Mark's Pages

October 17, 2005. Huahine, French Polynesia.

After walking into town, I rented a little Fiat Panda from the island's only car rental office, a closet-sized Europcar with no more than three or four vehicles, and circled the larger of Huahine's two adjoining islands, Huahine-Nui.

Huahine is largely untouristed. There's just one large resort, Pearl's Te Tiare Beach Resort, isolated on the west coast with no road - you have to take a boat to get to it. In my exploration on the 17th I saw no honeymooners or other tourists, and mine was the only visible camera. Only locals, a few French expats, and one or two American surfers, who've discovered the island in recent years. The atmosphere is sleepy, in a good way. Perhaps this is what people talk about when they say they miss the "Old Polynesia".

Apart from the standard sharpening applied to all digital pics, there's no digital tweaking of these images. This is really what Huahine looks like.

Click a thumbnail to see the big picture, with commentary. Preview via the slideshow below.