Last Friday, Mark and I – together with our friends on SV
Pitufa – paused the usual chores and boat projects for a day (and yes, we even
left our computers alone
:-)),
to explore a little bit more of the island of Tahiti. In pairs, we hitchhiked
to PK 22 (pointe
kilométrique 22 – the numbers start counting from the capital Pape’ete
clockwise and counter clockwise around Tahiti Nui; the bigger round in the tilted
figure 8, which, together with Tahiti Iti makes up the island of Tahiti), where
the “Trois Cascades” are located. The four of us reunited near the “mile
marker” to follow the short road towards the waterfalls. Once at the site (no
fee), it was an easy stroll to each of the three tall cascades. We were the
only visitors to take in the serene setting. It was prohibited to swim in the
pools (“Beware of falling rocks!”) and the bugs were pretty persistent, so
after eating our dressed baguettes for lunch, we walked back to the main road.
On the seaside, a blowhole was trying to impress us, but since the ocean was
very mellow, we had to do with a soft gurgle and a puff of spray. A roaring
sound underneath the road announced every wave; a more interesting observation.
The sun was beating down on us relentlessly, while we waited
for another ride, partly back to where we started. A friendly Polynesian man
with a big enough car to fit four adults on the back seat stopped and brought
us to Point Venus (PK10). Along the way, he bought some fresh local fruit, new
to us. It was called
pomme d’ étoile
and its soft flesh had a nice, sweet flavor to it. Pointe Vénus is a small
outcrop of land with a lot of history. It is here that Captain Cook built an
observatory to record the transit of the planet Venus across the face of the
sun, in an attempt to calculate the distance between the sun and the earth. The
peninsula defines Matavai Bay, where the early European explorers used to
anchor. Now, it is a peaceful anchorage bordering a popular and quite
attractive black sand beach. A local student on holiday break stopped
immediately after we stuck our thumbs out, and dropped us off at the Tahiti
Yacht Club in Arue, where Irie and Pitufa are anchored.
On this beautiful and sunny day, we finally managed to see a
few interesting sights on French Polynesia’s most famous island, without
spending a dime. And, that was most welcome, since all our other recent
activities (like
our trip to the US, paying higher than expected mooring fees for Irie, ordering a new jib,
buying groceries, bringing boat parts back, paying broker fees to “temporarily import our new sail”, …)
have been breaking the bank!
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| Polynesian man rowing his outrigger (va'a) towards the sunset |
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| This massive tree in Arue developed roots to support its branches! |
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| Va'as (outrigger canoes) race towards Irie at anchor |
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| Sunset in the bay (Arue) |
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| Walking to the "trois cascades" with Birgit and Christian |
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| Waterfall 1 of the Faarumai falls |
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| Waterfall 2 of the Faarumai falls |
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| Number 3 of the Faarumai falls |
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| Fishing in a calm ocean |
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| Bay along Tahiti's north coast |
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| Arahoho blowhole along the north coast |
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| Va'as high and dry at point Venus |
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| Point Venus lighthouse |
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| Black sand beach (hot!) and Matavai Bay at Point Venus |
It was raining on the day after my cousin Griet and her
husband Wim arrived in Tahiti, but we rented a small car from Eco Car – across
from the airport in Faa’a – anyway. While my three companions stocked up on
fresh baguettes in the store, I effortlessly hitched a ride to the rental place
and picked up our 4-door Dasia Sandero. Under grey skies, we started our
anti-clockwise tour of Tahiti Nui, the biggest and northern “round” in the
figure eight making up the island of Tahiti. The bottom part - Tahiti Iti -
would have to wait for another time…
From Taina Marina in Punaauia, we drove south to the wet and
grey beach at PK18. The silhouette of Moorea loomed across the channel,
shrouded in clouds. Our raincoats were still needed at the impressive marae
(ceremonial platform) of Arahurahu, where panels informed tourists about its
history and tikis in three languages. Soon after this cultural and
archeological stop, the rain subsided. The four of us had a quick look at the lush
Mara’a caves before continuing along the south coast to the Vaipahi water
garden which consists of an extensive park with a beautiful layout of plants,
flowers and a pretty waterfall, and a set of hiking trails. Since we planned to
go all the way around Tahiti Nui in a day, there was no time for long walks, so
we enjoyed the sights in a relatively quick manner and without much exercise.
At Taravao, Tahiti’s second largest city, we turned
northwards and watched out for a picnic area, which we “stumbled across” near
Maha’ena. A few tables and an ocean side park were hidden behind a fence,
invisible from the road. Even from the parking lot, another fence prevented us
from walking onto the grass and towards the facilities. This country is proud
of their fenced in parks, without any – or with closed – gates! The chilly
breeze did not take away from an enjoyable outdoor lunch, but it did put doubts
in Wim and Griet’s minds about Tahiti being a tropical and hot island paradise!
At PK22 (kilometer post 22), a pleasant walk brought us to
the three waterfalls of Fa’auruma’i, also called the “trois cascades”. Mark and I visited these three beauties before
with friends and I think they are one of the highlights on Tahiti. Impressive and
with the appropriate sound of rushing water, they tumble down vertical mountain
cliffs. A little bit further west and across the street, the Arahoho blowhole only
produced a whispering gurgle. While I was awaiting a photogenic “puff”, camera
at hand, I joked to Mark that he should keep a lookout over the vast ocean,
where he might spot another kind of blowhole: the breathing spout of a whale. As
we were about to leave the site, he took my suggestion seriously and… saw a
humpback whale surface not far from shore. That encouraged us to scan the
horizon for a bit longer and to observe a few more “humps” and flukes (tales)
in the distance!
For me, the only new thing to do on our daytrip was the
track into Papeno’o valley, which started at PK18 (the “pointe kilométrique” began
counting down again from Taravao back to Pape’ete) and ran inland. Not knowing
how far into the valley we would be able to proceed with our little car, we
took our time avoiding potholes and enjoying the scenery. The green
surroundings sported high elevations, Tahiti’s biggest river and scattered
waterfalls. While we progressed at a snail’s pace – the many potholes on this
dirt road were unavoidable – the truck drivers (carrying groups of tourists)
returning to the main road smiled at us and gave us the thumbs up. The trip was
adventurous to say the least – we had to cross narrow bridges, streaming rivers
and “scary” areas with steep ascends and descends – before we were forced to
turn around about 16 km into the journey, because the road down another hill
was too steep and muddy; we were worried we would not be able to get back up
afterwards. And, we needed to head back to reach the main road before dark
anyway.
Our last stop was Point Venus, were the backdrop of the
black sand beach was gorgeous and the sunset over Moorea concluded a nice, but
tiring day. Dinner was had at the popular roulottes (food vans) in Pape’ete,
before we arrived back at Taina and Irie, exhausted but satisfied, and with the
knowledge of a favorable weather forecast for the coming days. Before we left
for Moorea, however, I had to return our car – with a broken fuel gauge –
spending much more money than expected on the already expensive gasoline. I
will just hope that Eco Car does not rent their vehicles out with this kind of
issue on purpose… 
