Île aux Récifs Rangiroa

South of the atoll, an hour by boat from Avatoru, Île aux Récifs is an area dotted with raised feo (coral outcrops), weathered shapes chiselled by erosion into petrified silhouettes on the exterior reef. They stretch for several hundred metres, with basins and channels that make superb natural swimming pools. There’s a good hoa (shallow channel) for swimming and a picturesque coconut grove by the beach. You'll need to take a boat tour from Avatoru to get to Île aux Récifs.