A short plane ride or a quick skim across tranquil blue seas from Tahiti lie the twin islands of Huahine. One big, Huahine Nui and the other small, Huahine Iti are joined at the hip by a narrow stretch of land, all lying in the protective embrace of a barrier reef.

That sounds familiar and ever so repetitive. So what makes Huahine special? Huahine is characterised by a variety of landscape – volcanic cones, steep slopes, valleys, indented coastline with neatly tucked away coves and sheltered bays in a fantastic lagoon– and that is what makes it so interesting. The island was once a venerable ancient volcano whose centre sank to below sea level and filled up with water.

The landmass that remained became the two Huahines punctuated by the bays of Maroe and Bourayne. The outlying lagoon can be accessed through five passes - breaks in the barrier reef that cordon Huahine.

Called the Garden Island, Huahine resembles a shade card of green with hues changing from the glossy green of rainforests, to the dark green of tall trees and vanilla bushes to the quieter green of coffee and taro plantations. Orchards of sweet mangoes, bananas, paw paws, groves of breadfruit and watermelon and cantaloupe fields on the little motus that ring the main island add their own exotic flavours and colours. The perfume of tropical flowers typical of the islands hangs heavy in the air – tiare, frangipani, gardenias, hibiscus, bougainvillea, orchids and spikes of ginger flowers grow in abundance.

Huahine presents an enchanting lagoon rich with marine creatures in all shapes, sizes and colours; white sand beaches perfect for stretching out on and many pretty little native villages that edge the 32 km road cum track that circles the island. Ancient temple sites or maraes like the one at Maeva, house remnants of a bygone era, artefacts of ancient Polynesian life like the ruins of a royal village, sacrificial temples and lakes with 300-year-old stone fishing traps still used to catch fish. Highlights of Maeva are the 16 restored monoliths, reminiscent of Stonehenge and Easter Island.

Huahine main urban centre is Fare; it doubles as the island’s capital and has the post office, banks and eating-places. In fact, Huahine claims to offer the best dining experiences in all the South Seas. This charming little town springs to life on the days the inter-island boats come calling. Fare, then bursts at the seams with lorry loads of produce - fruits, flowers, vegetables, copra, even pigs. The melee lasts through the day with the Huahine’s residents catching up with each other, shopping for the week and generally enjoying a day away from home. Before you notice it, the goods are loaded on to the ships, the lorries are loaded with stuff coming in and market - cum- shipping day is over and Fare can return to its sleepy, slow routine.

Huahine has little to offer visitors apart from its many natural attractions. Surfing is one of them and surfers come from distant places to Huahine to test their skill in the powerful breakers at Avamoa Pass. The onslaught of tourists reaches epic proportions in November, when the hordes descend on Huahine to either participate in or to watch the world’s largest outrigger canoe race, the Hawaiki Nui Va’a. The race begins at Huahine, travels to Raiatea and Taha’a, before finishing at Bora Bora, a distance of 116km. More than sixty, six man teams of husky, brawny, wildly tattooed Polynesian men wearing little but pareos and leis return to their roots, using skills that have become redundant in this race.

Visitors heading for the island of Huahine can travel here by plane – Air Tahiti or Air Moorea fly in scheduled and/or chartered flights – from Bora Bora, Moorea, Raiatea or Tahiti. Ferries and inter-island boats also connect the different islands but schedules are erratic and need to be checked on the proposed day of travel. On the island, transport options are taxis, le trucks, rented cars, jeeps, scooters or cycles. Mini buses take travellers to their hotels from the airport/ferry terminal.