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Article: Bora Bora and Moorea Cling to Tropical Beauty Series: POLYNESIAN PRIMER
- Article from:
- Chicago Sun-Times
- Article date:
- December 6, 1992
- Author:
CopyrightCopyright 1992 Chicago Sun-Times. (Hide copyright information)
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Second of a series
VAITAPE, Bora Bora Helicopter pilot Dominique Torrens swooped low
over a peninsula jutting into a blue lagoon, pointing out what looked
like a toy cannon. The big gun, he said, was left by Americans who
had occupied this South Pacific island during World War II.
Bora Bora was a refueling stop for American military personnel
during the war, which never reached the island's shores. According
to one Frenchman who visits Bora Bora frequently, the Americans left
behind "a lot of little coconuts with blue eyes." They also left
behind an airstrip, used today by planes bringing tourists here.
The heavy-duty artillery I saw that sunny morning from Torrens'
helicopter without ...