Maupiti is a luscious, remote island located 27nm west of Bora Bora. We had always hoped to visit this lovely piece of paradise but were unable to make it happen until now.
Maupiti Island
We visited the Society Archipelago (where Maupiti is located) last year but did not have time to navigate to this distant island. An opportunity arose after we dropped off my family at the Bora Bora airport. This island has a challenging pass to enter and depart the lagoon. It is known to be difficult as you cannot enter when the winds are close to 20kts, or when there is a 2+ meter swell or if winds are coming from the south. The prevailing winds come from the south a lot.
Where the pink and red lines meet is the entrance of the pass. The green ships are other boats on AIS and the blue area is the channel from the pass to the village.
Mauipiti
This is a good photo of the island with all the motus around it. You can see the one pass at the bottom of the island/photo.
Mauipiti
Traveling to Maupiti
However, we picked a travel day with virtually no wind (2-5kts) coming from the east with less than a meter swell. We arrived promptly at 1130 and on the approach swallowed hard as we noticed the huge swell breaking on the reef. The photo below shows the reef and the small pass entrance and then the reef again.
From the photo below, you can clearly see the reef on either side of the small pass. It is a tricky one.
Pass from high view point
A few locals were fishing off the reef of the pass indicating just how calm it was when we entered.
Pass to enter the lagoon
Once we lined up the two markers and put the boat in the center of the pass we only encountered 1kt of outgoing current. It was smooth as silk! We hung a left and picked up a mooring just outside the pass and close to the manta ray cleaning station (more on this later).
Our friends on Hoodoo showed up an hour later and decided it would be a drinking day! It was great fun catching up with Yanell and Missy!
Hiking to the Top Mount Teurafaatiu
There are several towering mountain peaks that scream for our attention. We started out around 0930 and easily found what we thought was the start of the trail. We were using maps.me and gps coordinates from a previous cruiser. Locals had marked the trail with 3 lines: white, red, white. However, somewhere at the beginning of the hike we got on another trail marked with red, black, yellow. Hmmm…well it is still a trail so we continued on.
It was almost straight up the mountain, over rocks, under trees, and with the use of a few climbing ropes on the slippery parts. The boys forged ahead while Missy got stuck with me lagging behind (poor thing). But, we caught up to the boys maybe 7-8 minutes behind them.
Missy (Hoodoo) and I
The top offered spectacular views of the lagoon, pass, and outer motus. We also found several other trails that needed to be conquered.
The views are just amazing from the top.
Always wanting to mix it up, we traversed down the opposite side of the mountain and found the original white, red, white trail! This trail going down was very well marked. It is more exposed to the sun so it was also drier and easier going down. Interesting. Oh well, new sights and adventures.
- Miles Hiked: 5.1
- Steps: 13,221
- Flights Climbed: 90 floors
- Elevation: 1250
Bike Ride Around the Island
Missy and Yanell have fold up bikes so Matt and I rented bikes for 1,000xpf ($10) per day. The island is not very big, a total of 7 miles all the way around, but we did manage to go down every road, dead end, and dirt path. There Is one huge hill with a 21% incline and a 20% decline. I walked down part of the hill as the brakes on my biked slipped. However, the brave ones rode down the hill.
On the west side of the island we found a beautiful beach and park with the prettiest turquoise waters.
Palace by the Sea
On The way back, we stumbled across the Le Palais de la Mer (Palace of the Sea) which was incredibly beautiful. One man has been working on the Palace by the Sea for over 20 years. He offers tours for $20/pp which seems expensive but our friends said it was worth it. He provides entertainment, free hand weaved palm front hats, shell jewelry, and coconut champaign.
Photo taken and posted by Les Deux Peids Dehors.
Petroglyphes
We found a sign that read “Petroglyphes.” Superb! We turned down the road (in Haranae Valley) and followed the trail.
Fun Photos
Me enjoying being princess for a moment as Missy and Yanell pull Sweetie across some shallow waters.
Town markers around the island.
Sunset and sunrise photos in Maupiti are simply stunning.
One morning I captured the sunrise and the moon (see top photo)
History of Maupti
- Population: 1200
- Living on 4.2 square miles
- Technically an atoll with an island in the center (meaning it is an older island)
- Highest peak is 1250’
- Primary economy is noni production
- There are ancient Polynesian archaeological artifacts dating from at least AD 850.
- The island has had many names including Vaitu and Maurua.
- Maupiti created the stone called “penu” a utensil used to mash food.
Maupiti’s lagoon is well-known for being one of the most beautiful! The different shades of blue will astonish you. The coral reefs and sandbanks really bring out the shallow crystal-clear water in some places.
This post was written in August 2020. Our blog posts are usually 6 to 7 weeks behind are true adventures.
