Bora Bora: An island that greets you with flowers 

Blue waters, swaying green palm trees, dense forests, and clear blue skies—sounds like a dream? Sounds like Hawai? Well, you are close. This is not Hawai, but a scene from another famous island called Bora Bora.  Known for its lush, tropical foliage that encircles the island and the slopes of Mount Otemanu, the ocean vistas resemble an artist's palette of vivid blues and greens. 

Bora Bora is an island in the South Pacific region, northwest of Tahiti, in French Polynesia. Besides what you might have read on the Internet, many historical facts contribute to the glory of Bora Bora. Let us explore them. 

A 4-million-year-old volcanic island  
Bora Bora is the first of the Society Islands to be created by volcanic eruptions which took place about seven million years ago. It was formed four to five million years before places like Tahiti or Raiatea. Bora Bora is an extinct volcano encircled by a lagoon and a fringing reef. The crater of an extinct volcano that erupted millions of years ago is all that is left in Bora Bora.  

Bora Bora island is discovered 
In 1768, conflicts began among the European nations to claim control over the oceans. Despite voyages for decades, the South Seas remained undiscovered.  The British government and the Royal Navy planned a covert strategy to be the first to claim new land. So, they sent a naval officer on a scientific expedition for the mythical Southern Continent. James Cook, a Navy captain with experience in cartography and other sciences, was selected for this conquest. Captain Cook’s voyage was a secret mission from British Government. Their motive was to discover, claim and capture the “Great Southern Continent”, an unknown land positioned at bottom of the globe. 

The expedition left Plymouth Dockyard in August 1768 with 100 crewmen and travelled across the Atlantic, Cape Horn, and finally, arrived at Tahiti. Captain James Cook first saw the island in 1769 and anchored there in December of the same year. This is how Bora Bora was discovered! 

Bora Bora means 'Pora Pora'  
The history of the name Bora Bora is shrouded in mystery. According to ancient legends, this piece of land was the first to emerge from the sea, hence the name "Pora Pora I te fanau tahi," meaning ‘Pora Pora the firstborn’. Before the arrival of the Europeans, the island was also known as Motu Tapu Ora or Mai Te Pora, which means ‘emerged from the darkness’ or, more precisely, ‘created by the gods’. Pora or Popora eventually evolved into Pora Pora and then Bora Bora.  

Language of flowers 
At Bora Bora, you may view verdant valleys and slopes covered in stunning Tahiti flowers. Flowers are used as greetings in Tahiti. The Tahitians welcome you with flowers by saying ‘Maeva’ meaning welcome. The way of wearing a flower gives a hidden message. 

A flower worn behind the ear might mean different things.  

• Wearing a floret behind your left ear signifies that you are engaged or married. 
• Wearing it behind your right ear indicates that you are single. 
• You are married yet still available if you wear something behind both ears. 
• Tucked backward behind your ear means you are available at this very second