Huahine

Huahine is known as a royal island. The Polynesian kings lived here. The main "island" actually consists of 2 islands separated by a deep, narrow channel except at low tide when they are connected by a sand bar and now a bridge. The channel is deep enough to accept cruise ships up to 3,500 passengers.
The 1st picture is taken from a viewpoint on the larger island. You can see part of the channel and the smaller island on the distance.
The 2nd and 3rd pictures are of the royal fale. This reproduction, now a museum, gives an overview of Polynesian life before they abdicated to the French. The 2nd picture is the outside, and the 3rd is inside. That is a 3D representation of the 2 islands in the foreground of the 3rd picture.
The royal site contains many marae or worship sites. These are leveled stone surfaces with various standing stones. The 4th picture looks across a couple of them next to the royal fale.
The 5th picture is another mara up hill in the forest. The 6th picture is a banyan tree. If you look closely, another mara is located adjacent. There are dozens of marae around the island.
The people of Huahine still use stone fish traps such as those in the 7th picture.
The last picture is of some of Huahine's surprising residents. These are blue eyed eels, a species I hadn't heard of. They are harmless so the local kids play with them. If you look closely, you can pick out blues eyes looking back at youWeiterlesen