Bora Bora / Vavau

8.5. The taxi to take us to the airport is waiting punctually in front of the house. We say goodbye to Baptiste and drive off. At the airport, our hand luggage is not weighed this time and we don't have to pay anything extra. Bora Bora (actually Vavau) is already a sight to behold from above. The Swiss couple takes aerial photos for us so that we have a good view of the island during the approach. The ferry brings us to the main island of Vaitapu, where we are taken by taxi to our homestay at Matira Beach. Today is Sunday, so we have to hurry with our shopping, but we find everything we need for the next two days to prepare our meals without a kitchen. The owner lives here with her husband and their little son and rents out 4 rooms. They live in a room with a kitchen and a bed and use the same bathroom facilities as everyone else. We are allowed to use the bikes in front of the house to go snorkeling. We have to swim a bit because the hotel where we want to go into the water is closed and fenced off. But the 500m are worth it! The reef is very diverse and colorful. Especially the many differently colored shells are a sight to behold! Just before returning to the shore, we encounter two turtles and a stingray that circles us for quite some time. Back at the house, we get ready to watch the sunset with Rahel and Michi, the Swiss couple we met on the plane and on the ferry. We bring beer, but it is not allowed on the beach. So we finish it in front of the restaurant where we treat ourselves to a pizza. The evening is entertaining and we tell each other a lot about our adventures.

9.5. We get up early and drive in the semi-darkness to the capital to take the hiking trail to the summit of the island from there. The hike itself is very demanding and slippery, and it leads us to the viewpoint with many rope passages. We manage the return journey in the same time, which always speaks for difficult terrain. The bike ride back is hot and you have to be careful with the traffic. My chain falls off for the 10th time, which is a bit annoying.

We are pretty exhausted and don't do anything else today. The freshly squeezed fruit juice we are allowed to taste from the landlady is very tasty!

10.5. We pack and are allowed to leave our large bags at the Air BnB. We do the shopping for the days on the Motu at the nearby supermarket. We spend the time until we are picked up at the public beach and see a few stingrays venturing close to the shore. The taxi drives north to the pier where we are picked up by Tihoti with the boat. He lets Amelia fish along the way, but unfortunately no fish bite. The campsite is very rudimentary, but has everything you need. We read a bit, cook dinner in the open-air kitchen, and go to bed early.

11.5. Today is diving day! Tihoti takes us to the diving ship, which cannot approach the Motu due to the depth of the water. On the two morning dives, we see a huge group of eagle rays and about 35 reef sharks in a swarm. Very impressive! Since we have to go back to the campsite for lunch, we have to swim this time! Tihoti is not there to pick us up. The lunch break is only 45 minutes long and we wait in waist-deep water for the dive boat. During the afternoon dive, we briefly see a manta ray swimming past the cleaning station. When jumping from the boat to swim back to the island, I land on a piece of coral that bores into my foot. Ameli treats me professionally, but walking is not so good at the moment. It's raining quite a bit in the early evening and we let the evening come to an end quietly.

12.5. Today there is breakfast à la Tahia! Incredibly varied, calorie-rich and delicious! Afterwards, Dhoti takes us to the incoming tide and we let ourselves be carried into the bay by the corals! In a way, it's really great, but on the other hand, it's also very unpredictable when Tihoti suddenly wants to stop and there's nothing to hold on to. It's not entirely safe either... Dhoti retrieves our shoes and we snorkel back to the campsite. After that, palm weaving is on the program. We craft our plates and headpieces. Tihoti tells us a lot about culture and the history of Polynesia, then we bake local delicacies and help with grating coconut, which Dhoti accompanies with music and we can sing along. After taking pictures of the sunset, we have dinner that Tahia made without meat or fish. Delicious!

13.5. After breakfast, we say goodbye to Tihoti, Tahia, and the Motu and we chug back to the "mainland" by boat. A taxi takes us to the Royal Bora Bora where we enjoy a welcome drink and wait in the lounge for our room to be ready. The resort is really beautiful and still affordable. We treat ourselves to a bit of luxury on Bora in the end.

Unfortunately, the show we want to attend is already fully booked and we eat our leftovers from camping, as breakfast and dinner are included on our next island.

We end the evening with a few games of billiards.

14.5. The breakfast is fantastic and we overeat ourselves. We enjoy the hotel and don't do anything today.