According to legend, the islands of Tahaa and Raiatea, part of Society Islands, were one until they were severed by a sacred needle belonging to the spirit of a princess. When you see these two islands, set in an azure lagoon, you just know that the place is magical. Tahaa, also known as ‘Vanilla Island’ on account of the vanilla plantations which scent the entire place, is made up of a majestic massif, clad in emerald-coloured vegetation, divided by three valleys. Raiatea, the other half, is steeped in mysticism and the sacred. Local beliefs have it that this was the very first island inhabited by humankind and that the first king was the son of the god which created it. The island has a landscape of waterfalls, bays and fertile valleys with the highest point being Mount Temehani