding.

Tahiti is definitely a paradise on earth and it is waiting for you to discover and experience its amazing scenery, beaches and people. See you in heaven!

Where is Castaway Island?

Castaway Island is a small island to the west of Viti Levu, the main island of Fiji. It forms part of the Mamanuca Group of islands. The island’s area covers 170 acres and is largely made up of inhabitants who are staff of the one and only resort on the island. It’s known traditionally by the Fijians as “Qalito”.

I was fortunate to have a little holiday there some time ago. It was a Fijian holiday with extremes! Five days was spent on Castaway Island in a five star resort with adults only, followed by 5 days backpacking along the Coral Coast and staying in either Youth Hostels or cheap holiday houses! It was a lot of fun and a great way to mix with the locals.

Castaway Island was beautiful. Surrounded with white sandy beaches, pristine warm waters of the South Pacific and jungle like vegetation covering the hilly island. It was possible to walk around the island in a couple of hours. In doing so, I spied a water snake slithering across the top of the nearby beach waters. I didn’t take a dip!

Lonely Planet Fiji (Country Travel Guide)

Map

TravelTipsPlus Google Map of Castaway Island

One Great Reason to Visit Castaway Island

One great reason to visit this travel destination is for some adult quiet time and South Pacific pampering!

Castaway Island Fiji

For More Information

• Wikipedia
• Guide to Castaway Island

Travel Photos of the Week: Cultural Village on Efate, Vanuatu

One of the significant places we visited during our Vanuatu getaway, was the Cultural Village located on the eastern coast of Efate. We shared a small taxi/bus with a middle-aged couple who happened to be from Queensland, Australia (this was their first overseas trip) and their enthusiasm was contagious. The bus pulled off the main road which circles Efate and we drove for some 15 minutes along an extremely weathered dirt road. We soon pulled into a clearing, beside thick jungle and in the middle of nowhere, with the driver telling us to all hop out, adding ‘You can leave your bags in the bus!’. I suddenly felt dubious what was happening and was not going to leave bags behind. However, it turned out to be completely innocent.

The six of us headed into the jungle along the path we were instructed to take. It was quiet and beautiful but we were not sure where we were heading. Breaking the silence came the sound of the conch shell and then quite unexpectedly came tribal warriors out of the jungle towards us. Spears in hand, wide-eyed and yelling at us in a foreign aggressive manner, they charged. I got such a fright I swore!

Once they warriors realised we came in peace, we were escorted into the village and welcomed! We were shown how the traditional tribes lived and witnessed food preparation and preservation, fire walking and a tribal dance. The children were wide-eyed throughout. It was a wonderful experience.

Stripping the Coconut

Children in Traditional Dress

Spider

Preparing for the Fire Walk

Evidence of Past Sacrifices

Travel Photos of the Week: Shopping at the Port Vila Market

On our recent family holiday to Vanuatu we spent quite a bit of time in the produce market in Port Vila. We had this recommended to us by regular reader Julie. The food is fresh, run by locals for the locals, making it very cheap by Australian standards. The market for most of the time was full of locals with few tourists. We chose to visit on days we knew the cruise ships were not visiting. Apparently on these days not only is the place swarming with tourists but the price of ‘everything’ gets trebled! So we visited on the quieter days and stocked up on tomatoes, pawpaw, mangoes and oodles of bananas. At this time bananas were very expensive at home with much of Queensland (the banana producing State) devastated from Cyclone Yasi. Bananas were a luxury item, so here we gorged on the most divine sugar bananas and one large bunch (bottom photo) was no more than AUD $1.70.