The Islands of French Polynesia

My husband and I just got back from a wonderful two week missions trip to French Polynesia. We visited the islands of Tahiti and Rangiroa. Rangiroa is a beautiful, large atoll, and we got to visit both sides. Tahiti, as most know, is the main island of French Polynesia. Despite being sick and badly sunburnt, which put me off taking photos for a few days, I was able to snap some fun shots of Tahitian island life. The first, my favourite, is of our taxi-boat driver. His tattoos, which covered his entire body, including his face, showed that he was a village elder and was of a high social ranking. We had just arrived on Rangiroa, and this was my first encounter with Tahitian culture. I thought it was beautiful and quickly snapped away!



The following three represent to me the fishing culture and lifestyle of the Tahitian islands. Almost every day on Rangiroa, our host's son and his friend would head out to the inner lagoon of the atoll to go spear-fishing. Once they returned, we would gather around to help descale, gut and clean the fish in the sea. That night, sure enough, we ate the delicious fresh fish they had caught that day. We definitely ate more fish in one week that I've probably eaten in a year!