Years ago I read the book An Island to Oneself, by Tom Neale, who describes his experience living as a hermit on a deserted atoll in the Cook Islands. I never imagined I’d see it, but on July 16, after five nights at sea, we entered the lagoon of Suwarrow Atoll, to behold the same vistas that old Tom would have seen back in the 1960s. After nine months in non English speaking countries we were excited to be able…
The three largest island groups of French Polynesia are the Marquesas, the Tuamotus, and the Societies. The Marquesas are steep and majestic, but not great for swimming as they have no protecting reefs and a lot of sediment in the water. The Tuamotus have crystal clear lagoons, beautiful coral beaches, and very little else. The Society Islands won the geological lottery, with lush peaks, surrounded by wide coastal plains for habitation, all wrapped in large protected lagoons. Most amazing to…