Windstar Cruise French Polynesia

Taha’a – Life’s a Beach

From Raiatea, we cruised a few kilometers across the strait in the evening to our next stop, the island of Taha’a and Motu Mahaea, an islet in the reef that surrounds Raiatea and Taha’a. What a great day this was! I had decided to take advantage of the morning cruise excursion, which was a “drift snorkel tour” on the northwestern side of Taha’a. For many passengers (and the rest of my family), they enjoyed the free day on Motu Mahaea, where the cruise line has a nice set-up — lounge chairs on the beach, kayaks, paddle boarding, beach games, snorkeling and swimming, in addition to a great BBQ lunch. I was able to join the rest of the my family on Motu Mahaea for the afternoon after the morning snorkel.

Drift Snorkel Tour

On our way out to our snorkel spot. Our guide was wearing a t-shirt map of Taha’a and Raiatea, very helpful to get our bearings. The island of Taha’a is in the background.

Our snorkel spot was on the northwestern reef of Taha’a, with a spectacular view of Bora Bora providing the backdrop. The channel has a strong current and you literally just drift along with the current taking in the underwater sights.

This was the channel in the reef where we snorkeled. There is a pretty strong current through here–from the ocean side into the protected lagoon (Bora Bora is in the distance).
We did three snorkel tours through this channel taking different routes.
Views of our snorkel tour using my GoPro knock-off camera — works pretty well!
Another snorkel view of the channel.
The abundance of coral and varieties of fish were amazing and beautiful.

There are a few resorts out here on this part of the reef of Taha’a, which would be a nice place to stay, and maybe a little less expensive than Bora Bora.

Motu Mahaea

After our great snorkel tour, we headed over to Motu Mahaea, to join many other passengers for an afternoon BBQ and fun on the beach.

A view of Motu Mahaea as we arrived. Nothing like your own private play island in French Polynesia!
Cruise passengers enjoying a kayak, with our cruise ship anchored in the background.
The facilities on Motu Mahaea were very nice, and you can’t beat the setting!
After our day in Taha’a and Motu Mahaea, we set sail for Bora Bora (my in-laws enjoying the view as we got underway).

The sunset highlights the beautiful coastline of Taha’a.
One more evening view of the gorgeous island of Taha’a.
Leaving Taha’a – I really loved this evening shot showing the difference between the open sea and the calmness and protection that the reef provides.