Heart-shaped Moorea is just 17 kilometres, or half an hour away from Papeete, the capital of French Polynesia. That's by the fast ferry Aramiti. It's just minutes by plane.

Many of its inhabitants are descendants of Polynesians who arrived over a thousand years ago and built ancient maraes (monuments) which still survive.

Tattoos, such as these, have symbolic meaning and can be very intricate. They are regarded as a sign of great beauty.

The Polynesian diet has always been rich in carbohydrate foods, and still is. Yams, taro, cassava are still vital in most family meals. Breadfruit is another favourite. This is a member of the mulberry family and grows on large trees (up to 26 metres tall) and is often baked in earth ovens. The name? Taste it freshly baked and you will discover that it looks and smells like fluffy white bread.

Devout members of the London Missionary Society arrived in these islands in 1820 and later founded a Protestant church in 1890. They were horrified by the semi-nakedness of the people, especially the women, and devised a garment that was 'modest' in their eyes. Even today, many women still wear high necked, long-sleeved garments, called 'mission dresses' which are trimmed with lace at the yoke and cuffs.

Throughout French Polynesia you will discover a large number of either Protestant or Catholic churches, at least one in every village and well-attended on Sundays. If you wish to attend, you will be welcomed, and it will be an event to remember, especially the singing. The close harmony and musicality of island people has to be heard to be believed.

You can drive around Moorea in an hour or so, but it is really worth stopping off at some of the smaller settlements and the various beaches. 

Watch out for this fellow. He marks the entrance to a restaurant and bar that serves Polynesian seafood lunches daily, and overlooks the lagoon and Painopo (Pineapple) Beach where people swim amongst stingrays. 

There are outdoor tables, and lunch featuring the local seafood is a special treat, although if time is short, make sure you at least enjoy an espresso coffee made with coconut milk (above).

We rented a car, but at one stop we came across this van with a group of tourists. There is also Le Truck, the same found throughout all these islands, a truck/bus with open windows, which is affordable and friendly.

The tropical climate means that everything grows at super-speed. On one trip we took a tour into the thickly forested interior, passing plantations of pineapple and other crops, ocasionally rising high enough for cameo views way across the island and the brilliant aquamarine of the lagoon.

Pinch yourself to make sure this is real which you find yourself in the postcard-perfect South Pacific paradise. It's no wonder that 19th-century French artist Paul Gauguin could not tear himself away. He is buried in the Marquesas Islands, far to the east, but still part of French Polynesia.

Polynesian legend describes the panorama of volcanic ridges as the second dorsal fin of the fish that became the island of Tahiti. These pinnacles later inspired the mythical Bali Hai that was based on James Michener's book, Tales of the South Pacific.

It's no surprise that explorers who flocked to the South Seas over the centuries were just as captivated by the scenery and the people as modern visitors. Charles Darwin, while standing on a peak on Tahiti in 1835, described Moorea as a "picture in a frame”.

Here our ship, Celebrity Solstice is moored in the three-kilometre long Opunohu Bay, one of the island's two major bays. 

While Moorea is often called the 'island of love' or even 'pineapple island' because of the sweetly delicious fruit it grows, the name really means something much more unromantic - yellow lizard.

Yet the views it serves up at every turn of the road still make it a honeymooner's destination.

Too soon it was time for us to leave this stunning island. For thousands of years its volcanic mountains have erupted and boiled, spewing lava and steam, shaping the landscape and enriching the soil. Now they are finally quiet, a dramatic backdrop to the bays.........

...and absolutely picture-perfect!

More details: Tahiti Tourism

Read more about French Polynesia and its food.