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It's easy to explore Huahine (75 square km [47 square mi]) by rental car, as there is really only one road, albeit with a few forks in it. When you cross the bridge into Huahine Iti you can go either left to Maroe or right to Parea. The road to Haapu leads off to a dead end.When crossing from Huahine Iti to Nui the same rule app
It's easy to explore Huahine (75 square km [47 square mi]) by rental car, as there is really only one road, albeit with a few forks in it. When you cross the bridge into Huahine Iti you can go either left to Maroe or right to Parea. The road to Haapu leads off to a dead
It's easy to explore Huahine (75 square km [47 square mi]) by rental car, as there is really only one road, albeit with
It's easy to explore Huahine (75 square km [47 square mi]) by rental car, as there is really only one road, albeit with a few forks in it. When you cross the bridge into Huahine Iti you can go either left to Maroe or right to Parea. The road to Haapu leads off to a dead end.
When crossing from Huahine Iti to Nui the same rule applies. Take the left fork to the "busy" town of Fare and the right fork to the "sacred eel" village of Faaie, via the Belvedere lookout.
Hiring your own boat allows you to circle the island and anchor at the motu; a couple of self-catering villas provide both a car and a boat. There are only one or two restaurants on Huahine Iti; you either eat at your pension, choose a pension with cooking facilities, or drive up to Fare for a wider, though still rather limited, choice.
AO Api New World. AO Api New World is located above the Tourism Bureau. It costs 15 CFP for one minute (and 10 CFP per minute if a whole hour is booked) —which is cheap for French Polynesia— and 1500 CFP for the whole day. The connection is quite fast, although the keyboard is French. 68–70–99.
This is both the name of the motu and a great surfing beach at the southern tip of Huahine Iti. It's about 2 km (1 mi) south of the hotel Relais Mahana. Slow down when you see a sign for the archeological site of Marae Anini. Follow the road to the marae and there's the beach. It's a fantastic place for photos—the black basalt of the marae against the azure blue lagoon. The sand is coral and rocky. The surf is good here and you may see a few surfers out towards the reef. It's a quiet spot, which you just may have to yourself.
If Fare is sleepy, then Faaie—on the east coast about 2 mi south of Maeva—is in a coma. It only wakes when a tour group or individuals stop to the see the blue-eye eels that live in the river. The eels' favorite dish is tinned mackerel and the constant feeding over the years has turned them into little pets—most tour operators include this on a round-island tour. Beyond the eels, there's a small church and corner store and once you go over the Belvedere hill towards the bridge, there's a town hall and primary school (both painted apricot).
This little town fits the stereotype of a sleepy South Seas port with market stalls lining the road, men fishing from the wharf at sunset, and a few shops and restaurants here and there. However, expect a bit of a traffic jam outside the Fare Super Nui, the island's only supermarket, and a big one at that. There are two parts to Fare: the busy quay or port, which is reached by turning off the main island road, and other businesses, such as the post office, bank, Europcar, pharmacy, restaurant, and Catholic church, which are strung out along the main road for half a mile or so. The quay is the place to watch brilliant sunsets over the distant isles of Tahaa and Bora Bora and pull up a stool to dine at the roulottes (food trucks) that open around 6 pm.
Just a few hundred yards north of Fare quay is a popular beach for locals and the few tourists who discover it. When driving along the main road (from the airport to Fare) turn off to the right near the Europcar rental agency and drive along an unpaved road for 100 yards. There's a stall selling drinks during the day, lots of yachts in the bay, kids playing, people snorkeling, and a distant view of Bora Bora.
If you've had your fill of pearl farms, this—the only one in Huahine—may change your mind. Both the farm and a separate pottery studio (owned by ex-Californian Peter Owen and his Tahitian-born wife Ghislaine) are located on an island in the middle of the lagoon and a boat will whisk you to one, then the other, from the town of Faaie. You'll learn about the long processes involved before a cultivated pearl is hatched, watch technicians at work, and browse the small boutique where you can check out the couple's pottery: Peter makes the vases and urns and his wife and son paint them with Polynesian designs.
The historic and cultural heart of Huahine is on the southeast shore of Lake Fauna Nui. Here you can stroll through an open museum of ancient marae or walk a mile-long trail on the hillside that's strewn with archeological sites. The town's other significant attraction is several old fish traps located in the eastern corner of the lake. Fish swim into these triangular structures at high tide and are trapped when the tide runs out. There's also a pleasant little church, a school and playgrounds; at 3 pm you may get caught behind the colorful school bus as it drops kids off at their homes along the main road.
Maeva is rich in archeological sites; there are the remains of a handful on the shore of Lake Fauna Nui along with a replica of a 19th-century fare pote (meeting house). Today the meeting house is used as a museum and cultural center, displaying ancient tools, woven cloth, and historical pictures. It's only open when cruise ships are in port. The 2.5-km (1.5-mi) Matairea-rahi trail is virtually littered with the remnants of ancient temples and islanders' home; some 20 or so can be seen on the trail. The Matairea-rahi Marae was the most important temple in the Society Islands before the building of Taputapuatea on the island of Raiatea, and was used for solemn ceremonies including human sacrifices. Signs, in English and French, can be found near the lakeside marae and the Fare Pote. They explain the meaning of temple design and the purpose of the replica wooden totem poles (some decorated with animals) that are wedged into the stone platforms on the lakeshore. The path leading to the hillside trail, however, is a little tricky to find. You will find the start of the trail a little farther along the road from the public bathroom.
Main Rd., Huahine, Leeward Islands, French Polynesia
Sight Details
Rate Includes: 200 CFP, 10–4, when cruise ships are in port
This marae is located at one of the best locations on the island—virtually on the tip of Parea. It functioned as the island's temple long before Europeans arrived. Sacrifices, including human ones (to Oro the god of war), are said to have taken place here.
Situated on the Maroe Bay, this village has a rotunda on the water's edge, a big billboard style map of the island, a buttercup-colored Protestant church with adjoining church hall, a little restaurant serving fish, and a few baguette sandwiches, and that's about it. It does, however, have a spectacular view over the wide bay where cruise ships dock. Passengers are brought ashore at Maroe at the rotunda site where they then board L'Truck buses for circle tours or meet their 4WD tour operators or rental car agents. If you look to the east you can't miss Te Moa o Hiro, the looming phallus-shaped rock. The restaurant, Rauheama, is a popular watering hole for ship passengers.
With its two sizeable lodgings, a white church, small tidy little houses in secluded lanes off the main road, a restaurant, a roadside snack bar, and the occasional small grocery store, this village—that stretches for a couple of mi with big gaps between most of the infrastructure—could be considered the epicenter of Huahine Iti. The island's best beach is here (at the southern tip) and the Anini Marae (also called the Parea Marae) is virtually standing on the shore. Across the lagoon is Motu Aara'ara.
This tiny village midway down the east coast has a buttercup-yellow church on one side of the road and a small graveyard on the other, which is backed by rain-forest covered hills. Across the lagoon is Motu Murimahora, a lush island where melon growing is the main activity.
This is truly a lovely beach and the inlet is dotted with a few boats at their moorings. It's a bit hard to find this beach, so ask directions at your hotel or the visitors' bureau in Fare.
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