Come Learn The History Of Bora Bora

Come Learn the History of Bora Bora

With its sun kissed beaches, magnificent palm trees and brilliantly attired wildlife Bora Bora is one of the most beautiful locations in the world, and its beauty has made it a favorite vacation spot for tourists across the globe. But where did this beautiful island come from? Was it simply breathed into existence by the goddess Pele, or did Poseidon himself throw the island from the depths of his own kingdom to adorn the surface of the ocean? Bora Bora has enjoyed a long and varied history, and is proud to share that history with the many vacationers who come to visit their golden shores.

Scientists believe that Bora Bora originated around four million years ago as a result of the volcanic activity of the sea bed surrounding the island; as the volcanoes returned to the sea from whence they came they left behind the atolls which form the coastline. The island core is also volcanic, and is believed to be sinking back into the ocean at a rate of one centimeter per century; it is believed that the island will disappear altogether within the next 25 million years, a number that is inconceivable to us right now but is actually a very brief period of time when one considers the infinite nature of the universe.

The first inhabitants of the island are believed to have appeared in the ninth century, Polynesian explorers sailing through the Teavanui Pass. They named the island Vavau, meaning “first born”, in honor of the legend stating that Bora Bora was the first of the islands to appear from the sea. The precise date that the name was changed to Pora Pora, and later Bora Bora, is unclear; however, historians believe it to have been associated with the advent of its discovery by early European explorers.

The official “discovery” of the island was made by British Naval Captain James Cook, an explorer and cartographer who had charted many of the islands surrounding the European coastline prior to his death at the hands of the Hawaiian natives in 1779. Bora Bora became a protectorate of France under the watchful eye of Admiral Abel Aubert Dupetit Thouars, the French naval officer responsible for the annexation of much of French Polynesia.

During WWII Bora Bora was claimed by the United States military for use as a supply base, oil dept, airstrip and seaplane base following the attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941. The island was never actively involved in combat, however, as opposing forces did not find it necessary to protest U.S. occupation. The base closed on June 2, 1946; however, over the course of their occupation many members of the U.S. military so fell in love with the island that they chose to make it their permanent home, and some had to be removed forcibly after their families took offense at their refusal to return stateside.

The people of Bora Bora are able to claim a proud heritage, and anyone fortunate enough to be introduced to the island culture and hear its history will understand why the island of Bora Bora is, indeed, a paradise on earth.