Huahine POP 5741

Why Go? Sights ...... 99 Huahine is actually two islands. Huahine Nui (Big Huahi- Activities ...... 101 ne), to the north, is home to the bustling little village of Fare Tours ...... 104 and most of the main tourist and administrative facilities. Sleeping ...... 104 Rugged and isolated Huahine Iti (Little Huahine), to the south, off ers the islands’ best beaches, azure lagoons and a Eating & Drinking...... 107 serene, get-away-from-it-all atmosphere. Information ...... 108 Huahine is immaculately tropical and eff ortlessly Poly- Getting There & Away ... 108 nesian. Lush and scarcely developed, this is an island to visit Getting Around ...... 109 for extreme calm, communing with nature and a genuine taste of culture. You’ll fi nd one of the largest and best- maintained (traditional temple) complexes in the Best Places to country and a few empty beaches, but if you’re looking for a party, head elsewhere. It’s a fantastic choice for families Stay or honeymooners looking for quiet, romantic evenings. The » Maitai Lapita Village aim of the game on Huahine is to relax – but visitors who (p 104 ) move deeper into the island will fi nd opportunities for diving, » Au Motu Mahare (p 106 ) surfi ng, snorkelling and horse riding. » Rande’s Shack (p 105 ) » Fare Ie Fare (p 105 ) When to Go July through to September is the dry and sunny high season – Best Places to Eat perfect for outdoor activities, especially hiking. In July the » Chez Tara (p 108 ) Heiva cultural festival (see p 231) is a prime time to be on » New Te Marara (p107 ) the island for some spontaneous fun. May, June, October and November are good shoulder-season months for decent » Mauarii (p 108 ) weather. ’s biggest sporting event, Hawaiki Nui canoe race (p 230) , starts on Huahine in early November. Diving and surfi ng are popular year-round. 99 HUAHINE SIGHTS 4 km 2 miles Tefarerii La Cité de Corail to the air- ) (p 101 Mt Pohue Rahi (462m) ff Parea sh and sh fi Maeva 409m walk at walk Bay Maroe Maroe Tara Chez I t i ) (p 101 nding your own own your nding Mt fi Faie 0 0 Motu Bay Ovarei Avea H u a h i n e marae ὅὅ ὅὅ (p 104 ) for panoramic panoramic ) for 104 (p Hana Iti Beach (p 104 ) around Lake Lake ) around 104 (p Avapeihi (Fitii) Avapeihi Nui Lake Fauna (669m) Mt Turi (p 108 ) (p 108 (440m) Mt Tapu Mt Paeo

Haapu Bay Fare La Cité de Corail Cité La H u a h i n e N u i H u a h i n e ) (p 100 Bourayne (p 101 ) (p 101 Fitiii Horse riding Horse Diving in the Taking the uphill Taking and Hiring a dinghy Snorkelling over colourful colourful over Snorkelling Hiking at specialities Tahitian on Feasting Beach Hana Iti Pass Nui Fauna slice of paradise at paradise of slice Maeva coral at coral views over the island and lagoon the over views Chez Tara Chez About 2km north of Fare the main sealed About 2km north of Fare 2 3 4 5 6 7 Huahine Huahine Highlights 1 Avapeihi (Fitii) Pass from the sea. The land to the norththis is of Ovarei. known as Motu road runs along the inland side of Lake Fauna also possible to turn o It’s Nui. port the road on the ocean side of and take and then returnthe lake main part to the village. of the island by the bridge at Maeva ὄὄὄ ὄὄὄ ὄὄὄ ὄὄὄ ὄὄὄ ὄὄὄ ὄ ὄ LAKE (also

TOWN, BEACH TOWN, ers excellent sunset ff

northern outskirts of town rst arrived here in 1769, when here in 1769, rst arrived thousands of years before the of years thousands fi clockwise direction. clockwise nd a good stretch of coral sand quickly, providing some truly quickly, fi ff (Europeans) arrived: archaeological(Europeans) sh populations. sh on the fi Sights in time, so perfectly does it capture the Fare looks out over Haamene Bay, which Bay, looks out over Haamene Fare You’ll You’ll History has two passes to the sea: the northern passes to the sea: Ava- has two is the main entry point for inter- moa Pass Pass island shipping, while the Avapeihi to the south is a great diving site. (Fitii Pass) vistas. The lagoon here wide, super-clear drops o and amid stunning coral great snorkelling dense (follow the coastline from New Te Marara Marara Te (follow the coastline from New great for sunbathing and restaurant). It’s swimming, o and known as Lake Maeva) is in fact an inletknown as Lake Maeva) Lake Fauna Nui Fauna Lake Nui The shallow expanse of Lake Fauna beach A visit to tiny Fare almost feels like stepping almost feels like Fare A visit to tiny back image of a sleepy South Seas port. There’s ap- part of Fare’s not a lot to do, but that’s watersidepeal. Check out the colourful little market and the few boutiques, sign creative up for a dive or hire a ramshackle bicycle and just pedal around a bit. 1 Fare HUAHINE NUI The following 60km circuit of the larger and goes around the island starts in Fare island in a Europeans and company landed on Hua- landed company Cook and James the inhabited shores. Polynesians hine’s for island popaa reveal some the north to of Fare excavations in the traces of settlement of the earliest reception Despite a hostile SocietyIslands. inhabitants, Cook returnedfrom the native 1808 a In and 1777. in 1774 twice, to Huahine group of London Missionary Society (LMS) to escapeHuahine missionaries moved to They remained for the turmoil on . only a year but returned to further in 1818 in the region.the spread of Christianity royal family supported the Pomare Huahine and there in the struggle against the French, and 1846 between were a number of clashes rule was eventually ac- 1888, before French the Eng- kicked cepted. Although the French missionaries out, the island lish Protestant Protestant. remains predominantly