Sights—Ancient sites near the village of Maeva on Huahine Nui; Taputapuatea on Raiatea, one of ancient Polynesia's most sacred sites; black pearls and scuba diving on Rangiroa; large ceremonial sites and tiki on Nuku Hiva and Hiva Oa; white-sand beaches and French Polynesian culture on Maupiti; Tiki Village Theater on Moorea; stunning scenery and a fabulous lagoon on Bora Bora; Tahiti's Papeete Market.

Museums—Fare Potee, a museum housed in a replica of a traditional building on Huahine Nui; the Museum of Tahiti and the Islands in Punaauia on Tahiti; the Gauguin museum on the south coast of Tahiti; lessons in pearling at the Robert Wan Pearl Museum in Papeete; Atuona's Cultural Center.

Memorable Meals—South Seas dining at Bora Bora's Bloody Mary's; a meal cooked in an earthen Tahitian oven; raw fish marinated in coconut milk called poisson cru.

Late Night—Cut loose with the locals on a dance floor on Papeete's waterfront; dinner and dance shows at Tiki Village Theater.

Walks—A tour of the Harrison Smith Botanical Garden on Tahiti; the three-hour walk right around Maupiti; a guided hike through the mountains and valleys of Tahiti and Moorea.

The entire French Polynesian territory is sometimes incorrectly referred to as "Tahiti," but it actually consists of dozens of islands and atolls spread across a wide swath of the South Pacific, roughly midway between South America and Australia. Five archipelagos make up the territory, and each has distinctive cultural and geographical features.

The Society group, which includes Tahiti, is the most populous of the island chains. They are "high islands"—volcanic peaks surrounded by a coral reef and a calm lagoon. To the northeast are the Tuamotus, a large group of flat coral atolls often made up of a thin strip of land ringing a very large lagoon. Beyond the Tuamotus are the distant and mountainous Marquesas Islands. South of the Society group are the Australs and, to the southeast, the Gambiers, both containing a combination of atolls and high islands. Travelers primarily frequent the Society Islands (especially Tahiti, Moorea and Bora Bora) and to a much lesser extent, the Tuamotus and the Marquesas.

Anthropologists theorize that seafarers in great canoes landed in the islands at least 2,000 years ago. The ancient Polynesians probably came from other Pacific islands—Fiji, Tonga and the Samoas—to the west of French Polynesia. European explorers passed through the islands as early as the mid-1500s, but it wasn't until the 1700s that extensive contact took place. The accounts of the great English explorer Captain James Cook and others described Tahiti as a place of beauty, abundance and, perhaps most intriguing, few sexual prohibitions. The islands' temptations played a role in the famous mutiny aboard the HMS Bounty, when the mutineers cast Captain Bligh adrift and returned to the pleasures they had enjoyed on Tahiti.

Whether or not they truly were an unspoiled paradise, the islands quickly lost their allure after Europeans introduced new diseases and weapons. By the mid-1800s, the population had plummeted, and the islands were wracked by warfare. In the colonial wrangling of the 19th century, France laid claim to the area, and today it remains an overseas territory of that nation. In the 1960s, France moved its controversial nuclear testing program to the remote Tuamotu islands of French Polynesia. The resumption of testing in the 1990s sparked riots on Tahiti, but with the tests over, things have returned to a relatively tranquil state.

The income of the average French Polynesian is high by South Pacific standards, but the islands also have a very high cost of living. Tourism has become a big part of the economy, and the government heavily promotes the fishing industry. Black pearl and copra (coconut) production also serve as important sources of income. Nonetheless, the islands receive a lot of support from taxpayers in France.

The islands' foremost attractions are relaxation, spectacular scenery, scuba diving, snorkeling, yachting, archaeological sites, mountains, music, dance, fishing and luxurious, uncrowded resorts.

French Polynesia is for travelers interested in the classic South Pacific experience: clear water, gorgeous scenery, quiet surroundings and friendly, interesting people. French is the common language, but visitors confining themselves to the major tourist islands will find English widely spoken. A more serious obstacle is the cost. French Polynesia is an expensive place to vacation, though some budget options exist.

Black pearls have become an important industry in French Polynesia, and, as visitors quickly discover, they are heavily marketed to tourists. On the busy islands, every shop seems to be selling pearls. Many islands offer pearl-farm tours where you can see how they're created and, of course, make a purchase.

Polynesia is the birthplace of surfing, and the wave at Teahupoo, Tahiti, is one of the most famous and scary waves in the surfing world. An international surf contest is held in the village each May.

"PK" on an address refers to the white stones placed alongside roads every kilometer to mark the distance around an island.

Prior to World War II, few outsiders had ever heard of Bora Bora. The arrival of thousands of soldiers shortly after the attack on Pearl Harbor changed all that. Although never involved in actual battles, Bora Bora owes much of its infrastructure, including its airport, to U.S. construction crews.

Transvestites (or mahu) are an accepted part of the French Polynesian community and often work in restaurants, on airplanes and in boutiques.

Hinano beer is named after the flower of the pandanus plant, which smells somewhat like beer. The leaves of this same plant are used to weave local hats and baskets.

Tahiti was the setting for the 1961 production of Mutiny on the Bounty with Marlon Brando and Trevor Howard. Moorea appeared in the 1984 telling of the tale, The Bounty, with Mel Gibson and Anthony Hopkins.