MOLI VIEW™

A luxury yacht cruise around Rangiroa at first may not seem necessary. After all, Rangiroa atoll in the Tuamotu islands has only 1,800 residents. Most of these people live in the two villages set up at the Tiputa and the D'Avatoru passes. In case you're not familiar with atoll lingo, a pass is a break in the coral reef that forms the atoll's perimeter; it allows the ocean to pass in and out of the lagoon. It's also where the boats bring in supplies; that's why the villages are there.
The currents near the passes are very strong, since the ocean sucks in and out of such small openings, which makes for interesting diving and drift snorkeling. The Tiputa pass, with its unique shark wall where you can see upwards of 300 sharks, including black-tip and white-tip reef sharks as well as hammerheads and a few big tigers, is considered one of the top 10 diving spots in the world.

Divers making pilgrimages to Rangiroa may have inspired the two hotels that also set up shop on this otherwise deserted atoll. One, the Kia Ora Hotel, located near the local villages and airport, is a comfortable, family-friendly, four-star with thatched fare (bungalows). The other, Kia Ora Sauvage, is a five-fare, five-star property for rich people seeking a "barefoot" vacation (that's no phones, TV, Internet, shoes, etc.). And then there are several family-run pensions: much less expensive, but don't expect warm showers (water is scarce on the atoll) or electricity for more than a few hours at night. Boating is the only way you can see the entire atoll, which was part of my goal when I boarded the 16-cabin yacht the Haumana (that means "spirit of peace").

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