Huahine

Huahine is two islands joined by a bridge, and it has stayed noticeably quieter and more agricultural than its famous neighbours: vanilla plantations, watermelon fields, small villages and a single low-key main town at Fare. Its archaeology is exceptional. At Maeva, a concentration of more than thirty marae spreads along the lakeshore and up the hill, one of the densest groupings in Polynesia, alongside stone fish traps built across the channel that are still in working use, a design that has caught fish continuously for centuries. Sacred blue-eyed eels, some very large, live in a stream at Faie and are fed by residents. The lagoon offers snorkelling without the resort infrastructure of Bora Bora.

What you actually see

• Maeva marae complex - dozens of stone platforms along the lake and hillside.
• The stone fish traps - centuries-old V-shaped traps still catching fish.
• The sacred eels at Faie - large blue-eyed eels fed in a village stream.
• Vanilla plantations - working growers open to visitors.

When to go

May to October, the dry season, for reliable weather and calm lagoon. The island is quiet year-round and does not have a crowded season in the way Bora Bora does.

Honest expectations

There is very little organised tourism here, which is the appeal and also the difficulty: limited restaurants, few tours and a real need to rent a car or scooter to see anything. The marae are unrestored and lightly interpreted; a guide makes an enormous difference. Do not touch or feed the eels beyond what residents offer.

Nearby

Raiatea and Taputapuātea are a ferry ride south; Bora Bora lies northwest.