With all the craziness that is happening in the world at the moment, I was wanting to take you to a romantic place of dreams far far away…. that place is the French Polynesian Islands. Located in the middle of the Pacific Ocean halfway between Australia and the USA, some might call this, Paradise on Earth. The French Polynesian islands that are made up of 5 groups of islands, Societe, Tuamotu, Marquesas, Gambier and Austral, extending over an area that is as big as Europe but with a land mass of only 4000 km². Of the 118 islands the most famous are Tahiti or Bora Bora (or Pora Pora since the “b” doesn’t exist in their alphabet of 13 letters). The one thing is for sure, among these islands you will find some of the world’s most unique beaches, from pristine black sands in Tahiti to the rose-pink sands of Hirifa.
The French Polynesians are friendly, peaceful and accepting nation. So accepting that their genders including transgender, they are known as the rae-rae or mahu. Polynesian Mythology even tells of how god Atea gave the scared Tiare Apetahi, their national flower, to mortal men so that they would abandon their prideful ways and live a more loving lifestyle. Interestingly nobody has ever been able to propagate or grow this species of flower anywhere else in the world. The flower is used behind the wearers ear to indicate availability, right available and left taken. Perhaps the most menacing cultural trait is to get a tatau (from which the world tattoo was derived) – the god of tattoos Tohu – described the painting of all the oceans fish in beautiful colours and patterns and these have long been considered signs of beauty and were ceremoniously given to all children when they approached adolescence.
In this time of crazy, take me to a place of flowers and beaches
