Society Islands

Raiatea

The second-largest island in the Society Islands, Raiatea is mountainous and lush with plenty of agriculture to make for a plentiful farmers market in Uturoa each day. The Lagoon that surrounds it is almost entirely navigable except for a few impassable sections where sailing yachts must exit a pass in the reef and enter another to continue on around. You can also sail up to Taha’a without leaving the lagoon that they share. 

Taha’a

Amidst the Leeward Islands is one of the archipelagos more picturesque islands, Taha’a. Located just north of Raiatea. Sailing between Huahine and Bora Bora, Taha’a is an ideal midpoint to break up the passage and spend a few days discovering all the island’s deepwater coves along the shore and sandy anchorages along the reef.

Huahine

Two islands connected by a low bridge, Huanine Nui (the big island) and Huahine Iti (the smaller) share a lagoon that has limited passes navigable in a sailboat. This is the most easterly island in the Leewards. The experience of sailing to this island will stay with you long after you depart this unique destination, it has a certain magical ambiance. Huahine is even greener with a sprawling jungle that envelopes the twin peaks. Hidden in the thick brush are marae, ancient temples and these mountains are home to more of these archaeological sites than anywhere in French Polynesia.

Bora Bora

The pearl of the Pacific-the very name Bora Bora is synonymous with exotic adventures at the end of the world, but none of the lore and legend prepares you for the feeling of sailing through the impossibly blue waters of the lagoon in the shadow of a sheer cliff face. Bora Bora is so odd in its formation that it takes on radically different shapes and personalities as you sail around it. Viewing the famous spire is like looking for shapes in clouds, ever-changing before your eyes.

Maupiti

Sitting 28 nautical miles west of Bora Bora is the island of Maupiti, often referred to as “little Bora Bora” for its geographic similarities, but culturally the two islands sit an ocean apart. Maupiti has none of the luxurious hotels that ring the lagoon at Bora Bora and the culture of the island is a little more relaxed because of it.