Garden of Eden
About thirty minutes by plane from the island of
Tahiti, Huahine, with its lush forests, untamed landscape,
and quaint villages, is one of Polynesia's best-kept
secrets.
A deep, crystal-clear lagoon surrounds the two islands
while magnificent bays and white-sand beaches add
drama and solitude to their virtues. Relatively unchanged
by the modern world, Huahine offer a slower taste
of old Polynesia.
With only eight small villages scattered
across the island, the few residents welcome visitors
with great kindness. Not surprisingly, this fertile
world offers rich soil providing the local farmers
a bountiful harvest of vanilla, melons, and bananas.
The spell cast by Huahine will last a lifetime.
Hermosa
This name bestowed by Captain Cook in 1769 means "beautiful"
in Spanish. The name Huahine may come from the profile
of a mountain which reveals the shape of a pregnant
woman.
Mythology provides two legends for the creation of
the two islands of Huahine: either the god Hiro cut
the island in half with his canoe or a spear thrown
in a contest among gods pierced Moorea's Mt. Mouaputa
and then sailed 100 miles where it split Huahine in
two!
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