The French Polynesia archipelago is roughly the same size as Europe. Located further south from Hawaii and half way to New Zealand. Think the same longitude of Lima, Peru but in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. The archipelago is comprised of volcanic islands, coral atolls and the vast Pacific Ocean.

Before the cruise, from the town of Papeete, we took a 4 hour tour of the island of Tahiti: visiting a grotto, a garden, a waterfall and several landmarks. Interestingly, Mutiny of the Bounty was written by the great grandfather, Charles Bernard Nordoff of our tour guide. At the hotel pool in Papeete during a deluge, met a couple from Cook island archipelago who explained no foreigner can buy land on their island Rarotonga.  They own and manage a beach resort while raising 3 children and are privileged to travel to New Zealand, Australia and neighboring Pacific islands.

Embarking on the cruise from bustling Papette harbor was organized and efficient directed by WindStar. This 10 day cruise blends 2 days at sea and visiting 5 islands over 10 days. We cover 2:5 archipelagos: Tuamoto and Societe. Our cabin is spacious with a large window port side watching the horizon and endless waves. A basket of fruit, ample bottles of water and a stocked refrigerator is the norm. Outside the cabin there are a number of places to eat, to drink, to exercise or simply to watch the sea. All the amenities coalesce into an elegant but not a stuffy sailing vessel.

After a day of at sea we arrived on the atoll from the archipelago Societe, called Fakarava. We were greeted by an early morning rainbow from a passing squall. The only main road of this atoll is bustling with a tractor picking up trash, locals raking leaves in piles, people riding beat up bikes, or scooters and driving trucks to and fro. Otherwise the coastline is aqua blue dotted with coral reefs and a small number of anchor outs dot the horizon.