Raʻiātea

After three nights in our overwater villa on Bora Bora, we returned to Tahiti and boarded the Paul Gauguin for a seven-day cruise around the Leeward Islands.  First stop was Huahine, where we took a great ebike tour around the southern island.  Next was Raʻiātea, where Danelle thoughtfully booked us a bus tour so I could bring my cameras and capture all the sights.

First stop was the Jardin Botanique de Raiatea, where I got a shot of one of the more common island birds -- Zebra Doves.

The flowers were, unsurprisingly, gorgeous.  I loved the soft light I got on this Parrot's Beak.

Also unsurprisingly, there were wonderfully lush sections of the botanical garden.  A nice stretch of the legs.

Next up was Belvedere Faaroa, where we were treated to an expansive view of the interior of Raiatea's crater and the surrounding ridges. So I took a 12-shot panoramic.

My main interest on this tour was Marae Taputapuatea -- a UNESCO World Heritage site.

Marae, according to Wikipedia, are "communal or sacred places that serve religious and social purposes in Polynesian societies."

Taputapuatea is positioned at the end of a peninsula that juts into the lagoon surrounding Raiatea.  The center of the complex contains the marae itself: a rectangular courtyard paved with basalt and measuring 144 by 197 meters.

Not sure whether these shells were offerings or simply decoration.  Either way, they were striking.

The marae may have been established as early as AD 1000, and it was expanded and rebuilt on at least two separate occasions between the 14th and 18th centuries.

Being on a peninsula, the marae borders the coast.  That means coconut palms and ocean views.

One could choose worse places to build a religious and social center. 

I had expected to see tiki or other types of statuary, but all I noticed were several lava rock courtyards.

Red Junglefowl are widespread.  Native to Southeast Asia, it is believed they were brought to the Polynesian Islands by seafaring settlers.  They're the ancestors of domestic chickens. (Editor's Note: An iNaturalist contributor claims this is simply a domestic chicken.  I'm sticking with my head canon for now.)

So while I was admittedly underwhelmed by the UNESCO site, the island overall is still incredibly beautiful.  And it was nice to just ride the bus after 15 miles of biking the day before!

Related Links:

• Bora Bora
• Mo'orea
• Tahiti