Category Archives: Society Islands

Including Bora Bora, Tahiti, Moorea, Huahine, Ralatea Tahaa

Marae Stone Temples in Maeve

Huahine: The Authentic Polynesian Island

Leave a reply

A deep crystal-clear lagoon surrounds the two islands that comprise Huahine.  On shore you will find lush forests, untamed landscape, and eight quaint villages.  Green vibrant mountains are met by white sandy beaches at each of the numerous bays.  The interior offers a variety of cultivated fields including watermelon, vanilla, bananas, and cucumbers.  Huahine offers the true authentic Polynesia experience. Huahine is pronounced “way-a-hee-knee.”

There are four villages or districts on the big island of Huahine Nui and four on the small island of Huahine Iti.  Most of the inhabitants live a rural life growing melons and seasonal fruits.  The first evidence of colonization appears to be 850 AD.  The original name of the island was “Matairea” or “Happy Wind” and nobody seems to know what the name was changed.  Huahine is translates to “Hua” means “sex” and “hine” means “woman” in Tahitian.  This island pays homage to women as one of the mountains looks like a pregnant woman laying on her side.

Formation of Huahine

Thee distinct volcanic eruptions formed Huahine.  However, there are two legends that dispute this finding. The first powerful legend asserts that the god Hiro cut the island in half with his canoe.  Whereas the second prevailing legend states that Mt. Moua Puta (on Mo’orea) was pierced by spears during a contest among gods.  The pieces of the mountain then sailed 100 miles where it split Huahine in two.

Huahine Nui and Huahine Iti

Huahine Nui and Huahine Iti

There is a certain aurora on the island that exudes mystery and intrigue.  It is exceptionally beautiful and green, even on a hazy, stormy day.  We hunkered down a lot because we are still immersed in the “maramu.”  However, we did rent a car to drive around the island.  We preferred to rent bikes or scooters but the weather was such that those modes of transport would be no fun.  Our first stop was the town of Maeva to see the archaeological ruins called “marae”.

Stone Temple Mecca

The famous archaeological sites near the village of Maeva include the largest concentration of pre-European marae (stone temples) in Polynesia.  There are more than 200 archeological stone structures that have survived for centuries.  They include marae of island chieftains, dwellings, horticultural developments, and religious and ceremonial monuments.

Fare Pote’e

In the center of the village is the “Fare Pote’e” which means “oval house”.  The chief lived here and held community meetings.  Fare Pote’e was originally built in the town of Fare.  But when the missionaries came they destroyed it.  The locals rebuilt it in the neighboring village of Maeve in 1972.  They had to rebuild the Fare Pote’e in 1996 after a cyclone destroyed it.  The roof is reconstructed every eight years using local trees.   It takes the town a month to rebuild the roof each time.  The floors are woven into an intricate pattern out of bamboo that is soft on your feet.

Fare Pote'e and Marae in Huahine

Fare Pote’e and Marae in Huahine

As you can tell from the photos, we have had a lot of rain and wind from the maramu. I am sure this is stunningly beautiful on a normal Polynesian day.  There were lots of “marae” surrounding the Fare Pote’e but we could not access them due to the surrounding water (that is not normally there).

Marae flooded due to Maramu

Marae flooded due to Maramu

Stay tuned for more adventures on Huahine as we feed the sacred eels, brave the maramu destruction and visit a distillery. H

Huahine - Fare Bay

Huahine Hide Out

Leave a reply

We saw a weather window that would allow us to travel the short distance from Moorea to Huahine.  Unfortunately, it had to be a night sail so that we could ensure a daylight arrival to clear the pass.  There are a few well-protected bays on this island that will allow us to hide from the maramu (A “maramu” is strong southerly winds in the south Pacific that occur in the winter).

So, after our wonderful SafarI Mario tour, we prepared the boat for an overnight sail.  We had considered fueling up in Moorea, but the dock was small, the weather was not perfect, and frankly we didn’t “need” to fuel.  Skip that for now and wait until we get to Raitea.

It was not a particularly bad sail, but it was not a good one either.  We anticipated bad weather and high winds with the Maramu, but in actuality we saw on average low to moderate winds.  There was a period of 3-4 hours with high winds at 25 knots, but for the most part we saw 10-15 knots which kept our boat average down to 5.1 knots.

We had following seas which pushed us along but made for a weird rocking of the boat.  It was if Mother Nature was taunting “you can run, but you can’t hide.”  I was not feeling great and was happy to let Matt take the brunt of the shift.  We arrived with plenty of day light and with two boats on our tail.  Kata and Krabta followed us from Moorea but were about 4-5 miles behind us the entire time.

Passage Details

  • Departed Moorea to Huahine on Sunday 30 June at 1600
  • Arrived Huahine Monday, 1 July at 0930
  • Miles Traveled 85.3nm
  • Max speed 12.8kt
  • Average speed 5.1kt
  • Leaving in the lull of the maramu had us over prepared.  We only flew the jib and kept one engine on at idle.  At one point in the night we saw 25kts of wind and with the following seas it gave us a max speed at 12.8.

It was blowing stink as we pulled into one of the many passes.  Once inside, we had a choice of turning right and anchoring in a relatively empty bay with just a few other boats or anchoring in front of Fare, the main village.  We decided to anchor near the main village for a few days, then move to a quieter more remote location.

Once we were comfortable with our anchorage we went to shore to explore.   We were all surprised by how geared the island was toward tourists.  There were several areas outfitted with small vendor booths selling touristy items (shirts, shells, jams, pearls, etc…).  We decided to grab a bite to eat at the Huahine Yacht Club.  We didn’t linger as we wanted to return to the boat and hide from the storm.

Vendor area on Huahine

Vendor area on Huahine

Safari Mario Tour of Moorea

Leave a reply

Tour time!  We found an outfit called “Safari Mario” who would take us by 4×4 to the pineapple plantations, Belvedere Mountain, Magic Mountain, and a vanilla farm where we have food samplings.

Our tour guide, Ron spoke English, Dutch and German.  He was exceedingly happy and very proud of his rock!  The first stop was the very same pineapple plantations that we had walked the day before.  But this time we got a little more history.

The first stop was “the Bounty” which is a flat surface where they shot parts of the 1983 movie “The Bounty.”  We had stopped here yesterday, but did not know any of the history.  The beautiful mountain in the background is called Moua Puta or Princess Hei Ata and she stands 800 meters.  You really have to use your imagination to see her silhouette.

The Bounty at Moorea

The Bounty at Moorea

We learned more about the pineapple farming (inserted into Moorea post) and also about bananas.  The banana tree will grow two flowers.  The female will turn into a bunch of bananas while the male flower will hang low.  The farmer must cut it once it droops as it will cause a reduction in the size of the bananas.  Plantains grow up toward the sky (lower right corner) while bananas grow down (lower left corner)

Pineapple Crop, Banana and Plantain Bloom

Pineapple Crop, Banana and Plantain Bloom

We crossed over two small running rivers in our 4×4 tour truck and up the Belvedere mountain.  From the top you can see both Cooks Bay and Opunohu Bay.

Two bays: Cooks Bay and O

Two bays: Cooks Bay and Opunohu Bay

Our 4×4 tour to Magic Mountain was bumpy and twisty.  The mountain got its name based on the famous theme park in California.  Known for its twists and turns  One family owns all of the property around Magic Mountain.  They have built a “road” to take visitors to the top and another road to take them down at a cost of $2 per person. Not bad when you consider all of the 4×4 trucks, hikers, and ATVs that go up on a daily basis.

Safari Mario Roads Less Traveled

Safari Mario Roads Less Traveled

We had spectacular views from the top, but unfortunately it was hazy so the colors don’t show up well on the photos.  The first photo is looking toward the Hilton where a large number of cruisers anchor.

View toward Hilton Hotel

View toward Hilton Hotel

The next photo is toward the Intercontinental where fewer boats anchor, but more day boats visit.

View toward Intercontinental Hotel

View toward Intercontinental Hotel

Breathtakingly beautiful views of the mountains and neighboring villages

On the way back to town, we passed by a sad, but majestic monument for Captain James Cook.  The British and French are known for their dislike of each other. So, the French are not taking care of the British monument.  It was surrounded by weeds and trailers.  But, the globe, hand carved in stone showed Capt. Cooks three voyages: 1768-1771, 1772-1775 and 1776-1778

Captain Cook Monument

Captain Cook Monument

Our last stop was the Tropical Gardens where we sampled fresh marmalade and vanilla.  All of the tables were adorned with floral arrangements.  They had a least a half dozen Christmas palm trees (middle left photo), a pretty pond and a vanilla farm.  The left lower image shows the vanilla bean and the lower right shows the vanilla flower.  At this farm, they have to pollinate each flower by hand.  One flower will produce one vanilla bean and it takes 9 months to transition from flower to bean.

Tropical Gardens

Tropical Gardens

The entire farm as littered with blooming flowers.  The flowering leaves on the top left incorporates the flower into the leaf. The alien flower top right just looks fabulous.

Tropical Gardens

Tropical Gardens

Overall, it was a spectacular tour.  Ron was very knowledgeable and passionate about Moorea.