Just a short hop due West from Bora Bora - about 28 nautical miles - is the island of Maupiti. This is, apart from one tiny island with a population of 20, the western most island of the Society Islands and French Polynesia as a whole. It is a small island, within the usual lagoon, and one that is not routinely visited by most cruisers. The reason for this is the pass - the entrance though the reef into the lagoon surrounding the island. On many islands the passes are wide, deep and there are often several of them, but for Maupiti none of these apply. It is narrow - about 200 ft wide at most, shallow - 25-30 ft deep, and it is the ONLY way into and out of the lagoon. On top of this it is situated on the southern most point, oriented South - North and therefore takes the brunt of the prevailing southerly swells, which can be 3m or more in height. And if all that wasn’t enough to concern you, then add in the fact that the current is almost always outflowing and can be up to 9 knots strong!
All of this makes the pass an intimidating prospect for even the most experienced sailor, and it can only be negotiated in favourable weather and sea conditions. Many boats have been known to sail from Bora Bora only to take one look at the seemingly continuous breaking waves at the pass and turn around and return to the relative tranquility of Bora Bora. And if you have good conditions and can safely enter the lagoon, there is no guarantee when you can leave as exiting the pass is as dangerous as entering.
So it was, we watched the weather and sea state predictions and picked our day to make the jump. I had the contact number for a couple who run a small pension on one of the motus (islets) at the pass, and was able to call them and ask their advice. As sailors themselves, they had a better idea than most, just by looking at the pass, whether it was a go or no-go. We were with two other boats, Serenity First and Two Drifters, who were following a similar route through the Society Islands as ourselves, and bearing in mind ‘safety in numbers’, we all left to arrive at the pass around the same time, at midday. This would leave enough time to return in daylight to Bora Bora if it all went pear-shaped. About an hour from Maupiti I called Camille, our contact, and he looked outside and gave us the thumbs up. There was a little wind, about 15 knots, but from the East which is a good direction, and the southerly swells were under the critical 2m high mark. Serenity First arrived before us and negotiated the pass without issue. Two Drifters followed and we were the last through. I have to say it didn’t look too bad from the ocean - the breaking waves on the reef either side of the entrance were small enough to leave a visible gap that we would sail through. Using both motors and a fair amount of power to counteract the outflowing current of around 4 knots, we slowly and safely stayed the fine line down the middle of the pass and were soon in safe waters inside the lagoon.
Once inside we followed the channel up to a beautiful anchorage on a shallow bank half a mile or so from the main town. The island itself is basically the tip of a mountain, and has steep slopes and sharp rocky features. It is possible to hike to the top of the mountain for a supposedly magnificent view, but our feet weren’t feeling it, and we sent the drone up instead to video the amazing vista. The few boats that were already here when we arrived were friendly and we were soon chatting with Philippe, a Frenchman on another catamaran, who was telling us about his trip to catch varo. The varo is a type of lobster or maybe shrimp, and is found on many islands in French Polynesia. These langoustine-like shellfish burrow deep into the sand and can attracted out by lowering a baitfish down the hole. They grab the fish and don’t let go so you can pull them out of the hole. Sounds easy, but the trick is finding their holes.. We thought we might like to try this but unfortunately we ran out of time to try it here - but don’t worry there are several other places. According to Philippe, the varo tasted delicious. We popped by his boat to see what they looked like, but arrived just after the lunch he had enjoyed where they were the star.
Being a small island with a small, relatively isolated population, there is not much to see or do here, except enjoy the incredible natural beauty of the island and lagoon. We did walk around the small town, and everyone to a man is incredibly friendly, proclaiming ‘Ia Orana’ at every encounter. This is the traditional Polynesian greeting and one we have now practiced extensively. There are a couple of tiny stores in town, selling mostly canned and preserved good, but very little fresh fruit and vegetables. Local fishermen sell their catches, and those with pamplemousse or breadfruit crops set up stalls on certain days. But a major draw for those brave enough to endure the pass, is the Manta Ray cleaning station at the south end of the lagoon. The cleaning station is no more than a collection of large coral heads in about 30ft of clear water where the canny Manta Rays arrive and allow the smaller reef fish to eat the parasites and dead skin from their bodies. The Mantas, which can reach 8-10 ft in wingspan, just float motionless above the coral while the little fish do their work. They even open their gaping rectangular mouths so the fish can enter and give them a mouthwash. They don’t have teeth, and eat mostly only plankton and algae, so the little fish are not really in danger of being fooled into becoming breakfast.
We relocated india to the south lagoon not far from the Mantas so we could establish exactly where the cleaning station was. The first time we dropped the dinghy anchor nearby and snorkelled to find them. They were easy to find, being so large and dark in the crystal clear water. It seems that they live inside the lagoon - it is possible some live outside in the ocean and come in the pass to clean - it is known they have large brains (the largest brain-body proportion of any fish) and have mapping capabilities, but we snorkelled the area at several different times of the day and there were always four or five rays there, and sometimes more. Snorkelling is a good way to watch them from above, but at 30ft down one doesn’t have much time to swim alongside them just free-diving. We saved our dive tanks just for this encounter, and finally when the conditions looked perfect - bright sun, clear water and not too much current, we donned our scuba gear and joined the Mantas. It was an epic experience swimming alongside these gentle giants of the sea. They seemed completely unperturbed by our presence, not really having any predators in their natural habitat. The only time they would dart away is when you might touch one, either accidentally or on purpose to feel their smooth skin. They all have vestigial ‘stingers’ like the stingray, but they are not used and not dangerous. And so we spent 30 minutes or so just swimming around, above, below and alongside these amazing creatures, taking GoPro video as we went. It was a simply amazing experience, never to be forgotten.
After a few days here, we felt completely relaxed, enjoying the slow pace, but all the time thinking about our exit strategy. We had heard of boats ‘stuck’ here for a month at a time waiting for the weather window to negotiate the pass to exit. As it happened, we found a small window where the seas had calmed to less than 2m swells, and the wind had dropped, and took the chance to leave while we could. Along with three other boats who all saw the same window, we weighed anchor and motored out of the pass into the heaving ocean outside. The day before I had taken the chance to send the drone on an automated mission to video coming into, and then going out of, the pass. I thought it would be fun and helpful to those thinking about coming here and not knowing what to expect. I have put the link to the video below, if you have the chance to watch the second part - the exit - you’ll see that I chose my moment to fly exactly when a large cargo ship was coming in - that happens only once a week, so my timing was perfect, or terrible, as you can see how close I flew to the incoming ship!
Once out of the pass, the conditions that made it suitable for exit, were also terrible for sailing, so we ended up motoring all the way back to Raiatea, about 50 miles away. It was a beautiful day so we just enjoyed the relaxed ride. Maupiti had proved to be more than worth the effort and anxiety it took to be there, and gave us one of those life moments we will never forget.
Maupiti Pass - entrance and exit
The reef on the right hand side of the pass
The church in Maupiti
Some aerial views...
This is most of the town..
Stunning rocky outcrop
Imposing...
Little india!
The beautiful rays
See Dara in the background!
An eye on each side of its head and a long wide mouth
Manta selfie...
The water was so clear we could see our anchor on the bottom through our escape hatch - 30 feet down!
Under the strangest of circumstances affecting the entire planet, David and I find ourselves exploring the ever popular and wildly remote Society Islands of French Polynesia and there is virtually no one here! Since the borders have been closed since mid-March due to Covid-19 and are not expected to officially open for international travel until July 15, we have the unique, perhaps once in a lifetime, opportunity to see some of these amazing motus, beaches, and atolls completely tourist free! Even now as we are currently moored in one of the most famous clear water lagoons in Bora Bora, there are only two small monohulls and one other catamaran exactly like ours in this immense aquatic playground. This is precisely why we chose to go north from Moorea to the more popular and well known Society Islands as soon as we were allowed. And this is exactly what we wanted to see; the serene beauty that lies beneath all the confusion of an epic tourist destination, and the once quiet and tranquil sands, rustling coconut palms and lapping waters that made these islands famous in the 1960s. Just this morning I spent an hour or so drifting with mask and fins, dingy in tow behind, meandering hand in hand with my husband while casually following rays around the enormous pool around us. A liquid journey so perfect and refreshing, sun light marbling the ocean floor, luxurious and languid motions barely moving at times. Incomparable visibility through so many shades and shadows of blue I never imagined could naturally exist. And I thought to myself that this is the happiest and most content I’ve been in a while. Completely relaxed, no effort needed, floating far far away from anything else demanding my attention, almost in a trance. I was so focused on the moment and warmth of being that if I ever attempt to meditate again, this is where I will let my mind go. This moment, this time, this place.
Taha'a Resort and Spa
Our private island for sunset!
The Coral Garden
Huahine is charming. The lagoon there lead us to stunning Avea Bay rich with royal blue water and roaring breakers throwing spumes of white foam across the shallows. After Tahiti, this was the most beautiful islandwe had seen until Taha’a, which then became the new favorite. After a couple of nights in near seclusion (only one other sailboat) on the eastern banks we ventured through Taha’a’s surrounding lagoon easily sailing with the Genoa. The channels were wide and well marked and offered terrific views of the main island, which is shaped like a hibiscus flower with deep rugged bays, as well as the low lying outer motus. Again, transparent waters in pastel hues and deeper colored channels, traversed by friendly fishermen and waving families on boats, dwellers of the outer-banks perhaps. Located behind a large tract of oyster beds, was our intended anchorage on the west side banks, Tau Tau Motu and the beautiful Taha’a Resort and Spa, temporarily closed.
It is also the location of the Coral Garden, the best shallow snorkel drift I have ever seen. The fact that it is in a ravine between two motus, Tau Tau and the much smaller Maharare, and so accessible to the resort, makes it even more impressive. The vast expanse of coral is thriving with animated marine life and marvelous sea creatures who are only vaguely concerned with their proximity to swimmers.
The coral is very healthy in vibrant colors with no real visible damage from the onslaught of swimmers that must occur daily under normal conditions. The current is swift in places and it takes great care not to bump into the coral or swipe it with fins even for those who are comfortable with their aquatic skills.
We have noticed many varieties of fish that are new to us in these Pacific reefs and have taken great pleasure in their identification! With all of the fantastic markings and bright designs, David remarked how sad it must be to be a plain brown fish on a reef like this! But those little fellows were amongst the most friendly.
Taha’a is known for it’s vanilla plantations. In fact, we had read that the island has vanilla essence in the air, so to speak. If that is so, we must have missed the harvest. It was a fun thought though, none the less. We did not visit a vanilla plantation but we did view vanilla plants grown at the Pari Pari Rum Distillery. Theo, the young man who gave us the tour, explained that both vanilla and sugar cane are grown almost exclusively on Taha’a with Tahiti and Moorea being the only other contenders in the Society Islands. Pari Pari produces some finer sipping rums as well as vanilla and passion fruit infusions. The samples we tried were delicious and we showed our appreciation for the very informative tour by purchasing some vanilla beans and a bottle of Rum Agricole which is our favorite for Ti Punch.
Vanilla Plant
German Engineering
Full Display including Theo.
Another lucrative industry in Taha’a is the cultivation of Black Pearls. We visited a waterfront company we passed in the lagoon called Love Pearl Farm where the lovely Belinda guided us through the laborious process. Black pearls are an organic gem formed in the black lipped oyster (Pinctada Margaritifera) found in the South Sea Ocean waters primarily around the Cook Islands and French Polynesia. The pearls are formed naturally when a grain of sand lodges in the bodies of these oysters, but in the case of cultivation a small bead is inserted by an expert grafter in addition to mantle tissue from a donor mollusk which influences the color of the developing pearl and the nacre, the strong resilient and iridescent coating. That is, of course, the simple explanation of a painstaking operation but the results are extraordinary and these gems are prized all over the world and sold in the Hong Kong Markets for a lot of money. The color of a black pearl is a myriad of deep purples and greens to roses and gold or the lightest of silvers. A single oyster will produce one or two and maybe three pearls in a lifetime and each harvest will take 12 to 18 months at a minimum. They are graded by their color, shape, nacre, and size and percentage of imperfections. Now that David has surprised me with the gift of a beautiful multicored black pearl bracelet of very good quality, I have developed an eye for them. I am delighted with the variation of tones as they catch the light and love the dazzling display of color. It is the best kind of souvenir from such an exotic place!
The Black Pearl
The sadness of leaving Taha’a was only alleviated by the glamour of our next destination, Bora Bora. Made famous by vacationing celebrities and expensive luxury hotels, I especially, wanted to see what all the fuss was about and I was anxious to see it before all the tourists returned. Since new regulations are now in place prohibiting any anchoring of visiting sailboats, I knew it would spoil the fun if we had to compete for moorings at every anchorage. There are only four mooring fields for approximately 100 boats in the surrounding lagoons and we are told that in high season, under normal conditions, once a mooring was obtained, a yacht would spend it's entire time at that location for fear of abandoning a spot and not finding another one available for the exchange. As it has not been a problem for us, we have enjoyed the luxury of changing fields at our convenience and have stayed a couple of nights in each one.
Our first night in Bora Bora
The well deserved Pina Coladas with fresh nutmeg and toasted coconut we like to make!
Waiting for weather windows for inter island travel can be a challenge in French Polynesia due to constantly changing winds and swells that are hard for the weather stations to accurately predict. We were sipping coffee the morning we almost decided to stay another day in Taha’a based on that day’s report of light winds when a big front of black clouds rolled in from the southeast. We had been watching for some time when the wind suddenly freshened and we both sprang into action in mutual agreement to ride the squall line to Bora Bora! By the time we were motoring to the pass the gusts were up to 26 KTS with big chop in the lagoon! It was a rodeo ride to exit the narrows until we were well clear of the breaks and a brisk sail from then on with only the Genoa at 8 KTS of speed! We hadn’t unzipped the main from it's cover for release and had no intention of turning into the rough weather to raise it anyway! We covered the distance between the islands in an hour and a half and did a seamless sail change to the Code Zero as we rounded the southern point and headed north losing no ground and none of our speed as the winds calmed. Whew! What a sail that was!
Our Second Mooring Field near the Bora Bora Yacht Club
The Bloody Mary Mooring Field
The letter "B" doesn't exist in Tahitian, so Bora Bora is actually Pora Pora which means First Born. It was a culture of indomitable warriors who raided the nearby islands of Maupiti, Taha'a, and Raiatea until discovered by Roggeveen in 1722 and visited by captain James Cook in 1777. In 1945, the Americans set up a refueling station to serve the shipping lanes to Australia and New Zealand and there are still naval guns on strategic bluffs overlooking the entrance to the lagoons. If the stories are true, there are still a few offspring from the military who spent many years here as well!
The infamous Bloody Mary's Bar and Restaurant
Exclusive Overwater Bungalows
Our last mooring area and favorite place of all!
Sundowners in the shallows
David and I really enjoyed our week in Bora Bora. It was quiet, unhurried and relaxing and not at all what we expected it to be. It will be our version only in our memories forever more, which is as romantic as any honeymoon photos the paparazzi could capture of any celebrities vacationing here because we had it all to ourselves! And we were lucky enough to enjoy many meals out here, at the Yacht Club, Bloody Mary's and the local Matira Snack as they were celebrating their 'ouvertures'! What an incredible experience and opportunity to play here in paradise this way!
Serendipity - our timing may not have been better.Having been in Papeete, Tahiti, for only a few days, the government announced some lightening of the lockdown in place there.It meant we could do everything on land almost as normal, and with the second announcement two weeks into our stay, we could also sail to other islands within the same archipelago - meaning only Moorea in our case - the other large island 15 miles from Tahiti forming the windward Society Islands.
So within a couple of days we prepared to make the short sail out of Papeete harbour to the inviting Moorea which had been the backdrop to most of the sunsets we had enjoyed whilst here.Fifteen nautical miles and three hours later we were cruising along the North coast of the island looking for a suitable anchorage. Many boats had spent their lockdown period here, so it was by no means empty, but not so busy that we weren’t able to easily find a nice anchorage in Oponohu bay.The bay was like a deep fjord cutting into the island with huge soaring peaks all around.It was so peaceful as we were the only boat here apart from a couple of small local yachts.We spent a few days there, later moving to an anchorage outside the small village of Papeto’ai where we were able to mail a letter, and shop for some groceries. Whilst we were there, we finally heard the news about total deconfinement of French Polynesia - which meant we were free to cruise wherever we wanted!
Having been given the green light to cruise between all the islands, we thought about a plan to cover as much of what we wanted to see as possible, whilst positioning ourselves for what comes next. This is almost impossible, of course, as we have no idea which, if any, island nations to the west would open their borders before our time to leave - which is currently the end of July.We are hoping for a visa extension, but that is not guaranteed, which would allow us more time to explore French Polynesia and maybe sail to Hawaii at the end of the hurricane season.Lots of ‘ifs’ and uncertainties, so we are more or less taking each day as it comes.
Since we were in the Society Islands, we decided to explore this archipelago first.Our first planned stop from Moorea would be the island of Huahine - in the Isles Sous Le Vent (Leewards).The island lies about 90 nautical miles north west of Moorea - just far enough that a night sail would be needed to ensure we arrive during daylight.The weather had been blowy for a few days although we had been well sheltered in our bay, and we left Moorea late one afternoon to find big swells from the north and healthy 15-20 knot winds.Under these conditions we made good progress at around 8 knots of speed and actually found ourselves approaching Huahine about an hour before dawn.All the islands in French Polynesia have reefs surrounding them and in some cases navigation charts are not always accurate or up to date, so it is essential when approaching to have visibility in daylight so there are no surprises - see the photo of the Tanda Malaika below.We took a more circuitous route north of the island to await sunrise, and as soon as there was enough light we entered the pass into the lagoon and anchored outside the main town of Fare. There were three other boats here, but it seemed they had spent their lockdown here, so we might well have been the first boat to arrive in many weeks. In the afternoon we went ashore, but as it was Sunday, there was almost nobody about, except a Roulotte (food truck) selling crepes. Doing our part to stimulate the local economy we sat and ordered crepes - sweet for Dara and savoury for me - and chatted to the owner, Thierry.It seemed we were indeed the first ‘tourists’ for some weeks.We are so glad to be able to tour and see these islands as they might have been decades ago before the large influx of tourists which is the ‘old’ normal…
The next day we returned to the town to shop for groceries, and found Isabelle Location - a car and scooter rental shop.Isabelle had a ‘covid special’ price on scooters, so we took one for four hours to tour the small island.Like many of the other islands, Huahine has a Nui and an Iti - large and small island - in this case joined by a small bridge.We had heard about the sacred blue eyed freshwater eels that live in a small stream on the other side of the island from Fare, so intrigued by the thought, we headed there first taking a clockwise route around the usual coast road.Before long, we found the spot where they were, and parked the scooter. After a while we realised they were hiding under a culvert and needed some coaxing by way of the canned tuna we had brought especially for them.Strange creatures indeed, those sacred eels.
Shortly after the eel spot, we crossed the bridge to Huahine Iti, and the heavens opened. We were about to experience one of the worst thunderstorms since leaving Panama, and we were out and about on a scooter in t-shirt and shorts.Well as they say, you can only get wet once, so we pressed on with the rain coming down harder and harder and the thunder crashing through the mountains. As luck would have it, just as we arrived back in Fare, the storm abated, but Isabelle was out fishing and nobody was about, so we took refuge in the Fare Yacht club restaurant where we could dry off while sipping a cold beer and enjoying a meal of poisson cru - the local version of ceviche - raw fish in coconut milk and lime juice with cucumbers.
Later, back at the boat, we decided to move to Avea bay the next day - a half moon bay on the south west of the island known for its beautiful waters.It was a gentle six mile motor through the lagoon to reach Avea and a great chance to see the peaks and valleys of Huahine from the sea.Avea bay turned out to be one of the most picturesque locations we had been to - with stunning clear waters, turquoise banks and coral.We were able to fly the drone and take some fantastic video and still shots of the india in the blue waters. We were anchored just off the beach in sight of the wreck of the catamaran Tanda Malaika on the shore. They made the mistake of trying to approach the island after dark and ran onto the reef, losing their boat and their home. All the hotels and restaurants around the bay are still closed since the lockdown, since there are no customers yet. It was so peaceful and the water so clear and beautiful it was was hard to leave, but with so many islands to visit and potentially so little time, we stayed only two days, preparing to sail next to Taha'a, the island north of Raiatea and a stone's throw from Bora Bora. After Taha'a we will go to Bora Bora, then to the most westerly of all the islands, Maupiti, then back to Raiatea and finally on to Moorea and Tahiti one last time before setting off to the Tuamotus. More incredible pictures to come!!
Moorea
Moorea with its soaring peaks
Oponuhu Bay in Moorea
Thierry in the Crepe Roulotte
Double chocolate crepe!
We found this Tiki in someone's garden as we wandered around Fare on a quiet Sunday
Decorated canoe
Marae- a scared worship site
Museum - under construction
'Here be sacred blue-eyed eels'
One of the aforementioned blue-eyed sacred eels
The Fare Yacht club to dry off and revive on poisson cru and beers
Looking across to Taha'a and Raiatea, and the storm that soaked us
Huahine Iti over-water huts
the Tanda Malaika - a catamaran that hit the reef outside Huahine in 2017 - a chilling reminder of how things can go wrong
