Week #5: from Bora Bora to Maupiti

This week, we boldly go where (kinda) no one has gone before... For the first time, we take Wallis to an island it has never been before. Maupiti, here we come !

Bora Bora hype

Bora Bora is known as the Pearl of the Pacific, the island is indeed stunning with beautiful lagoon colors and the dramatic cliffs of Mount Otemanu. So if you like Instagram sceneries, luxury hotels and crowded organized tours, this is your dream holiday spot. As long as you have the corresponding budget as there are no cheap options to visit, even in our sailing boat we have to pay 4,000CPF (30EUR) per night to take a mooring ball. And there is no alternative…

Fun fact, It is the only island in French Polynesia (other than Tahiti of course) with traffic jams at rush hour, when the many people working on Bora Bora converge towards the town on the only 20km road that goes around the island… It is a very strange sight in the middle of the South Pacific Ocean!

We stayed 4 days on Bora Bora, but with very little interaction with its local people. It is also the only island (other than Tahiti) where you do not greet every person you cross paths with as you stroll around. The mooring restrictions also make it difficult to get around and actually do anything on this beautiful lagoon, which was not the case last time we visited in 2018. So long Bora Bora, we probably won’t be back anytime soon. Maupiti, here we come !

Yoga & Baguette

We do not have a strict daily routine on Wallis but there are a few occasions where our mixed Indian and French cultural heritage comes to life. On these days, we start our day with a sunrise yoga session, around 6am. It is easy to wake up before sunrise when you live on the boat ! We both set up our mats at the front of the boat, which is just perfect for some gentle asanas. My session would typically last 30 minutes, I would then leave Yamini to finish her own practice and go prepare breakfast… This is the yoga and baguette moment, as I would be in the kitchen preparing the dough for the oven, while I could see Yamini on her yoga mat. Baking the bread will take another 30 minutes, while Yamini completes her meditation session. So we are both ready to enjoy our baguette, butter and (local guava) jam breakfast by 7am… Perfect timing!

While on the topic, quick update on our bread making adventures. We have now fully mastered the first phase of the process, which takes place the evening before… After several unsuccessful attempts, we finally managed to get the dough to rise overnight. The secret lies in the kneading! We are still working on the final setup to transform the dough into bread loaf before going into the oven. There seems to be some magic that needs to happen at this stage too (!)

Making bread really requires craftsmanship. With such basic ingredients (flour, water, salt and yeast), it is all about staying focused and going through the movements mindfully… Sounds like yoga?

Crossing to Maupiti

Big milestone this week, we took Wallis to an island it had never been before: Maupiti, 30nm west of Bora Bora. As the island is a bit out of the way very few charter boats make it there, which means it is much more quiet and wild. What also helps keep traffic to the island low is that the pass to enter the lagoon has a reputation to be dangerous! We arrived in front of the pass in the morning, after a night sail from Bora Bora, and had no issues coming in - even though the waves rolling across the pass can indeed be a bit scary…

The lagoon is small but has a lot to offer, beautiful snorkelling spots, manta rays, shallow sand bars perfect for water sports. There are enough tourists and sailing boats passing by to allow a few local restaurants and tour guides to offer their services. We plan to do a full lagoon tour next week. What makes Maupiti unique is that the island itself is very small - the only road going around the island is 8km long, but it offers spectacular cliffs that tower over the village and the lagoon. Pretty amazing scenery…

There are less than 1,000 people living on Maupiti, most of them around the main island which is one big village, others on the motus (low coral islands on the reef). Local lifestyle is very chilled and typical of Polynesian islands. On the day we arrived, we went for a walk around town and ended up at a local “Bringue” (party) with live music and Hinano beer! However all this will have to be put on hold, as alcohol is banned this weekend due to local elections on Sunday...