16.48S 150.59W  Saturday 10^th May we motored through the Avamoa Pass of Huahine Nui (North) still in the Society Archipelago but one of the Leeward Islands.  Captain Cook was the first known European to visit in 1769 and it was the last of the Leewards to become attached to France in 1888 (40 years after Tahiti) with much resistance and loss of life.  It was annexed in 1897 but French citizenship was not accorded to the inhabitants until 1946! 

Perhaps it is my imagination, but this place feels completely different to the other Society Islands we have visited – it has soul.  From the moment we arrived and motored down inside the reef along the magnificently wild coast line, we could smell wood smoke from all the neatly tended waterfront plots, hear music drifting out all over the bay – yes  from sound systems but also Polynesian guitars – and singing - with children swimming, playing and laughing at the water’s edge.  This little island is only nine miles long and six miles wide composed of two islands separated by a narrow shallow channel.  The hills are softer here and covered in vegetation including, pines, palms, ferns and hundreds of flowers – extremely pretty.

Huahine coastline

With the shallower water and Kontiki type boats on the other side of us

This morning we went for a little amble along the road and looked at all the little plots on the lagoon water front –

Again, manicured edges to the tarmac roads…..

Plot, with neatly strimmed lawn

Plot with Anahi in the background

And Zippy…….

Another neat little plot

And one with a ramshackle bus!

None of the structures are very grand but each place is alive with families cooking outdoors, playing instruments and enjoying their weekend. 

And the flowers!

We even found a unique way of growing melons (each one under a basket!)

Some plots have been turned into shrines for loved ones……….

Why is it more perfect than some of the other islands?  Well, it has life and soul, the water in the lagoon is safe to swim in with a coral reef teeming with fish, it is aesthetically beautiful with a very calm anchorage, there is a lively meeting place ashore with music in abundance, there are no mosquitoes - or sand flies for that matter and the local people are welcoming and friendly.

Apparently there is no income tax here but imported goods are heavily taxed so for the residents it probably doesn’t seem as expensive as it does for us.  Tomorrow we are going to hire a bike and explore the island.  There are quite a few Rally yachts here including Happy Wanderer (Mary made us a great lasagne last night), Spectra, Moonshadow, Zippy, Kaimin and Jenny plus ARC boats and independents – it will be a hard place to leave…………….