I had been told that below the cliff-face of Mt Pahia, in a spot surrounded by large trees & overlooking the source Vai-ati a huge stone turtle Ofa’i Honu (Rock Turtle) could be found. The legend held in a union with the cliffs of Mt Pahia produced Firiamata-o-Vavau. Firiamata-o-Vavau is the founding ancestor & first …
Attractions
The “Taurua Varua” (Fete of the Spirit) is a celebratory competition of himene (formal Tahitian religious choral songs) & of Orero (ancient art forms of oral declaration), which takes place on Bora Bora in January each year. It’s, without doubt, Bora Bora’s most important religious, and cultural event that’s just as important as the Heiva I Bora Bora. It was originally …
Here is a brief overview of the Liquid Festival and why you should participate: For 5 days prior to the opening of the Bora Bora Liquid Festival, five traditional Polynesian sailing outrigger canoes clearly better suited to the calm waters of the lagoon sailed over 400km in the high seas between Tahiti & Bora Bora …
The wood carving of the Marquisians has long been held to be the best in all of Polynesia. Regarded by their peers as being the finest artisans amongst them, these talented craftsmen, or Tuhuna as they were/are known, have over the centuries, often applied those same exceptional skills to the art of tattooing. The symbolism …
For many the Heiva got under way today. Today was the Heiva Des Ecoles (School Heiva), where participants can reflect on their rich culture, history & heritage, where some will start their climb to provide the backbone to the Heiva I Bora Bora in years to come & where all will simply have fun, & …
The Raid Anei is an eagerly awaited event. It takes place in the mountains above Point Matira along a ridge line that offers a spectacular bird’s eye view. It shows why Bora Bora is regarded as one of the most beautiful islands in the world. The first climb took raiders steeply to a lookout known to the Tahitans as …
If there is something everyone yearns for, no matter where you are living, it is surely a top-knotch boulangerie (those legendary French bread bakery shops). Walking into a French boulangerie in the early morning is a warming experience in more ways than one. A meeting place for the smiling faces of old friends, the chance to …
Faanui (Valley of Nui), is a place of refuge where one can gather the ‘breath of life’ as the ancient Tahitian expression, E Mapuhiraa aho no Faanui says, derives its name from Nui, the son of Porapora-i-te-fenau-tahi (the First-Born in the Time of Man), who’s umbilical cord was buried here in the valley. It’s a tradition practiced …
Dancing has played a major role in Polynesian life for centuries. Those voyaging to these shores will have noticed the Polynesian’s innate passion for dancing and yet the tamure was almost wiped out in the early 19th century by missionaries who banned the dance as an expression of paganism. The Heiva, with its internationally acclaimed dancing …
The re-opening of MyriamaProkop’s Bora Bora pottery work-shop has been long awaited for lovers of this noble art – 7 years in fact whilst she motorcycled around SE Asia in between pottery classes! At the inauguration of Myriama PROKOP POTERIE on Bora Bora, one of the island’s leading personalities said: “I feel great tenderness in …