Final Day Seven: Huahine

Sunday morning our ship anchored in the harbor of Huahine, an unusual Polynesian island with ancient historical roots. A vast lagoon surrounds the two islands and there are tall mountains which are also sacred. Wild jungle-type forests can be seen and Dan had an opportunity to do so on a two hour tour of Huahine. The tour bus stopped at a vanilla farm, a mountain top for a view of the ocean below, and a river full of sacred, blue-eyed eels! The eels are said to be blind, but they are very fat since the tour guides feed them cans of mackerel and other goodies. One also saw goats and cows in the fields on the island. Yet the most unique site was the marae, or ancient Polynesian temple. It contained the usual stone walls and upright stone structure, over 200 in number. But the main building made of bamboo has also been re-constructed and houses a small museum about the life of the ancient Polynesian peoples. The ruins are near some ancient stone fish traps another evidence of life among the original peoples who most likely arrived here on canoes from Southeast Asia. Jim also saw the above-mentioned sights, but he was on a longer tour which also included a snorkel stop and Polynesian foods lunch on a motu, or small island. The foods included both raw and cooked tuna, tropical fruits such as papaya, breadfruit and mango, and as much rum-punch as anyone could drink. Such beach lunches are very popular with tourists and provided a wonderful ending to the special French Polynesian trip. Tomorrow we fly back to Los Angeles, and then on the following day will return to Philadelphia.-Dan