Bora Bora's better than the brochures

SEEING is believing in Bora Bora, where the island really is just as stunning and the locals just as welcoming as you've heard.

Take in Bora Bora's spectacular underwater sights while snorkelling. Picture: Tahiti Tourism

I'VE always wondered whether French Polynesia's bluer-than-blue skies and sparkling lagoons are really as amazing as they appear in the dazzling brochures.

I've long suspected these photographs might have been the end result of slick airbrushing techniques. Well, I was wrong.

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As the 4WD rolls to the crest of the hill at Matira Point, I let out a gasp. In real life, Bora Bora's lagoon looks far more stunning than any brochure I've seen. Shadows of coral lurk beneath a shimmering mirror of cerulean, azure and aquamarine. The blues and greens - and shades in between - are so vibrant that the real-life scene before my eyes looks as if it might have been airbrushed.

"We keep the lagoon looking beautiful by coming up here and painting it every day," says my guide, Patrick Mahuta, grinning.

Celebrity Haven
James Michener called the lagoon "the most beautiful place on Earth"; Marlon Brando fell in love with his costar Tarita Teriipaia here while filming Mutiny on the Bounty in 1960; countless celebrities, including Nicole Kidman and Keith Urban, have honeymooned here. And they still continue to roll in. Couples Retreat was filmed at the St Regis Bora Bora Resort. It's one of those places you have to visit to understand what all the fuss is about.

Mahuta has met more celebrities than you can count, and on his tour he points out their favourite spots. At the top of the list is Bloody Mary's, an island-style seafood restaurant with a sandy floor and rustic timber furniture. It's a regular haunt for the international jet set – everyone from Bill Gates to Paris Hilton has eaten here.

At Matira Beach, we walk barefoot on the sand and dip our toes in astonishingly clear water while a group of laughing brownskinned children play beside us. Mahuta points out the finish line for the Hawaiki Nui Va'a traditional outrigger canoe race, where 100 teams paddle 130km from the island of Huahine each November.

"So sorry but the Australians never win," he says. "I think you are strong for football but not canoe." I can't argue with that.

A steep bone-rattling ascent in the 4WD takes us to a spot where one of eight World War II cannons was placed when the United States established a supply base on Bora Bora after the bombing of Pearl Harbor in 1941. Then Mahuta insists on showing me a marae, ancient stone remains of a sacred temple. The stones look unimpressive but Mahuta's tales of rituals, high priests and ancient gods capture my imagination.

When the London Missionary Society converted the locals to Christianity during the 19th century, their hip-shaking dancing ways ended. "Women had to cover up and dancing was forbidden," Mahuta says. But in recent years there has been a revival of traditional Tahitian culture and young Polynesians are taking to singing, dancing, drumming and tattooing in droves.

Meet and Greet
The good thing about travelling around with a local is you get to meet other locals. We visit the home of fisherman Papi William, a brawny 60-year-old whose spear-fishing prowess is legendary on Bora Bora.

We stop by the side of the road to watch women weaving plates from wild hibiscus leaves for a family feast where the meal is cooked in a Tahitian oven in the ground and, afterwards, the plates are thrown into the lagoon to feed the turtles.

At a coconut plantation, Papi Viri, a wiry 55-year-old with a body like a well-honed athlete is swinging a machete. Seconds later, a bunch of coconuts lies split open on the ground. Papi Viri scrapes out the coconut meat with a scooping tool, or pana, and places the shavings on racks. The copra is shipped to Tahiti, where oil is extracted to make shampoo and soap. Coconut plantations were once the main source of income for the locals. Now, Papi Viri is the last remaining coconut farmer on the island.

"Life is cool on Bora Bora," Mahuta says. "You don't have to spend much to enjoy yourself."

Staying in a pension (family-run guesthouse) costs less than $100 a night; a meal from a roulette (mobile food van) costs about 1000 francs ($15); a line of half a dozen fresh fish costs 2500 francs ($35), the price of a fish dinner in a five-star resort. And the lagoon is free for all to enjoy.

I could easily live like a local for a few weeks. But to me visiting Bora Bora and not staying in an overwater bungalow would be like not seeing the Eiffel Tower on a trip to Paris.

Overwater Bulgalows
Hotel Bora Bora first started enticing the rich and famous to its overwater bungalows in 1961. The hotel is closed for renovations, but there are plenty of others from which to choose. Some of the most luxurious overwater bungalows are on small private islets, or motu, away from the main island.

I'm staying at the Hilton Bora Bora Nui Resort & Spa which, less than a year ago, built two unique two-storey Presidential villas. The villas have two bedrooms, private plunge pools, massage rooms, saunas, outdoor jacuzzis, covered gazebos and stunning bathrooms with floor-to-ceiling glass panels and views of the lagoon and distant horizon.

The water laps invitingly around my pontoon as I slip on my snorkel, mask and flippers. A few kicks away, colourful coral gardens lie near the surface. Schools of butterfly fish and parrot fish flit past. An eel wriggles out from a hidey hole while hundreds of tiny iridescent blue fish play hide and seek among the coral.

I'm enthralled by this underwater kaleidoscope. If there is such thing as a paradise, I'm sure this has to be it.

Click here to see a video of Christine's Bora Bora trip

Getting there
Air Tahiti Nui has three flights a week from Sydney to Papeete via Auckland
Air Tahiti flies from Papeete to Bora Bora.

Staying there
Budget: A room in a pension costs about $90 a night.
Splurge: Coconuts & Coral package (air fares, transfers, seven nights' accommodation including five nights at the Hilton Bora Bora Nui Resort, breakfast and dinner) from $4590pp
More: 1300 858 305 or see www.tahititravel.com.au

Tours
Island tours with Vavau 4X4 Adventures cost 7500 francs ($89)
More: [phone].

www.tahitinow.com.au

The writer was a guest of Tahiti Tourisme and Air Tahiti Nui.

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