Well, just to throw a little more into the mix to think about - we loved the location of Havaiki on Fakarava. It's a different experience than the south end of the atoll. It is only a kilometer or so from the village, but it was still very quiet and low key. We rode bikes from the pension north to the airport and then south to Maitai Dream. It was fun being near the village - we could ride the bikes or walk, check out the other pensions, go to the store, buy baguettes at the bakery, check out the docks when a boat came in - kind of get into the rhythm of island life. Pension Havaiki didn't have any activities (which was fine with us)except for the black pearl harvest the first day we were there. Most guests were divers and would leave on dives mornings and afternoons leaving the place deserted. There's only 5 bungalows, so not many people ever. Everything we had to eat was excellent. I see now that they only provide breakfasts and dinners and that a few "snacks" have popped up in the village where you can get lunch if you need it. Snorkeling was right off their beautiful white sand beach, 15 feet from our bungalow (umm - maybe 20 ft.).

Being at Havaiki would give you a different flavor of life on an atoll, but if you want to see several atolls on one trip you probably don't want to stay at 2 places on the same one in one trip. Too many atolls in one trip could make them all start feeling the same.

We flew from Rangioroa to Fakarava (with a stop in Tikehau) when we went to Fakarava, but that was in 2004 and the schedules could've changed many times between now and then.

Whatever you do in FP, you will enjoy it.