Hearts lost ... a welcome from visitors.Credit: AFP
Jane Richards swears a mermaid encounter preceded the mai tais, as she recalls Tahiti's magical charms.
AT FIRST it seems to be a trick of the sun. A huge, shimmering, perfectly formed fishtail has broken the surface about 10 metres away. In a second, it is gone.
I rub my eyes but, suddenly, there it is again. A dolphin? No. A whale? No. I know what it is but it can't be. "Look," I yell frantically to my five friends on our small boat. "Over there!"
The Paul Gauguin's water-sport deck.
In an instant, the beautiful tail appears again. This time we all see it and even our Tahitian skipper is speechless as he turns off the engine. The only sound besides the lapping of the water on the side of the boat is a combined sharp intake of breath as the seven of us realise as one that we are looking at a mermaid.
OK, it turns out the mermaid is of the human variety - a diver being filmed underwater for her website in a mermaid suit. But these are the magical waters off Bora Bora and it has been a morning of one spectacular experience after another. We snorkelled among curtains of tropical fish, watched sharks feeding next to us and petted stingrays - all in pristine, turquoise waters framed by volcanic islands. We are in paradise and for that split second, anything - even a mermaid - seemed possible.
Many artists, writers and romantics - perhaps most famously Paul Gauguin, Somerset Maugham, James Michener and Marlon Brando - have lost their hearts to Tahiti and its islands, or "motus", strewn across breathtaking waters said to encompass seven shades of blue.
Marlon Brando in Tahiti filming Mutiny on the Bounty.
All this beauty demands a lot from tourism operators. They must stand out in terms of what they offer, yet they must also blend in. In 2011, they cannot afford to be a blot on the landscape. On top of this, those Americans and Europeans who are still travelling tend to be at the pointy end of the tourism spectrum (and of the plane) and they don't just want a destination, they want an experience, as do Australians. The smart operators, say the locals, are the ones who know the area, listen to the local people and incorporate Tahitians into the experience.
The boutique, five-star cruise ship Paul Gauguin, which cruises French Polynesia, does all this. For a start, the ship - all clean lines and French aesthetics - is beautiful, whether it is viewed from the bustling port at Papeete or seen from Belvedere Point atop the island of Moorea - the home of Michener's Bali Hai.
The Paul Gauguin is owned by the Pacific Beachcomber company, whose chief executive, Richard Bailey, has spent years in Tahiti and was a long-time friend of the acting superstar Marlon Brando (see box).
The ship's operators and crew seem just as enamoured with Tahiti, its traditions and culture as its namesake, who left his wife and children when the islands captured his heart in 1891. Tahitian culture is evident in all aspects of ship life.
The Paul Gauguin is small in cruise-ship terms, carrying a maximum of 332 guests. Because of its size, it is one of the few cruisers that can navigate the shallow reefs off Tahiti and therefore has access to many small islands that other ships cannot get to. It also allows the Paul Gauguin to offer a more tailored experience. Want to go swimming with feeding reef sharks? Or how about a dip with the stingrays that appear in the same areas of Bora Bora lagoon each day in the hope of being fed and tickled? These trips can all be arranged on board for small groups.
A water-sport deck that can be lowered from the ship means there is also instant access to Zodiacs for diving and kayaking.
The Paul Gauguin's size makes navigation simple for passengers, with easy access to the restaurants, observation and pool decks, bars, casino, spa, gym and internet room.
First though, we spend two days in Papeete on Tahiti Nui. While it would be easy to stay cocooned in Papeete's bigger hotels - such as the four-star Manava Resort and the five-star InterContinental hotel with their wet-edge pools - there is a lot to see on the main island.
Papeete is a bustling collision of cultures. There is spectacular scenery and traffic jams, late-night bars and produce markets. Don't miss the Roulottes food caravans each night near the docks. We have an excellent meal, including the famed local poisson cru - raw fish in coconut milk - for a few dollars.
The Paul Gauguin Museum in Papeari, a short drive from Papeete, is a must. Here, Gauguin's extraordinary life is explained through letters, photographs, artefacts and copies of his art from his Tahitian period.
Boarding the ship the next day for a seven-night cruise of Tahiti and the Society Islands, we look back at Papeete - nestled under giant craggy peaks, surrounded by that bluer-than-blue water and shrouded in a light sea mist - and it is easy to see how the artist must have been captivated by this part of the world.
The art-deco cabins on the Paul Gauguin also play to the atmosphere. A rounded drinks cabinet. A bath. Flowers. Champagne. All guest cabins have ocean views and 70 per cent have balconies. There is a crew to guest ratio of 1:1.5 - one of the highest at sea. All food and alcohol, even room service, is included in the tariff.
The food reflects the country's unique Tahitian/French mix, including La Verandah, a French-inspired bistro; L'Etoile, which offers eight courses of French and Tahitian-inspired food; and Le Grill.
After travelling through the night, we arrive at the second biggest of the Society Islands, Raiatea. Here, we book a four-wheel-drive tour across the island. Raiatea is stunning - craters and waterfalls are surrounded by wild vanilla, breadfruit, basil, grapefruit and the pungent noni fruit.
But Raiatea is best known as the centre of Tahitian culture. We visit stone platforms used in traditional initiation ceremonies. It is believed some were the sites of human sacrifices but, because so much Tahitian culture was buried with the arrival of missionaries, this is hard to verify.
The next day, the whole ship is invited to visit Mahana - a small motu just off the island of Taha'a. Here, on our own sandy isle, the Paul Gauguin crew and Taha'a locals create a minor miracle. Suddenly there's a floating bar in the pristine waters. A mai tai in a coconut shell, madame? Barbecued fish? A hamburger? An ice-cream before your snorkel?
We spend the day relaxing, snorkelling, feasting and buying black pearls, tiare flower oil and Tahiti's other black gold - vanilla - from locals who have come across for the day.
Later, as I return to the Paul Gauguin on a tender, I look back at the island we have just left and not a trace of our presence remains.
The next two days we are docked off Bora Bora - aka one of the most beautiful spots on Earth. It is here that we encounter our mermaid after swimming with affectionate, "puppy-like" stingrays and testing our nerve by swimming with reef sharks.
Our final port of call is the mysterious, craggy-topped volcanic island of Moorea. This island offers great scenery and snorkelling, while being just a 30-minute ferry ride from Papeete.
The writer travelled courtesy of Wiltrans International.
Trip notes
Getting there
Air Tahiti Nui offers two weekly one-stop flights from Australia to Papeete via Auckland. Code-share services operate from Sydney in partnership with Qantas. 1300 732 415; airtahitinui.com.au.
Cruising there
Paul Gauguin Cruises offers a range of cruises off Tahiti and its islands, with some including the Marquesas. The company is offering new two-week cruises for next year combining French Polynesia with Fiji and Tonga. Fares start at $US3161 ($3073) a person. Details from Wiltrans International. (02) 9265 7100, wiltrans.com.au, pgcruises.com.
Staying there
Wiltrans can arrange a two-night stay at the InterContinental Resort Tahiti, including breakfast and airport transfers to the resort, the Paul Gauguin and back to the airport after the cruise. Ocean view rooms from $US395 ($384) a person.
More information
Resorts with a star quality
Some of the mystery that swirled around Marlon Brando seems to have rubbed off on his friend, Richard Bailey, who has become a larger-than-life figure in Tahiti. Locals are quick to tell you of Bailey's great friendship with Brando, of his environmental credentials and how he often "suddenly appears" on various islands.
Bailey's name has become synonymous with the Paul Gauguin, owned by his company, the Pacific Beachcomber, and his four resorts in French Polynesia: the InterContinental Resort Tahiti in Papeete; another on Moorea; and his two resorts on Bora Bora — the traditional, Tahitian-inspired InterContinental Moana and the more European InterContinental Resort and Thalasso Spa with its Philippe Starck interiors. He is now embarking on his most personal project — "the Brando", an environmentally sound resort on Tetiaroa, pictured, the late actor's private island.
If this sounds like Bora Bora is turning into Surfers Paradise — it's not. The developments are exclusive but sympathetic, consisting of traditional bungalows over the lagoon or on the beaches. The wow factor is in the way the resorts blend with their environment and their luxurious interiors.
Perhaps Bailey's biggest legacy to Tahiti will be his embrace of environmental technologies, particularly his pioneering use of a seawater airconditioning system, or SWAC, the brainchild of the Honolulu-based non-profit Common Heritage Corporation and supported by Brando.
It produces no greenhouse gases and saves 90 per cent of electricity consumed by a conventional cooling system.
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