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Raiatea & Tahaa
Travel Guide
French Polynesia
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raiatea & tahaa pictures map
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The twin islands of Tahaa and Raiatea are rich tropical islands with inaccessible valleys and deep bays making it an exceptional sailing destination. The twin islands sharing a common lagoon lie in the heart of the Society Islands just east of Bora Bora and although in size are the second largest islands of the group, few tourists visit except for those who stay on the fabulous Tahaa Resort where gorgeous beaches can be found on the small motu islands off the north coast.
Raiatea Island
Raiatea is the second largest island in the Society Group with a population of over 10,000. The island has steep mountains rising from its beach-less coast and takes about three hours to circumnavigate by car. Most of the islands population live on the north coast around the town of Uturoa, the second largest in French Polynesia with Chinese shops, a colourful market and a busy port. Behind town is Mt. Tapio which offers the islands only easy access walking track and lovely views from the top. A short half hour walk to the summit originates from town or for the more adventurous there's a walking trail meandering around the hills which takes about 3 hours. The north coast is also where the islands few hotels are located. Along the north east coast, 5-minutes beyond town, is the Hawaiki Nui Resort, a mid-range resort with rooms and bungalows squashed together on a small strip of land facing tiny motu taoru and with the magnificent 800 metre high Temahani Plateau as a backdrop. Although there is no beach at the resort, guests are ferried back and forth to the motu where there is fine sand, palm trees and good snorkelling. This is also a good place to learn scuba diving with lots of marine life. Experienced divers can see a host of sharks and manta rays a little further south at Teavarua Pass. On the north western tip of Raiatea, just beyond the airport, are two smaller hotels. Adjacent to the large Apooti Marina is Sunset Beach Motel, a collection of 12 A frame bungalows lining the narrow sandy beach - one of the few on Raiatea. There's good swimming here and the coast can be explored by kayak. About 20 minutes further down the west coast is Hotel Tenape, a quaint plantation style house converted into a private hotel with 16 rooms and six bungalows. The grounds here are very spacious but the property is located on the mountain side of the road and there's no beach here - a pontoon extends over the lagoon to deeper water where there's good snorkelling. However, the attraction of staying at any of these northern hotels is easy to take a day cruise around the stunning Tahaa Island which lies across the lagoon.
Tahaa Island
The main island of Tahaa has gentle hills covered in vanilla plantations, a beach-less coastline and is even quieter than Raiatea. What makes the island so appealing is the gorgeous uninhabited motu off the north coast and its four deep bays that cut right into the island. Largest of these is Hamene Bay that almost cuts the island into two. Near the mouth of the bay is Hotel Hibiscus, one of a handful of small locally owned guesthouses on the island. At the very end of the bay is the village of Haamene, one of eight small fishing villages around the island. From Haamene, roads head off in four directions around the island although there is virtually no traffic and no public transport. Most locals get to and fro on fishing boats. There's a lovely 7km walking track that passes over valleys and vanilla plantations to Patio, the small administrative town on the north coast. From Patio, its a 10-minute boat ride to the offshore motu and you can hire a fishing boat and explore the islands.
The best of Tahaa's accommodation is found here including Tahaa Pearl Resort, the most luxurious resort in French Polynesia. The 48 sublime over water bungalows extend out over the turquoise lagoon and some have views to Bora Bora which lies on the horizon. Guests can take helicopter transfers between here and Bora Bora, or sightseeing day trips. At the southern end of the motu islands is Vahine Island Resort, a tiny private island with only nine bungalows. The beach here isn't as nice, but snorkelling and swimming is good and there are plenty of delightful beaches to visit on nearby islands.
search for ... Raiatea Resorts
search for ... Tahaa Resorts
find ... Tahiti Tour Companies
continue to ... Bora Bora Island
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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