Paradise Found Tahiti, Bora Bora Offer Spectacularly Beautiful Locations by Charles Britton Copley News Service The islands of French Polynesia may not be on your travel itinerary yet, but tourism officials there are betting that they will be soon. Theyíre taking steps to welcome more visitors, such as launching a new and very professional international airline, Air Tahiti Nui, which now links the capital of Papeete with Los Angeles and Tokyo. Plans include the tripling of the visitor count over the next several years. Currently, the islands of French Polynesiaówhich include such familiar names as Tahiti, Moorea and Bora Bora, and extend to such more out-of-the-way attractions as the Marquesa and Austral archipelagoesówelcome almost 250,000 tourists a year, about the same number as the indigenous population. But because tourism is the territoryís main industry, executives hope for a substantial increase ahead. To put this into perspective, in all of French Polynesia, a territory about three-quarters the size of the lower 48 American states, there are not more than 3,200 hotel rooms, including small pensions and guest houses. Some Las Vegas hotels are bigger than that. The advantages of Fr ench Polynesia are many. It isnít as distant as most people imagineóPapeete is in the same time zone as Hawaii but farther south. From Los Angeles, the flight is only about seven and a half hours, a couple more than to Hawaii. It has a more foreign atmosphere because the culture that overlays traditional Polynesian ways is French. (There is no Starbucks in French Polynesia, but there is at least one McDonaldís.) In addition, it has some of the most spectacularly beautiful locations in the world. Tahiti and its neighboring Society Islands fully live up to their reputation for gorgeousness. Thereís something about stepping out of your hotel room and seeing a perfect rainbow arching over a crystal lagoon that overloads the senses. To enter French Polynesia via air, visitors fly into the main city of Papeete, a pleasant South Pacific port town with a mild amount of bustle and about 150,000 people, the only real city in the territory. Although there are plenty of hotels hereóincluding the luxurious Le Meridien out beyond the airportómost people make Tahiti only a way station to other islands. In this, they may be making a mistake. Itís easy to point out the main deficiency of Tahitióit doesnít have a surrounding lagoon and its beaches are few. As a result, native Tahitians prefer to swim in fresh water at the islandís stunning waterfalls and pools. Local travel authorities are probably missing a bet in not pushing backpacking trips to the virtually unpopulated interior with its sensational valleys and canyons, but those with outdoor experience can probably do very well on their own. An important point to mention is that French Polynesia does not have dangerous wild animals. There is a local centipede, but travelers are more likely to fall afoul of the mosquitoes. Fortunately, insect repellent is widely available. Currently, about half of the visitors are honeymoonersóthatís the estimate of hotel managers and travel officialsóand about 90 percent of all tourists come via package deals. After a quick stopover in Papeete, itís off to Bora Bora and Moorea, which may be reaching a reasonable limit of tourist capacity. You can get into a debate about which of these two smallish islands is the more beautiful. My vote goes to Moorea, set just so about 14 miles off Papeete and, in appearance, like one vast, well-maintained garden. Itís the inspiration for the Rodgers and Hammerstein song "Bali Híai," and locals have obligingly renamed one of the local peaks Bali Híai so as not to disappoint tourists. Bora Bora is the more spectacular, a sheer volcanic spire rising out of the sea, surrounded by a perfect lagoon. The islandís airport has the distinction of offering the most stunning view of any field in the world. Itís located on a motu, a small islet that has grown up on the coral ring forming the lagoon, and you step out of the terminal to a spectacular prospect of Bora Bora. During World War II, the island was a U.S. military base, thanks to the fact that the protecting reef has only one inlet, and, therefore, itís the original setting of "South Pacific." Itís interesting to take a four-wheel-drive tour of the islandís back roadsóa guide is indispensable for thisówhich will include a visit to the huge cannons put in to guard the island. These have never been fired in anger and, today, they rust quietly away. The main mystery is how American military engineers got the cannons up the precarious mountain trails. Itís hard enough with a four-wheel-drive vehicle today. The bunkers originally used to house ammunition came in handy a few years ago when islanders used them for refuge during a violent typhoon. Popular with tourists, Bora Bora has plenty of accommodations. Our choice was Hotel Bora Bora Pearl Beach Resort, with individual cabins built out over the crystal lagoons (a feature found in several hotels throughout the islands). Step off your balcony, and you were waist deep in clear water teeming with tropical fishódreamy. My favorite of the islands turned out to be the Huahine, principally because itís off the beaten path. It would be considered a great beauty spot were it not for the more dramatic attractions of other islands in the chain, and about 70 percent of its income is still derived from agriculture. Curiously, it has the highest proportion of American expatriates of any island, but there are only about 40 such individuals. There, we chose Hotel Te Tiare Beach Resort, with a choice of accommodations over the water, on the beach or in a garden setting. Rooms were particularly spacious, practically suites. One of the nice features of Huahine is the handy access to one of the black-pearl fisheries, Huahine Nui Pearls, on a stunning lagoon on the west side of the island. The company, owned by a Tahitian-American family, runs boats from the main tourist centers. Visitors may see a demonstration on how the oysters are implanted with spherical seeds made from a thick-shell Mississippi River mussel, then 18 to 24 months later, with luck, the result is a pearl. Cooperative oysters can be implanted up to three times. The purchases I made were quite satisfactory, but the principal black-pearl fisheries are farther south, principally in the Austral group, where the greater seasonal variation in water temperature is said to produce a higher luster. The Australs are well off the beaten path, but the main black-pearl firms have showrooms in Papeete. Accommodations on the various islands range from international luxury class to small pensions. We met an Italian couple who return to French Polynesia every year, staying in the same pension, which has become a virtual second home. On the other hand, honeymooners probably want the hotels where all services are at hand, like the elaborate Beachcomber Park Royal on Moorea, with added attractions such as a frolic with dolphins in a hotel pool. Itís memorable, but not cheap, especially when you buy the commemorative photos taken with you and the dolphins. Sailing and diving are available, via purveyors connected to hotels or by separate arrangement. To really get away from it all, consider a 16-day cruise aboard a freighter to the Marquesas (Marquise in French), where the few tourist developments are designed to attract the ecologically aware. You can certainly find something to do in French Polynesia. Thereís even a little bawdy night life in Papeete, if you go looking for it. But, nothing will ever top the basic attraction of these uniquely favored isles with their startling beauty, tropical languor and the bewitching idea that paradise can in fact exist on Earth. If You Go Getting there: Papeete, the capital and largest city of French Polynesia, is served by a number of carriers, including the flag carrier, Air Tahiti Nui. Languages: French and the Tahitian variant of Maori, the Polynesian language, but English is widely spoken in tourist centers. Currency: The French Polynesian franc is linked to the French franc and, therefore, to the euro (many financial experts expect the euro to continue its gains against the dollar in 2001). As of this writing, the CFP is trading at the favorable rate of 128 to the U.S. dollar. French Polynesia is not linked to the main banking networks, so your regular automatic teller machine card will not work in cash machines. Cards linked to Visa or MasterCharge will work with a personal identification number. For American Express cards, cash advances are available at Tahiti Tou rs, Papeete, or at your hotel. Prices: Because of walloping import duties and shipping costs on the many imported products, prices are quite high. At better restaurants, expect something comparable to French prices, perhaps $50 per person, plus hefty added charges for wine. Thereís no tipping, so that helps. Food: More formal restaurants tend to serve French food, sometimes well-prepared, sometimes not. Chinese food is less expensive and widely available. About the only native dish readily encountered is poisson cru (raw fish), the fresh, local tuna marinated in lime juice as in ceviche, with vegetables added at the whim of the chef, enriched with coconut cream. Climate: Warm and humid, but rarely oppressively so during the dry season. The rainy season runs through our winter and early spring; itís then that flowers and waterfalls are at their most spectacular. High season: The dry months of June, July, August and the Christmas holidays. Many Tahitians say that November is the best month, because the foliage is especially verdant, but the rains havenít set in heavily. What to take: Dress is almost always very casual. Take insect repellent for the mosquitoes. For more information: telephone (310) 414-8484; www.gototahiti.com (in English); www.tahiti-tourisme.com (in French). Economy and Geography of the Islands The traditional economy of French Polynesia is based on agriculture and fishing, as it was when the first settlers found the islands hundreds of years ago. Today, the biggest industry is tourism. Next is the black-pearl trade, based on the fact that local oysters produce pearls and mother-of-pearl of a dark hue, ranging from an iridescent greenish gray through various depths of charcoal. The third industry is copra, dried coconut meat, the source of coconut oil. A new entrant is the nono fruit (also called noni). Originally from Southeast Asia, the nono tree grows all over Polynesia. Traditionally, its juice has been a folk remedy for such things as cuts or insect bites. In earlier times, it had another use. An old woman who saw a young guy that she liked would throw a nono at him. If it hit him, he had to have sex with her. Lately bottled nono juice has been considered by some as a cure for many things, although the brownish juice smells awful and tastes worse. Itís sold as a dietary supplement and thus doesnít have to meet federal regulations for effectiveness. To learn more, use its scientific name, morinda citrifolia, for an Internet search. The islands of French Polynesia were formed millenniums ago by undersea volcanoes, building up mountains that burst through the surface. Around the edge of these new islands, coral found a home. The islands began to sink, a process that goes on to this day. This caused the island to shrink from the coral that was originally on its shores, thus forming a reef. Very large islands would collect rainfall and send it out to sea in streams, killing the coral. Thatís why a large island like Tahiti doesnít have a surrounding reef. Where reefs survived, lagoons formed, and along the reefs, there grew up small islets, known as motus. In some places, the central island has sunk entirely below the ocean, thus leaving only the reef and its motus, forming an atoll. One curious aspect of Tahiti and some of its neighbors is that they are made up of a larger and a smaller segment, called nui and iti respectively, linked by a land bridge. Charles Britton is a freelance travel writer.