This is a lovely little island 28 miles from Bora Bora but it might as well be 128 miles from the larger island.  The views from atop the mountain are fantastic, the water colours range from azure blues to the shoal’s pale greens and are sublime, the Manta Rays as we discovered are very playful with each other and congregate each morning to feed and just enjoy…

 

The island is totally surrounded by a barrier reef and we have just spent three very relaxing and actually productive days enjoying this tiny island that most yachties miss as they are anxious to head off to Niue.   John hiked up the mountain and took some photos of the barrier reef…

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Thank goodness John loves to hike up to high places or we would never have these shots we would have to use another yachties’ shots.

 

 

 

It is nice to have these shots from high up you really get to see how the barrier reef looks.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This is the pass we have to come through – the one thing we have found out is you must enter and leave the pass at the right time or you may find yourself in a wee bit of trouble.

 

 

 

 

We are now back with the lowlanders, Ian and I decided to explore another small motu, the water was so warm,  and it was fun to land the dinghy onto the sand shoal and just start walking along the beach. This little motu has pensions, how could we tell, there were some very burnt people enjoying the water and walking along the beach, meanwhile the locals are enjoying their boards, looking for the smallest wave to take them away.  We also walked along the beach but we had T-Shirts on and had smothered our faces with 70+.

There are a number of pensions, they are close together physically yet miles apart when you look out your window.  Imagine upon your arrival you look out your window or porthole if you are on a small cruise ship and see this.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I  threw this photo in just to show the colours, yes, the sand has a mauve-pink hue and the waters go from green to blue,

 

 

 

 

 

 

Who wouldn’t want to be marooned on one of these small motus for a week or two.  Lots of coconuts on the sand, plus there was a little shack  in the woods, maybe they produced copra on this motu.

 

 

Seeing Maupiti from the small motu.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Yes, he is still the man in black.

 

(Missed the chance to get shots of us swimming with the manta rays here in Maupiti…the major highlight; we had a mishap with the camera and salt water ingress……new underwater camera on order…will have by Tonga)

Next stop The Cook Islands