Bora Bora, located about 160 miles northwest of Tahiti and approximately 2,600 miles south of Hawaii, was discovered in 1722.

The island's ancient name of Vava'u suggests the original inhabitants of this 7 million year old island arrived from Tonga, and interestingly, there is no "B," in the local Tahitian language, so its actual name is Pora Pora, meaning "first born."

Volcanic in origin, Bora Bora's rugged main island, and a few smaller islands, are completely surrounded by coral reefs.