Polynesian paradise from the height of a kite

Incredible beauty - paradisiacal landscapes from an unusual viewpoint. What do we get as a result? One of the best collections of photographs, which belongs in the Atlas of Wonders, because excellent panoramas open from a height.

These photos were taken using a remote-controlled camera attached to a kite. The author of these pictures, Pierre Lesage, a photographer and lover of wind and kites, decided to capture the beauty of French Polyneisia and Easter Island.

(21 photos in total)

1. Polynesia – about a thousand islands in the vast Pacific Ocean.

2. Welcome to Fakarawa, the Tuamotu Archipelago.

3. Fakarava is one of the largest atolls in French Polynesia. This is a narrow strip of land with a length of 59 km and a width of 20 km, which covers a lagoon of 1121 sq.km.

4. 450 km northeast of Tahiti is the town of Rotoaya, where only 855 people live. The rest of the atoll is deserted, with white sandy beaches and a crystal clear lagoon.

5. If you dive near this atoll, which by the way is included in the UNESCO list, you can meet stingrays, hammerhead sharks, dolphins and turtles, not to mention the beautiful colorful corals.

6. It is one of two natural passages that connect the inner lagoon with the Pacific Ocean.

7. A kite can provide photos taken at a height much lower than from an airplane.

8. First, the kite is launched without a camera so that it stabilizes at an altitude above the turbulence level. Then the camera is attached to the snake's rope. A sudden change in the weather over the ocean can lead to an unplanned underwater shooting.

9. Tetiaroa is a chic atoll located 53 km north of Tahiti. It used to belong to the royal family, and only its members were allowed access here. Then they gave the atoll to the only dentist in Tahiti. Later, Marlon Brando bought the atoll from the descendants of this dentist. Now it is planned to build the most luxurious eco-hotel on the planet here.

10. Now we have arrived at a mysterious reef in Bora Bora, in the Society Islands group.

11. The islands of the South Seas are a favorite place of artists. Paul Gauguin in the late 19th century and Matisse in the 1920s were inspired by the dizzying colors of local lagoons and coral reefs.

12. Thirty years ago, a hotel built the first bungalows here, standing above the water on stilts.

13. The resort is a dream. Bora Bora is a very expensive pleasure. Here everything – from food to any kind of leisure - is described as "expensive" or "indescribably expensive".

14. Tahiti is the largest island of this overseas country. It is located right in the middle of a huge Polynesian triangle with sides in the form of Hawaii, New Zealand and Easter Island.

15. Moorea is the cheapest island in French Polynesia. It is similar to Tahiti, only smaller, cheaper and not so flooded with tourists.

16. This circle is a net used in traditional fishing organized on the island of Tahaa.

17. How does it work? A large number of boats in the lagoon pull a huge net that surrounds the fish. At the same time, stones tied to ropes are thrown into the water. They create the effect of a funnel through which the fish passes into the channel and straight into the trap on the beach.

18. This photo shows the rope of a kite attached to a boat on the Leeward Islands.

19. And this is one of the most unique and unusual places in the world – Easter Island.

20. These photos can help archaeologists see shapes that can only be seen from a certain height. in this picture you can see the untouched altars of the inverted moai.

21. Dawn in Tongariki.