Around Tahiti

Mara’s Grottos

I wake at 5:30am to a cacophony of crowing roosters.

The French are rubbing off on us. We head down to the store to buy our fresh baguette for breakfast. Our host drops by with eggs freshly laid by his chickens. Jiggy the family dog hangs around hoping for scraps but we’ve been warned not to feed her.

Tahiti is to French Polynesia’s Society Islands what Oahu is to the Hawaiian Islands: the gathering place. Therefore it is much busier with more traffic. Not as laid back as Moorea or Bora Bora. I see a lot of international businesses and chains such as McDonalds.

We head out to circle the island and our first stop is Mara’a Grotto. These grottos are filled with large ferns and an abundance of lush vegetation sheltering clear pools of water. Paul Gauguin came to these grottos to paint. Click here for a short video of one of the Grottos.

Taharuu Beach

Next stop Taharuu Beach. This beautiful black sand beach is very popular. We see a number of surfers waiting to catch a wave.

Water Gardens Vaipahi

The Water Gardens Vaipahi are only twelve minutes from Taharuu Beach. They are beautiful with so many different plants, shady areas, waterfalls, streams, fish and chickens. Lots and lots of chickens

I am so hot that I am dripping. John wants to do one of the hour long up, up, up hill hikes that starts at the gardens. I decline to go and decide to relax in the shade with the chickens while he does the hike.

John says that it’s a good thing I didn’t go because I wouldn’t have made it. The River Trail had lots of clambering over wet stones and some parts require you to use ropes to pull yourself up the path or to cross the stream.

Plus half the hike is uphill in the steamy heat which had John soaked with sweat. Yep, glad I didn’t go but he got some nice photos of the pretty stream and views looking out to the ocean.

Maui Beach and Faarumai Falls

We continue our way around the island to Maui Beach. It is a pretty white sand beach but very narrow. We eat a picnic lunch there before driving to Faarumai Falls on the other side of the island.

The falls are a short hike inland and it is spectacular. I will let the pictures do the talking.

Papenoo Beach and Venus Point

Back on the road, we stop and watch the surfers near Papenoo Beach. This side of the island is windier and is not protected by a reef so there are some big waves.

Our next stop is Venus Point which has a lighthouse and nice park on a powdery black sand beach. I notice some bright purple coral in the water, easily spotted from shore. At this bay the Europeans first had contact with Tahiti and in 1767 and in 1769 Captain Cook was here and watched the transit of Venus across the sun.

Sunset

We try to head into Papeete (main city on the island of Tahiti) but once we get there traffic is really bad and every time we want to turn towards where we want to eat, it is blocked off so instead of being stressed, we head to Vaiava Beach.

John is now in for a swim/snorkel. I am staying on shore with the bags because yesterday I cut my foot on a stone and I don’t want it to get infected. After his swim we watch the sunset.

For dinner we drive to a roulotte near our Airbnb. Roulottes are traditional Polynesian food trucks and are found everywhere on the island – like a Canadian version of Tim Hortons. The most popular dish is “poisson cru” or marinated raw fish.

We bring our roulotte food back to our Airbnb and have dinner on our patio by the pool.