Meet your guide for an informative drive towards the south of Raiatea past the small village of Avera, where you will discover the world of pearl farming, Visit a little local producer and appreciate the process of one of the main resources of French Polynesia, and a little shopping may be done here (cash only!) Continue past the Faaroa River to reach the district of OPOA where you will see the unique UNESCO World Heritage Marae Taputapuātea. This site is at the center of the “Polynesian Triangle,” a vast portion of the Pacific Ocean, dotted with islands, and the last part of the globe to be settled by humans. At the heart of the property is the Taputapuātea Marae complex, a political, ceremonial and funerary center. Widespread in Polynesia, the marae were places where the world of the living intersected the world of the ancestors and the gods.  As the ancestral homeland of Polynesian culture, Taputapuātea is of outstanding significance for people throughout the whole of Polynesia, for the way it symbolizes their origins, connects them with ancestors and as an expression of their spirituality. Your visit here will include a tour around the main platform and will allow you to learn a bit more about this exceptional testimony to 1,000 years of mā'ohi civilization. Before heading back to the pier, you will visit a local home, to have more insight on daily living in Polynesia, and view some home-grown vanilla plants.