17 September 2024 – Raiatea to Huahine
Before I start today’s blog -I am looking for one crew from Tahiti to Tonga – who would need to be in Tahiti by the 30th of September 2024 latest. If anyone is interested please email me on hine.nick9@gmail.com or WhatsApp me on 0044 7931360372.
It was raining when we woke but quite calm. We had breakfast of banana pancakes (thanks Carolyn) and thought we were in for a wet day. We had decided to move on to Huahine some 23 nm to the East if us and expected a wet crossing. We put our jackets on and prepared the boat. We pulled up the dinghy on the davits and then upped anchor. There were more sailing races taking place as they were beginning as we left.
The wind was due to come from the Northeast and so I thought that if we motored up to the Passe at Tahaa we would have a better angle to sail to Huahine. We therefore motored the 5 nm in the grey but no rain and then exited the passe and put up the main and genoa sails. This action proved to be a good strategy as we were on a beam reach and were soon doing about 8-8.5 kts in about 12 kts of breeze.
The weather cheered up and jackets came off and the sun came out. It was glorious sailing with little swell and we were making good progress and in lovely conditions. There were a few other boats and I looked out for whales but no such luck. We continued like this for a couple of hours and then the wind began to change direction. In fact, it was coming from slightly North Northwest (forecast Northeast) for some reason but that also helped our angle. The wind started to weaken as well. However, with adjustments we continued to sail all the way but just a little slower. We covered the 23 nm in about 3 hours.
Huahine was covered in cloud but as we grew closer we could see its profile more which can be described as a pregnant women lying down. As we drew closer we could see some buildings and a number of yachts anchored inside the reef. We took the sails down and motored through quite a narrow passe. We could see the town on the left and the reef curved round and so we decided to go and find an anchoring spot behind some other boats. Once anchored we had some lunch and began to enjoy the beauty of this island. We were anchored with one of the main hills behind us with the reef on our left. It looked a lovely island.
Huahine, pronounced “Hoo-a-Hiney” had a former name of Matairea and is one of The Society Islands of French Polynesia. It is described by some as a magical and wild island, often regarded as the most beautiful and gentle of the Leeward Islands. The name Huahine literally means "woman's sex". It could probably be translated as "pregnant woman" since the profile of Mount Tavaiura makes one think of a pregnant woman lying down.
Human presence on Huahine dates back to at least a millennium ago, as evinced by the numerous Marae on the island. Archaeologists estimate that the ancient Tahitian Maʻohi people colonized Huahine from at least the 9th century AD. Huahine is home to one of the largest concentrations of Polynesian archaeological remains dated between 850 AD and 1100 AD.
Captain James Cook arrived in Fare Harbour (the main village which we are anchored near) on 16 July 1769, with Tupaia navigating HMS Endeavour. They met with leading chief Ori (Mato). Cook returned on 3 September 1773 and met with Ori's son Teriʻitaria, the new ariʻi rahi of the island.
Huahine measures 16 km (10 mi) in length, with a maximum width of 13 km (8 mi). It is made up of two main islands surrounded by a fringing coral reef with several islets, or motu. Huahine Nui (Big Huahine) lies to the north and Huahine Iti (Little Huahine) to the south. The total land area is 75 km2 (29 sq mi). The two islands are separated by a few hundred metres of water and joined by a sandspit at low tide. A small bridge was built to connect Huahine Nui and Huahine Iti. Its highest point is Turi, at 669 m elevation.
The island is covered with lush vegetation, much of which consists of coconut palms. There are also two important botanical gardens: the Ariiura Garden Paradise, which houses traditional Polynesian medicinal plants, and l'Eden Parc, where fruit trees from the rest of the world are cultivated.
The fauna is especially rich in fish and birds. The inhabitants of the island are engaged in activities such as agriculture and fishing. Agricultural products include vanilla and various types of melons. Thanks to the lush coconut forest, copra production is also a very important activity for the local economy. The population is about 6,200.
One of the famous attractions on Huahine is a bridge that crosses over a stream with 0.9-to-1.8 m (3-to-6 ft) long freshwater eels. These eels are deemed sacred by the locals, by local mythology. While viewing these slithering creatures, tourists can buy a can of mackerel and feed the eels. It is said to visit for extreme calm and do very little and relax. There is fantastic diving and snorkelling as you would expect. We feel good vibes about this island form when we arrived.
We got the dinghy down and headed ashore in lovely sunny weather. There was some cloud but we had expected rain all day so this was a bonus. The Huahine Yacht Club has a pontoon and we attached the dinghy here. The club had a nice terrace and various dinning areas. We walked through and into the small town which had the port area and a number of shops and snack bars etc. It had a good feel and we then found where we are going to pick up our car hire for tomorrow as we plan to explore the island.
We returned to the Yacht Club for a quick drink as the sun was lowering in the sky and then returned to Stormbird for a shower and to watch the sun go down.
Keith made a Spanish omelette which was good and just what we needed.
The picture of the day is the view from the Yacht Club with the locals in their Polynesian canoes.
Crewing Opportunity Year Two
In year two I will be going from New Zealand in early January 2025 across to Sydney and up the Eastern Australian Coast, Indonesia and then through Bali, Singapore and on to Thailand to end year two about the end of November 2025. I will need some more crew.
If there is any interest do email me at hine.nick9@gmail.com
The blog will continue as we move through French Polynesia and beyond. If you have any comments or suggestions about the blog do email me on hine.nick9@gmail.com