Rangiroa, French Polynesia - 1 of 4

Rangiroa (meaning "huge sky") was the name of this atoll (second largest in the World), an exceptionally beautiful place, surrounding the lagoon with coral and we had some great snorkeling. An atoll is a ring-shaped coral reef that surrounds a central lagoon, found in warm, tropical oceans. They represent the final stage of reef development around a subsiding, extinct volcanic island. Interesting huh? It is located in the Tuamotu Archipelago of French Polynesia. While near Tahiti and Bora Bora, Rangiroa is a distinct, large coral atoll situated approximately 221 miles northeast of Tahiti.

It is surrounded by Moana-tea ("Peaceful Ocean") and Moana-uri ("Wild Ocean"). Some of the fish we saw are: parrotfish, butterflyfish (saddle, raccoon), cardinal fish, wrasse (bird, checkerboard), angel fish, porcupine fish, and puffer fish. After snorkeling I took a walk on the beach to the local watering hole past lovely "cabins" on the beach with individual pools (perfect for a relaxing time on an island where there is not much to do...just beautiful water to watch).

We went out to catch the perfect sunset and then a French Polynesian dinner, before watching one of our favorite performers from 2 previous cruises, Heather Sullivan.Read more