We woke up again to a beautiful sunrise at the Sofitel resort.

Once again, we ate our luxurious breakfast which included everything from the standard stuff (eggs, omelettes, bacon, sausage, pancakes, waffles), to french stuff (pastries, crepes, yogurts and baguettes, cheese and charcuterie), to polynesian stuff (poke and poisson cru), to fresh tropical fruits and fruit juices. Oh la la. 

Unfortunately we had to make an early exit from this paradise on Moore'a to turn in the rental car and get to the airport for our flight. Fortunately, our flight was a short island hop to Bora Bora.

The aerial view of the lagoon's turquoise water as we came in to land was stunning.  The main island is dominated by the extinct volcanic peak of Mount Otemanu, and is surround by it's lagoon and small islands/reefs (motus). 

Interestingly, the Bora Bora airport is on a small islet (Motu Mute) near the northern end of Bora Bora. Once landed, we had to take the shuttle ferry to Vaitape, (the main town on the island), where we rented a car.

I have never seen such stark neon blue and turquoise colors in nature. The waters of Bora Bora are something to behold.
 

Since we were a bit early for our hotel check in, we explored the island a bit, including Vaitape and Matira Beach. We got a bite to eat, grabbed some groceries, and had some delicious gelato from a local shop.

Once our room was ready, we made our way to our lodgings at the southern end of the island, at the InterContinental Le Moana. Another boujee resort, but if we were going to travel half way around the world to a remote island, we wanted to experience what it is ultimately famous for, the overwater bungalows.

We stayed in a bungalow at the end of the pontoon, which had it's own private outdoor dock off which you can snorkel and swim without leaving your place. Amazing. The opulence made me a bit uncomfortable but I can't deny it was pretty enjoyable.

We spent the rest of the day relaxing in the bungalow, swimming, and snorkeling in the water. I had a nasty sunburn so I rested but the kids were pretty stoked to spend time in the water and find new fish to identify. Dozens of species of butterflyfish, tangs, triggerfish, groupers, wrasse, cornetfish/flutemouth, snappers, unicornfish, parrotfish, puffers, goatfish, surgeonfish, angelfish, moorish idols, and even a barracuda. And several stingrays and eagle rays as well. We watched the sun set from our bungalow before going out to find some local food.

We came back in the dark and the kids and Lindsay played cards (hearts) on the coolest coffee table ever--a transparent glass table over a hole in the center if the bungalow, allowing one to watch the fish swim around in the coral.