Is the crown jewel in French Polynesias five star resort crown and therefore we were looking to be impressed. We set sail from Raiatea at about three in the afternoon which was a little later than expected since Leigh had bumped into some old friends and the reunion deserved "a couple of coldies" (beers). This meant that our arrival to BoraBora would probably be by night as the crossing would take up to 5-6 hours. The passage into the lagoon between underwater rock and coral walls is well marked however it was only because Leigh had navigated this pass before was he willing to do it again at night.

The crossing itself was fairly uneventful, and we'd arrived at the entrance to the pass by about 8pm. From there the sails were taken down and we motored through to the lagoon. The place was lit up like it was Christmas, with all the hotels on the motus surrounding the lagoon, but we figured there was a reason all of the international hotel resorts had set up shop.

The following morning we took a mooring outside the world famous (in yachting circles anyhow) Bloody Marys bar and restaurant. For the modest fee of having a drink or a meal the anchorages and fresh water can be used for free which understandably attracts hordes of yachties. The entrance to the bar also displays a placard listing all the famous people who have been there and includes some cheesy signed photographs which we had a good laugh at. After getting the bikes put together and rowed ashore, we left Leigh on the boat to ride the 6km into the main village and get our bearings. We stopped off at a shop called the Bora Bora Pearl Market where we perused and ultimately purchased one or two beautiful loose black pearls. The idea is that we will have them set in jewellery at a later date. We left our carefully packaged and presented gift bag at the shop to pick up on our return for fear of dropping or crushing the things whilst riding our rusty bikes! On into town the ride was flat and pleasant but we noticed what we thought were a lot of big and expensive cars considering the size of the island. The village wasn't all shiny for the tourists as I was expecting, but was just like a normal place functioning for locals. We figured that on the whole tourists probably stay ensconced in their nice resorts. We located the supermarket where we picked up a couple of things and had a little look around.

Leigh had been to Bora Bora a couple of months previously and had done a hike to the top of one of the peaks. He had highly recommended it so we decided to tackle it the following day. We started out early and cycled to town where we knew the track, an then path ran inland and up hill. Leigh had drawn a map to help us find the start of the path as it was tiny, and little used. After dodging a couple of guard dogs from nearby houses we eventually found the path and headed uphill. The first hour was fairly tame as we followed a single path on a slight incline through the forest. Gradually the slope got steeper and we soon found we were using our arms almost as much as our legs. Two hours later on we were scrambling up rocks and anticipating the top. We wouldn't have risked it but previous people had helpfully left securely tied ropes around in strategic places and this made it possible. The forest opened up to low lying ferns and scrub and we scrambled up to the first peak. The view was spectacular from here, but we could see that we wouldn't complete the climb until we'd walked the ridge along to an climbed to the higher peak. There was still a very narrow path in evidence but it was severely overgrown and our legs were getting scratched to pieces, but we soldiered on! With a final, muscle trembling scramble we made it. The view was breath-taking, and we spent a good hour eating our packed lunch and taking it all in on the small grassy patch. Needless to say we weren't particularly anxious to begin the descent. We had to get going however so that we could at least take our time. It's a toss up as to whether going down was easier than coming up or not. It certainly took just as long and was probably even more hazardous. We were going from one handhold to the next to avoid slipping or losing our footing. We made it down intact and exhilarated. It was the most challenging hike i've ever done and it was wonderful! But thats just me and I should let Paul speak for himself...

Speaking for myself I found it a real challenge and in places I felt like turning round and going back. Me being naturally clumsy I kept falling over or smacking my head on trees. My bruises that stayed for a few weeks were proof of my blundering. All in all though I am glad that I pushed on to the top as the views made up for the pain!

The following day clever clogs here thought that taking a gentle bike ride around the island would release our leg muscles. The ride was lovely and gave us some great views of the motus surrounding the lagoon. It just seemed a shame that every time we spotted a really beautiful beach and patch of lagoon someone had already plonked a hotel onto it. The easy ride turned in to a bit more of a chore when my peddle fell off! It was completely rusted and ruined so it was lucky I only had the last three kilometres to do one footed and Paul helped by pushing me along for a bit! The next day we could hardly walk but it was time to set sail again.