Set your sights on the islands of Tahiti, where that lacquered blue-green backdrop forms an indelible aspect of the journey.

I can see the sun rising, rose and gold, just above the horizon from my stateroom balcony onboard Oceania Cruises’ Regatta. It’s like a window has been left open just a crack. I know the day will soon begin, but right now I am on my balcony enjoying the softest of breezes.

Drawing back the curtains to do the big reveal is one of my daily rituals on a cruise. It’s pre-dawn on day two of a 10-day Papeete to Papeete cruise and before long, the sky is impossibly blue and the water that precise shade of turquoise that the Islands of Tahiti are famed for. It’s the very definition of paradise. And while the translucent seas are what I’ve been dreaming of, it’s the contrast with the rich green mountains of Moorea that rise precipitously all around that I find most alluring.

It’s this palette that will become my focus today on a small-group Capture Moorea shore excursion with local photographer and Eyes of Moorea founder Reno Fayada. Reno visited the island of Moorea 24 years ago on holiday from Paris and has been here ever since. “Moorea means ‘Land of the Yellow Gecko’," says Reno, who has the local (and vocal) lizard tattooed on his calf. “I came here to change my life and get some sun and now I show people around paradise for a living," he smiles.

What to expect

Reno steers our snap-happy group to the most scenic spots around the island during the four-hour tour that includes tips on how to sharpen our photography skills. “The tours are a great way to see the island up close and learn a bit of geography and history along the way.

Hopefully you will take some great photos as souvenirs, too," he says. We stop to point and shoot at Saint Joseph Catholic Church, built in the 1800s, that has the scissor-sharp summit of Mt Rotui as its dramatic backdrop. We train our cameras on the serrated peaks of both Mt Rotui and Mt Tohivea from Belvedere Lookout and try and do justice to the pristine waters off the bays of Paopao and Opunohu.

We also venture to a vanilla plantation where local farmer Mama Vanilla’s warm smile is every bit as captivating as the scenery. All up, there are five archipelagos that make up the Islands of Tahiti: the Society Islands (which includes the Windward Islands such as Tahiti and the Leeward Islands such as Bora Bora), the Tuamotu Islands, the Gambier Islands, the Marquesas Islands and the Austral Islands.

Sights to see and things to do

The region has 121 geographically dispersed islands and atolls that necklace more than 2000 kilometres around the South Pacific. And you really do get a sense of the archipelago’s remoteness and natural beauty when circumnavigating on a cruise ship. The slide show changes as each day unfolds, but that predominant mix of blues and greens does not.

The greens that paint those monumental mountains are as vivid as the turquoise-tinted seas. If it’s a kaleidoscope you’re after, add flowers or fish. Or the pretty floral-patterned pareo (fabric for a wraparound skirt), which flutter in the breeze like prayer flags.

Snorkelling in Bora Bora

You will find pops of colour underwater when you don a mask and fins to snorkel in the lagoon in Bora Bora. I spend two hours drifting around the translucent waters here playing dodgem with schools of rainbow fish. It’s like being in an underwater arcade game. There are turtles breaking the surface for a gulp of air and black-tip sharks circling below.

Sunset tour with Moana Adventure Tours

A sunset tour with Moana Adventure Tours also captures Bora Bora’s best side. It pootles past deserted beaches and bays, beautiful blue lagoons and the jagged mountain peaks that dominate the landscape.

Rejuvenating massage at Aquamar Spa + Vitality Center

It also purrs past the Hilton’s Conrad Bora Bora Nui where the overwater villas stand knee-deep, like skinny-legged egrets, in the sea. Although there are 42 shore excursions to choose from, cruising in the South Pacific is also an opportunity to slow down and change tack.

Drift into a dream on a sea day. Lie sideways on a sun lounger. Enjoy a restorative massage at the Aquamar Spa + Vitality Center. Visit the theatre for lively shows, talks and entertainment. And take a tender to shore to chat with friendly locals and contribute to the local economy.

Where to eat

A cruise onboard Regatta also offers ample opportunity to learn firsthand why Oceania Cruises claims to have the Finest Cuisine at Sea. There’s the signature olive oil tasting in Italian restaurant Toscana. Afternoon Tea at Horizons. Poke bowls at Waves Grill. The opportunity to frock up for fine dining in the Grand Dining Room. And sample the freshest sashimi at the Terrace Café.

The last day of the itinerary sees Oceania Cruises’ Regatta sidle up to the wharf on the island of Raiatea, which allows easy access to the seaside village. After spending the morning on my balcony waiting for the township to wake up, I meander around the farmers’ market and then follow the seductive aroma of buttery croissants to La Raie’Gate.

It’s there I find chef and baker Max Garie rolling out dough for pizzas and stuffing pillowy pesto-filled brioche buns with ham, cheese, avocado, onion, lettuce and tomato. Max also proffers a plate of poisson cru, the ubiquitous national dish of raw fish marinated in coconut milk and lemon.

Tomorrow, the curtains will close on my last day onboard Regatta. And while I may no longer be rolling with the ocean, I still have a collection of indelible snapshots as souvenirs. Smiling locals, sun-drenched waterfalls, riotous bougainvillea, azure seas and those sometimes voluptuous, sometimes vertical mountains all around.

A traveller’s checklist

For more on Tahitian Legends, Oceania Cruises’ 10-day round-trip voyage from Papeete, Tahiti, visit Oceania Cruises.

Getting there

The fastest way to get from Australia to the Islands of Tahiti is to book a flight to Auckland with Air New Zealand or Qantas. Qantas has a codeshare agreement with Air Tahiti Nui for flights onward to Papeete.

Staying there

Flights arrive at Tahiti-Faa‘-a International Airport (PPT) at around 12.30am Tahiti time. Hotel Tahiti Nui is close to the airport and a convenient place to stay ahead of your cruise. Te Moana Tahiti Resort overlooks the ocean and is a great place to unwind ahead of your flight back home.