16:26S 152:14W

 

We left Bora Bora at daybreak and had a wonderful sail across to Maupiti – perhaps the most beautiful of all the Society Islands.  The island has a narrow reef entry with a bad reputation which puts many cruisers off.  With the wind firmly in the north (the pass is in the south) we had no problems entering and the channel, while narrow, is very clearly marked with port and starboard markers and range finders.  It was very straightforward and as we’d timed our arrival for midday slack water, there were no issues with current.  Like all these passes, it is always heart in mouth until you get up close and see the entry – from a distance it is all white water, breaking waves and frightening reef!

 

Maupiti is as spectacular scenically as Bora Bora with a dramatic landscape, a large turquoise lagoon and dozens of beautiful motus with white sandy beaches.  What sets this island apart is the lack of tourists.  We met a local who told us the islanders had voted against allowing widescale tourism so there are no hotels and no infrastructure to support them.  Anyone who comes here (without a boat) can stay in a pension and eat at one of a handful of small locally run restaurants.  It must be how Bora Bora was before tourism ruined it.

 

Yesterday afternoon we wandered around one of the motus which was delightfully empty of people....just hundreds of hermit crabs leaving their marks in the sand.  This morning we took the bikes ashore and rode around the island which includes a steep hike to the saddle and down the other side.  This island is a garden of Eden and we filled our backpacks with mangos, papaya and banana.

 

All going well we plan to leave on Monday for Suvarrow.