Austral Islands/Raivavae: Exploring Otaha Motus
Raivavae Lagoon is a true hidden treasure of the French Polynesia and perhaps the entire Pacific Ocean – the emerald mountainous island in the middle and 28 white sand motus all around on the edges of the reef. I described Motu Piscine in one of the previous posts, but I was told that the smaller motus on the westernmost side of the lagoon are even more spectacular. And wow was it true! There are four small motu islands clustered together here – Motu Haratahi and Motus Otah 1-4. They are small uninhabited islets covered with ironwood trees teaming with birdlife and fringed by absolutely stunning white sand beaches and sandbars in the lagoon side and the outer rugged wave-pounded coral reef on the outer side. Absolutely empty without a single person, seemingly a world away from Raivavae main island, that in itself one of the most remote and least visited islands in the Pacific.
