Tripping Around Bora Bora

We hiked a few miles to the head of Faanui Bay and the next day, took a short ride to the Matira region. A trading schooner named Matilda went aground and her bones stayed visible for many years, and the locals had trouble with the pronunciation. The area became "Matira", instead.

The ever-present Honda chugging in the background, Conni stows food and supplies.

A lovley local craft in Viatape harbor grabs Conni's attention.

The cruise ship, "Paul Gauguin" at anchor off Viatape. The tiny orange speck in front of her is a "lighter", used to transport passengers from the ship to shore.

The Aloe Cafe offers wonderful French coffee, pastries, and Wifi.

Conni and I head for Chin Lee's grocery, across the street. As is typical, many businesses are owned by Chinese businesspeople.

Headed to town on foot, I snapped this photo of another aspect of the volcano.

This is a typical scene: Conni and me on computers in the Bora Bora Yacht Club.

Wings, as seen from the yacht club. Note the wind generator in the fore triangle.

The main room of the Bora Bora Yacht Club is cool and shady.

This is the World War 2-era dock in Faanui Bay.

For some reason, these huge bags have sorted garbage in them. I assume that they're sent to recycling centers somewhere.

A home-made coconut husking site using an adze stuck in a tree stump.

This is the nicest home that we saw on our walk along Faanui.

This is the local Hinano brewery showing the beautiful logo.

A background squall and those odd little boat lifts in the foreground. They're very common.

Yet another view of the volcano. It seems that this volcano is my Mont Sainte-Victoire, and although I'm not Cézanne, I love seeing this powerful mountain from different locations.

Lovely Conni strides along a pathway at the head of Faanui Bay, the local Catholic Church in the background. We're still not sure if the pathway is natural or human-made.

We sheltered from downpours on our walk in this thatched hut. I took the opportunity to photograph the construction. Note the stand that ties the bottom of the bottom layer.

It's not uncommon to see loved ones buried on the home ground, as shown here.

Bananas for the picking grow everywhere.

There are so many coconut species but these intrigued me. This is a "Christmas Palm", already for the holidays with its red berries. The berries appear in winter.

The volcano....

A freighter makes her way into Faanui Bay.

Windstar Cruise Line offers cruises all over the world, but this particular trip is Papeete-to-Papeete for a week. Sails are decorative, only.

Road hog? As is common in the Pacific, pigs roam wild, but someone knows whose they are.

Matira, the best beaches of Bora Bora, shows why it's the destination of the stars.

Bill in the lovely waters of Matira lagoon.

We took the opportunity of enjoying a cocktail at the Intercontinental Hotel. The bungalows at the far end are US$750/night/person. We stayed on the boat.

Our drinks diminish as we enjoy the ambiance at the Intercontinental.

For Philippe D. Hope you're here to enjoy it with us.

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