We went ashore and found quite a nice town. There was a small white sand beach and beautifully planted grounds around each house and structure. I found out that some of the hills were so dry because there had been a fire and the vegetation hadn’t yet grown back.
After a nice lunch and a long walk, we headed back to the boat. There wasn’t much in the way of sea life here, but we were firmly anchored in a nice sand bottom, and the water was clear and inviting to swim in. We did swim, and we cleaned the waterline and bottom of the boat. I thought it was a very enjoyable afternoon, and this place was growing on me. I wished we could relax and spend a couple of days here, but we needed to get to Raiatea soon and could only spend one night.
Anchored in AveaHeading AshoreAvea Beach LandingPretty Town(Small Town!)Sunset at Avea
Our plan today was to head down to the south end of the island to Avea, about a 10-mile passage inside the reef. We started the day by going into town to buy some food, and I was shocked to find the sleepy town of yesterday was now crowded with people and cars. Yesterday it reminded me of sleepy La Paz; today it felt more like Tijuana and had lost much of its charm. We were glad to be heading south.
We got back to the boat and got on our way, motoring down inside the reef. It was pretty wild to be motoring along with a lush green island on one side and the fantastic light blue and green bands of water over the reef on the other side (colors made almost neon by our polarized sunglasses). Waves pounded the outside of the reef, but the water in the passage was perfectly calm.
It was a hot day, and when some clouds and a breeze came up it felt nice, but it made obstructions in the water less visible. Most of the passage was well marked and charted, but there were a couple of areas where we had to maneuver to avoid some obstructions, and this was stressful. We saw some areas where we could anchor, but nothing looked as appealing as our destination so we kept on.
Our stress ramped up sharply as the last quarter mile or so before the anchorage was much less well charted. It was still marked with guideposts but only had random markings for depth, meaning we’d be on our own to spot bombies (little coral hills below the water) and large rocks. Lots of boats make this passage and we knew it was probably fine, yet there were some spots that terrified us. The water would get dark with rocks or light with coral and there was no way of knowing for sure that it was deep enough. I got on the bow and did the best I could at gauging depth. In all, it was deep enough, but that part of the trip could be sponsored by Valium, not that we have any. Drinks later in the cockpit would have to do.
As we headed to the final turn into the bay, a sailboat was heading up behind us fast. Obviously that person knew his way around so we slowed down to let him pass, then gladly followed him the rest of the way.
When we went around the corner into the bay, I was a bit taken aback at how dry it seemed and made a remark that we had cruised to Woodland Hills. (Not that there’s anything wrong with Woodland Hills; it just isn’t what you expect to find on an island in the tropics). We looked around, and while it was a perfectly nice bay, it didn’t seem worth the heart palpitations we had suffered through getting here. Rich asked me why this anchorage was supposed to be so special, and I realized the guidebook hadn’t specified why. So our question became, “Why is this place special?” Or more specifically, “Why are we here?” We went to go ask the boat we had followed in, and we were shocked to find out it was his first time here, too; he had just trusted that there would be no shallow rocks in a marked passage as he had barreled through. He didn’t know why we were here either. We asked a couple on another boat, and they said they had tried to find good snorkeling but hadn’t found it yet. So we went ashore in search of the reasons this place has such a good reputation.
Sights along the pass south.Huahine, lush and green.Colorful WaterThe reef outside the anchorage at the south end of Huahine.The moon over Avea.
The main town in Huahine is Fare. It’s small, but it does have a couple of eateries, shops, a small resort hotel, and it’s famous among cruisers for its large grocery store. (Cruisers are crazy about large grocery stores!) We headed in and found a small town that reminded me of the old section of La Paz, a favorite town in the Sea of Cortez area of Mexico. It was pretty and had a peaceful, even sleepy feeling. Of course, that may have been because it was Sunday and nothing was open.
We wanted to find a spot for lunch and after striking out in town, we headed to the resort in hopes their restaurant might be open. It was, and it was a really pretty spot. We ordered some food and a couple of beers and relaxed while we watched a mom teach her joyful child how to dive into the pool. The waitress came by with small ramekin with something in it. Was this some complimentary taste treat? I pulled it over to look at it, and she said, “For the flies.” There are flies? I smelled it and it turned out to be a vinegar-soaked paper towel.
We soon got our food, and it was delicious. It turns out the local flies share our opinion as they showed up soon after the food did. It wasn’t too bad as we mostly waved them away or ignored them. I don’t know what the vinegar cloth was supposed to accomplish, maybe repel them? I don’t know how well it worked, but I suppose it made the hotel feel like they were doing something about the problem. We enjoyed the lunch in spite of the intruders, but I did wonder if they’d be an annoyance during our stay.
That evening, things improved in the anchorage after a couple of boats left and it suddenly felt a lot more roomy. Now we had space around us, nice conditions, and felt very comfortable. The next day we planned to motor down to the south end of the island to an anchorage reputed to be one of the nicest in French Polynesia.
Dingy dock at FareMain street, FareClear WaterLunch at the ResortView from our lunch at the resort.
We were sad to leave Moorea, but strong winds were predicted and we wanted to get to the Leeward Islands (Huahine, Raiatea, Tahaa, and Bora Bora) before they arrived. Our plan was to spend 3 or 4 days in Huahine and then head about 20 miles west to Raiatea to sit out the windy period. Specifically we wanted to be in the city of Uturoa, the second largest city in French Polynesia. There we’d hoped to have a secure place to tie up our boat, access to grocery stores, eateries, and a rental car if we wanted to see the island.
For now, our plan was to see Huahine while we had the chance. It’s a little off the beaten path as most tourists focus on Tahiti, Moorea, and Bora Bora. We headed out late in the afternoon for the overnight passage. It was uneventful as we motor-sailed the entire way, but we did notice our radar was getting an awful lot of noise spikes, like someone else with a very powerful radar was nearby. We blamed a large super yacht that was in the area and didn’t think much more about it. (It turns out that other radars may not be the cause and Simrad is sending us a new unit to try to fix the problem.)
We arrived at Huahine early in the morning and headed in through the pass in the reef. All these islands are surrounded by a barrier reef, but unlike the Tuamotus, these passes are easy to navigate and can be done at any time with no worries about the state of the tide.
Unfortunately, getting anchored was not as easy as going through the pass. It was a small anchorage off the main town, and there were a lot of boats there. We maneuvered in and managed to find a spot, but it was a little closer to other boats than we like to be. It would have to do for now. Unfortunately, getting to a place and dealing with a crowded anchorage is like meeting someone and getting off on the wrong foot. You start with bad feelings and you either get past them or not. And so began our time in Huahine.
Leaving MooreaHuahineHeading into the Huahine Anchorage (at Fare)From Legacy at anchor at Fare
After a nice night’s motor-sail, we arrived at Huahine this morning. It was really a pleasant 90-mile trip with smooth seas and light wind. It was a bit of a challenge finding a spot to anchor as it’s pretty crowded and the anchorage near town isn’t very big.
