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Huahine Travel Guide
Tahiti Islands
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huahine pictures map
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Huahine Island, 170km north west of Papeete, is the most traditional of the Society Islands with a large Polynesian population numbering about 5,500. Life here is truly laid back with only a couple of small beach resorts and gentle mountains, villages and over 50 excavated marae sites to explore. However, with few beaches to boast of, tourism here remains undeveloped.
The main attraction of Huahine is the delightful seaside town of Fare. The town exudes French charm with small patisserie, quaint restaurants and locals playing petanque on the foreshore. A small beach extends north of Fare Town and the harbour wall here makes a good afternoon stroll. The deep harbour has splendid views of the surrounding mountains and locals can usually be seen training for outrigger canoe racing which is a major sport here. The harbour has two passes which offer excellent surfing with both lefts and rights and can be viewed from the restaurant at Chez Guynette, one of several budget accommodations in town. The surrounding forests can be explored by horseback from the premier riding stable in Tahiti, Le Petit Ferme. Nearby, and set slightly inland from town, is the quiet Pension Vanille which offers a family-run bungalows and swimming pool.
North of Fare is one of the most interesting and rich archaeological areas in the South Pacific. Huahine was once a fiercely independent state and the high chiefs from the island each had a stone temple dedicated to its family. The stone marae can still be seen today scattered along the southern shoreline of Lake Fauna which incorporates most of the north coast, and ancient fish traps can be seen within the lake. There's a large reconstructed traditional house at one of the more impressive marae which acts as a museum for the local artefacts. There's a pleasant beach alongside Huahine airport which is wedged between the lake and the north coast - for those wishing to explore this area you can stay at the quiet Fare Maeva, a small family run guesthouse on the beach front.
South of Fare in one of several large coastal areas with no road access is the delightful beach setting of the up-market Te Tiare Beach Resort. Set along a mountainous coastline, access to the resort is by a 20-minute boat ride from Fare Town, Close to the resort are several excellent surfing breaks. Huahine is split into two halves, with the connecting land bridge a little south of Te Tiare. Like Huahine Nui, the larger northern half, Huahine Iti to the south is mountainous and mostly inaccessible except for a coastal road that meanders around its rocky coastline indented by deep bays. At the southern tip of the island is a small beach area with a couple of small hotels including Hotel Mahana which offers standard A frame bungalows alongside a pleasant swimming beach and Relais Maurii which offers delightful hand crafted wooden bungalows but has a tiny beach that disappears at high tide. The lagoon here however has a sandy bottom making it good for swimming and water sports including kite surfing, sailing and wind surfing.
search for ... Huahine Resorts
find ... Tahiti Tour Companies
continue to ... Raiatea & Tahaa
Readers may also be interested in the following destinations:
Cook Islands Travel Guide
Fiji Travel Guide
Samoa Travel Guide
Tonga Travel Guide
Hawaii Travel Guide
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