Raiatea was a surprise. It is green, full of vegetation, flowers. Raining every day. But still beautiful. It is an island of history. 

A marae is a communal or sacred place that serves religious and social purposes in Polinesian societies. It generally consists of an area of cleared land roughly rectangular (the marae itself), bordered with stones or wooden posts which were traditionally used for ceremonial purposes. One of the most known marae is located on the south eastern coast of Raiatea Island named Taputapuatea. In 2017, the Taputapuatea area and the marae complex were inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List.

I did two short walks to see the island from the above perspective. Walking trails are easy to find but not easy to walk due to their slippery paths. But it was worth going there. The views were extraordinary, overwhelming .

I took a day trip to the nearest island Taheaa. It is only 30 minutes away from Raiatea by motor boat. Taheaa is even less touristy than Raiatea and is known as an island of vanilla. We visited vanilla plantage, the only rum production in Polynesia and very known pearl harvest factory.. Of course I had to buy something, earrings and pendant.😉 The company prepared a nice lunch with tables in the water surrounded with small colourful fishes. The meal and the atmosphere were great.

Raiatea is worth visiting.