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 |
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