Huahine is actually two islands separated by a narrow strait (cut, as the legend goes, by the god Hiro’s canoe). On our first day we rode bikes around the north island, stopping at some of the many marae (sacred sites built for religious ceremonies) at Maeva Village along the shoreline of Lake Fauna Nui. Maeva served as the seat of royal power on Huahine and is home to over thirty restored and well preserved marae. We finished the day with a pitcher of Hinano at the yacht club as we watched the sunset over the anchorage.
After a few days on the north island, we made our way south through the lagoon to Avea Bay where we hunkered down for the strong Mara’amu that was beginning to blow. We spent a few days anchored in the lee of the headland, snorkeling in the lagoon, navigating the dinghy through cuts in the shallow reef to hang out on secluded beaches, checking out different marae, and enjoying sunset glasses of wine at the Relais Mahana resort on shore. We believe Elaine experienced a very ‘real’ sense of boat life in her time with us. The weather wasn’t picture perfect, but we made the most of it and really enjoyed our time spent together. We played cards, made specialty piña coladas with fresh fruits and herbs, and ate delicious, healthy food. When it came time for Elaine to catch her flight, we sailed back up to the town anchorage to have one last meal together at the yacht club and bid her farewell.
Kimber’s friend Sofi, who had sailed to Huahine from Chile a few years ago, gave us the contact for one of her friends on the island. We had to get in touch with El Rey, she said. El Rey (‘the King” in Spanish) was Tea, the steer-man for one of Huahine’s legendary outrigger teams, and we just happened to be anchored right in front of his house. Tea’s training partner Henere was visiting from Tahiti to prepare for some upcoming races, and they took us along with them back to the south coast to their mentor and coach’s house, Stefan. Stefan is the founder of the Ironmana, an ironman style triathlon in Bora Bora that includes swimming all the way around the island, and the Tahitian Waterman race series, which take place around the islands in the Societies and involve numerous water sports and incredibly challenging spontaneous races to push athletes to their limit, both physically and mentally. His home was a beautiful beachfront property with all of the structures maintaining an open-air construction with groomed white sand floors. He also had racks and rows of every kind of watercraft imaginable, including a small outrigger sailboat that they raced from island to island. For the next few weeks, we paddled outrigger canoes, prone boards and stand-up racing paddleboards. We hiked and ran up the mountains of Huahine. We cut coconuts and barbecued fresh fish that Henere speared in the pass. We were living like Tahitian watermen and we absolutely loved it! Most certainly we will sail back to Huahine and spend more time there in the near future.