As the National Geographic Orion continues her season in the South Pacific, the latest stage of the journey began in Papeete, Tahiti, yesterday evening. Overnight we travelled about 140 miles to the northwest to arrive off the island of Bora Bora this morning.
After making an early morning entrance to the lagoon of this iconic destination, we headed ashore and boarded a fleet of 4WD vehicles to explore the rugged interior of the island. For the afternoon we headed to a small motu within the lagoon as a base for an afternoon of watersports. From here we took to the water to explore the waters by snorkel or by kayak.
While we were enjoying the watersports, the hotel department was busy on the beach preparing a sunset cocktail party. Throughout the day the light on the peaks of the island had been changing and, despite a mid-afternoon rain shower, the location and conditions turned out to be perfect for sunset. As an added bonus, the nearly full moon rose above the island to create a beautiful counterpoint to the sunset. A great way to bring the first day of the expedition to a close.
