Beaches

Raiatea and Tahaa don't have beaches, so locals and tourists head out to the many motu, or islets for their sand and surf; quite a business has been built around transporting picnicking tourists to them. Some are not quite deserted islands, but they can give a feeling of being on one. Several companies specialize in half-day trips, including one that takes an outrigger-canoe-type craft across the vivid blue and green lagoon. A glass-bottom boat tour of the lagoon offers an easy way to take in the terrific diversity of marine life in what is basically an enormous outdoor aquarium.