Dazzled by a rainbow of colors, French artist Gaugin found endless inspiration in the South Pacific’s romantically remote islands – invitingly blue ocean, deliciously pink frangipani flowers, and precious black pearls darker than the dead of night.

Exotic scenes depicted in his paintings can still be seen on the 121 islands, favored for their pristine beaches and rich culture. Bask in star-studded luxury on Bora Bora, play with dolphins in Rangiroa’s Tiputa Pass, or have a Polynesian tattoo inked by a traditional artist in Tahiti’s capital Papeete. Further afield, the far-flung Marquesas Islands are the heartland of an ancient Polynesian belief system. Spiritually revived by a younger generation, temple ruins and tiki statues serve as a link to seafaring ancestors. Even today, life in the archipelago revolves around water. From the humpbacks greeting snorkellers in Moorea between mid-August and mid-October to the Olympics-worthy waves challenging surfers on Tahiti, this is a destination ruled by marine giants.