It is a world away from the ubiquitous five-star luxury of French Polynesia The rooms, all detached, are framed around a small bay Sitting on the patio we watched fish flick back and forth. A little further out in the reef boys dived for crabs, throwing their catches into a bucket some 30 feet away on shore.That night an unseasonal tropical storm blew up – we could almost read in the flashes of lightning and the white curtains blew like the sails of a South Seas clipper. The gale had the welcome effect of blowing away the mosquitoes that had pestered us all evening. During what passes for winter in these quarters, another wind, the maraamu, turns the ocean wild. Huge waves crash on the outer reef, attracting the world's top surfers.The storm-proof Fare Nana'o is the work of Monique Meriaux, who left Paris for Tahiti in 1982. Her friend Eric Lenoble, who came from France around the same time, offered to lead us on a guided walk the next day along the southern, road-free part, of Tahiti Iti.
Those Britons who think the French an up-tight nation should meet Eric, for it is hard to imagine a kinder, more gentle and laid-back person. The stress-free existence of 19 years in this landscape had clearly seeped into his every bone and pore He knew his nature, too. As we slithered along the path, accompanied by a pair of immaculately if rather inappropriately dressed French newly-weds, we inexpertly grasped vines in the manner of Johnny Weismuller and Eric provided a running commentary. Here was the hibiscus, a flower red in the morning and yellow by sunset; there was the hinano, the flower of the pandanus tree, which is used to make beer. Hermit crabs, disproportionately small shells on their backs, scuttled into holes by the path.
When the track dropped down to the sea we spotted several flying fish. Lunch, by a bay with huge crashing waves, consisted of rabbit p?, baguette, rocket and mint tea Only a bottle of trusty Bordeaux was missing. It seemed an odd place to be reminded of Provence but then this was, after all, French Polynesia.French Polynesia is one of the most expensive tourist destinations in the world. The substantial costs of transporting goods half way across the globe is partly responsible for this, while high taxes are applied to just about everything but a few basic foods such as sugar and rice.