On June 26, 2020, the post of French Polynesia issued a series of 3 stamps with views of the islands of the archipelago.

The distant and mysterious French Polynesia has fascinated many generations of travelers. Numerous islands amaze with the beauty and variety of landscapes, which seem to have come off an advertising postcard. Turquoise lagoons and beaches with white or black volcanic sand, high mountains and rocky cliffs, lush tropical vegetation and crystal waterfalls. Each island is beautiful in its own way and on each of them you can find something interesting and unique.

The stamps in this issue are dedicated to three islands: Raivavae, Nuku Hiva and Bora Bora. The stamps perfectly convey the natural beauty of the islands: a canoe gliding along the turquoise waters off the coast of the small island of Raivavae in the Tubuai archipelago, blue lagoons and palm trees on the sandy beaches of Bora Bora - a real pearl of the Pacific Ocean, and a horse literally hovering over the coastal sand on the island of Nuku Hiva.

A photograph of Stéphane Mailion taken in 2018 during her stay in Nuku Hiva was used for the design of the 80 franc stamp.

Nuku Hiva, the second largest island in French Polynesia, belongs to the islands of the Marquesas archipelago. Like all Polynesian islands, it is formed by ancient extinct volcanoes, a vast plateau rises in the center of the island, impressive cliffs can be seen from the north, and magnificent bays and lagoons in the south. A large number of archaeological values ​​and ancient artifacts have been preserved on the island. Both modern culture and local crafts, such as wood carving and pottery, are interesting.

The best way to experience the pristine beauty of the island is by horseback riding. Sitting in the saddle, you can climb a steep dirt road to the tops of rocky cliffs, then descend into a valley thickly overgrown with tropical vegetation, and finish the walk with a quick race along the sandy beach in Anaho Bay under the light lapping of ocean waves. Not only the picturesque landscapes of the island deserve attention, but also the horses themselves.

The local Polynesian breed is known as the horse of the Marquesas Islands. There are two versions of the appearance of horses on the islands of the Marquesas archipelago. According to one of them, horses appeared here in 1595, when the first European navigator, the Spaniard Alvaro de Mendana, visited the island. The second, more popular version says that in 1842, the French admiral Abel Bergasse Dupetit-Thouars signed a protection agreement with Iotete, the leader of a local tribe on the island of Tahuata. As a gift, the admiral presented the leader with unprecedented animals - horses brought from Chile. Accustomed to the harsh conditions of the Andes mountains, the horses quickly adapted to more favorable local conditions. Since then, horses live freely in a semi-wild state, settling on many islands of the Marquesas archipelago. They can be found on Nuku Hiva, in dense forests on the island of Ua Pou, and the island of Ua Huka is even called the island of horses - more than 1,500 heads of wild horses live in the local valleys.

These horses are known for their strength and gentle nature. Locals use horses for riding and transporting goods off-road. Horse riding on the islands is also very popular with tourists.

In conclusion, I would like to say that few people know about these small horses, but many have seen them - after all, it was the Marquis horses that were depicted in their paintings by Paul Gauguin and Charles Alfred Le Moine.