Tapa workshop
Tapa is the bark cloth of the ancestors. Learn how it is made and what its patterns say, then create your own piece to take home.
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Private Guide — Tamāhine nō Vavau
Bora Bora, told by one of its daughters.
Private cultural experiences: tapa, stars, legends and the ways of the ancestors.
- Private cultural guide
- Storytelling
- Mā’ohi ancestral wisdom
- Cultural experiences
The name
Tamāhinedaughter
nōof
Vavauthe ancient name of Bora Bora
Before it was called Bora Bora, the island was Vavau. Tamāhine nō Vavau, the daughter of Vavau, is a woman born of this island: of its lagoon, its families and its lineages. That is who will guide you.
Tamāhine: daughter, young woman. Vavau: ancient name of Bora Bora. Source: dictionary of the Académie tahitienne.
Your guide
Callie Moasen
Callie grew up on Bora Bora. Her father and grandfather were fishermen. As a child she preferred paddling and fishing to sitting in a classroom, and she raced her first Polynesian va’a championships at twelve.
She descends from the Tamatoa, Ruahe, Taerea and Tehahe lines, with family on Taha’a and Raiatea. Her grandmother was among the first on Bora Bora to open her home to travellers. Today Callie spearfishes, makes jewellery and passes on what her elders taught her.
“As soon as I am by the sea, I feel good. The sea is vital to me.”
- 12her age at her first Polynesian va’a championships
- 2012Miss Bora Bora, after Miss Va’a Polynésie in 2005
- 3generations of fishers: grandfather, father, Callie
Experiences
Five ways into Mā’ohi culture
Every experience is private: you, the people you travel with, and Callie. Pick one, or ask her to combine several.
Stars & traditional navigation
How Polynesian navigators crossed the Pacific without instruments, reading the stars, the swell and the wind. Best on a clear night.
Legends & storytelling
The legends of Vavau, told on the land where they took place: the gods, the heroes and the families of the island.
Our ancestors & their way of life
How the ancestors fished, planted, built and lived together, and what remains of it in everyday island life.
Cultural practices
Hands-on introductions to Polynesian cultural practices, chosen with you before the day.
Feti’a · the stars
Read the sky like a navigator
On a clear night over Bora Bora, Callie shows you the stars that marked the seasons and guided the canoes. Tap a star.
Matari’i
The Pleiades
When Matari’i shines on the horizon at dusk, around 20 November, Matari’i i ni’a begins: the season of abundance.
Around 20 May comes Matari’i i raro, the lean season. For the ancestors, these stars set the calendar.
Southern Cross
Four stars that point south
Follow its long arm toward the horizon and you face south. Navigators used it to hold their course at night.
Its true Tahitian name? Callie tells it under the sky.
Ta’urua
Venus, the morning star
Ta’urua horo po’ipo’i: the morning star, the last light before dawn.
In Tahitian, the same word, ta’urua, also means a celebration.
Tahitian names and seasons: dictionary of the Académie tahitienne.
Book a night under the stars
How it works
Three messages, one moment
Choose
One experience, or several put together.
Message Callie
On WhatsApp: your dates, how many you are, where you are staying.
Meet
Callie confirms the time, the meeting point and the price.
Hotel concierges & travel plannersWrite to Callie to check her availability for your guests.
Contact Callie
Questions
Before you write
Is it really private?
Yes. Callie guides only you and the people you come with. No shared groups.
Which languages does Callie speak?
English and French.
Where do the experiences take place?
On Bora Bora. The meeting point depends on the experience and is set with you when you book.
Can I combine several experiences?
Yes. Tell Callie what interests you and she will suggest how to put them together.
How do I book?
Send a WhatsApp message to +689 89 208 147 with your dates and the number of guests. Callie replies with the time, the meeting point and the price.
Ia ora na. Write to Callie.
Your dates, how many you are, where you are staying, and what draws you: tapa, stars or legends. She replies on WhatsApp.