It was mid morning when we arrived in Huahine, giving us plenty of time to watch as the Captain navigated through narrow channels between offshore reefs.

Here and there were small islands, arousing our curiosity about who lives there and how do they live? From time of time we also remembered to look up at the fabulous skies.

We passed small groups of houses set amongst lush greenery. What would it be like to live there, we wondered?

The ship slowed down as we entered a larger body of water. Was this our mooring for the day?

I zoomed in on one small house there on the waterfront with a rather carefully constructed garden leading down to the water. I wondered if it's a year-round residence or if the owners come and go. I imagine the garden would soon become overgrown if not tended regularly, because everywhere we look is filled with trees and shrubs.

Of course, had I looked on the other side of the ship, I would have realised that this is indeed our place for the day, for the first tender had already made its test run and could be seen over there at the jetty. We had better get our things together for our day out on this lovely green island.

Last evening, the Captain called the whole tender crew on board to acknowledge their immense efforts in getting us all safely ashore during the last few ports of call, particularly Easter Island. They had worked so hard, always with a smile and in such good humour, they deserved the standing ovation they received from everyone in the theatre. This morning they were there again, offering strong arms and gentle encouragement to take a big step and go for it, though today was a piece of cake compared to recent tender transfers!

We made it ashore and were greeted by Moana, our guide and driver for the day who welcomed eight of us to his pick up truck and explained his plans for our tour here. He was quite a character but a great ambassador for the island he loved so dearly.

Our first stop was just along the road at a bridge, from where we had a great view of Mariner in a lovely setting. A little further along, another short stop with a viewpoint offered Moana a chance to introduce us to his Auntie, who is planting a small garden at this spot and tidy it up. At several points along the way today, we saw where people were planting spots along the roadside in a similar way. There was a real feeling of community effort and not a speck of litter or graffiti anywhere. These islands are pristine.

A boat was waiting at our next stop, which came as a surprise. We jumped in - well, clambered in really - for the ride across to the Pottery and Pearl Farm out in the lagoon.

We were met by a couple of young women who explained how the pearls are cultured here.

Oysters are opened slightly and a piece of mother of pearl introduced together with a small nucleus, made from shell.

The oyster is returned to the lagoon for eighteen months after which there is maybe a pearl inside. If that's so, the same oyster can be used up to three more times, each of which will cultivate a slightly larger pearl. If there's no pearl, then there never will be and the oyster isn't used again.

After the boat ride back to Moana's vehicle, we set off again, stopping by the side of the road where there was a narrow culvert of water running alongside. The sign gave a clue to why we'd stopped here - to see the sacred blue eyed eels. There in the water were several large, black eels, maybe five feet long, and as soon as Moana threw in some bait, they slithered and squirmed over one another to reach it. My photo shows one big splashing mass and certainly no blue eyes, so I decided it wasn't worth uploading. I don't think any of us witnessed any glimpse of blue, but there was plenty of white teeth to be seen!

The fish traps in the river prompted more of Moana's stories, this time of his parents and grandparents who had used this method to catch fish from the tidal river. The fish would swim upstream and then when the tide turned, would find themselves trapped in the various stone constructions, which had been here for centuries. Further up the river were a couple standing in the water. I assume they were catching supper?

Our next stop was by this beautiful oval shaped building, constructed on stilts above the water. Moana described it as a marae; a meeting spot, but now it functioned as a small museum.

Inside the small museum were a few displays of Polynesian heritage crafts and artefacts. I was fascinated by a grass skirt with an elaborate waistband and the woven baskets, similar to but not on the same scale as those we'd seen in the Aleutian Islands some years ago.

Moana’s story here was about the Polynesian islanders, who managed to find their way around these islands successfully long before the Europeans arrived with their navigational instruments. Their way of getting around included taking a chicken, a dog and a pig with them, he explained - relating to the picture above. The dog was their security guard, the chicken their alarm clock and the pig…well…would we like to guess? Most said the obvious answer, their food! But no, Moana said, “Would you eat your GPS?” and laughed. His explanation was that they would tie the pig to the boat and allow him/her to swim. Their acute sense of smell would take them towards the nearest island, but after half an hour, they would bring the pig back onto the boat for two hours rest. Then they'd repeat the process, gradually making their way to their destination.

Our final visit of the day was to a plantation. Can you guess what's growing here?

Some of the vanilla pods were drying in the sunshine outside and of course, many more were on sale in the shop…

It was now time to return to the ship and as we headed back, we noticed that there appeared to be a cloud around the ship. Was it smoke? We had certainly seen some small garden fires here and there and smelled the woodsmoke that resulted from them. When we reached the pier, the answer came from the sky…

The heavens opened and we got drenched in the space of no more than five minutes! Actually, a great end to a fabulous afternoon here. Moana had been good company throughout and we learned a lot from him and his stories. For now though, it was soon time to say goodbye to Huahine and set sail for Raiatea, where hopefully the internet connection will allow me to post a bit more efficiently!