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tahiti »
FRENCH POLYNESIA
Who wouldn’t want to be shipwrecked
on Tahiti, the largest of 118 islands
and atolls that make up French Poly-
nesia in the South Pacific? Its warm
seas, swaying palms, coral reefs, and
peerless powder-fine beaches are the
epitome of the desert-island idyll. Life
is relaxed, the people gentle and wel-
coming in a way that makes it difcult
to leave.
The sun sets on another perfect day on
Tahiti in the South Pacific.
44
lofoten islands
NORTHERN NORWAY
The Lofoten Islands lie above the
Arctic Circle and form an icy jewel in
Norway’s spectacular glacier-carved
coastal crown. Simple waterfront vil-
lages—between which you can hike or
cycle on dedicated tracks—sit on the
edge of deep fjords, framed by clifs
that teem with millions of seabirds
and steep-sided mountains coveted
by hikers and skiers.Tiny Reine, on Moskenes Island, is a
typical Lofoten fishing settlement.46
kaikoura
CANTERBURY,
NEW ZEALAND
Kaikoura takes its name from the
indigenous Maori words kai (food)
and koura (crayfish), hinting at the
richness of its seas, which attracts a
wealth of marine wildlife and is com-
plemented on shore by the coastal
allure of clifs, craggy headlands,
and the snow-dusted peaks of the
Kai koura Ranges.Clifs frame Kaikoura on the east coast
of New Zealand’s South Island.«
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