Huahine is part of the Leeward Islands group and lies to the north-west of Tahiti. Roughly 16 kilometres by 8 kilometres (10 miles by 8 miles) with a population of around 6000.
We have visited once, as part of a two week trip to French Polynesia in 2018.
Polynesia 2018
After a couple of days in Tahiti we took the short flight with the regional airline Air Tahiti to the Island of Huahine and spent three nights there from the 7th–10th October 2018. We arrived on Huahine early in the day on the 07.30 flight from Papeete — the early flight made the best use of the day, as while check-in at the hotel was later we could drop our bags and enjoy a full day on the island.
The flight passed quickly and comfortably, it’s 40 mins, and as usual we were offered a pineapple juice mid-flight. If you sit on the left of the plane you may get a great view of Moorea as you pass and Huahine as you approach (as long as the clouds allow). Huahine airport is similar to most in French Polynesia, small but with everything you need. We were met by our driver and minibus for the transfer to Le Mahana Hotel, our home for the next 3 nights. We were treated to a wealth of information on our way to the hotel, our driver was amazingly friendly and wanted to share everything about his island (including showing us his house near the hotel!). Le Mahana is on Avea Bay on the southern tip of the island. Huahine is actually two islands — Huahine Nui and Huahine Iti — joined by a bridge. The airport is on the northern edge and so we travelled the full length of the islands on our way to the hotel, which took about 30 minutes.
Once checked in we made straight for the neighbouring Chez Tara to book in for their Sunday lunch. This is an array of traditional Polynesian dishes cooked in an oven dug into the earth — arrive early at 12:00 to watch the oven being opened.
After a leisurely lunch we were able to check in to our garden bungalow and we spent some time on the beach and snorkelling around the coral just either side of the pontoon. Whilst there is a lot to enjoy just to the south of the pontoon we found some of hte best fish and coral on the northern side.
By late afternoon it was happy hour at the bar and so time for cocktails sat at the tables in the sand — enjoyed to the sound of traditional Polynesian music while watching the sun set over the sea in front of us. Dinner was served in the relaxed atmosphere of the restaurant with the best options being based on the local fish and seafood.
Monday 8th October — Marae Anini
After some swimming and paddle boarding we decided to walk about a kilometre down the quiet road to the nearby Marae Anini.
Tuesday 9th October — Island Tour
Our morning was spent in the company of Romain from Green Tours for a half day tour of the main sights of the island. After being picked up from our hotel we headed north through the islands, stopping at some great viewpoints and the bridge linking the two islands of Huahine. The first main stop was in the village of Faie to see the sacred eels with blue eyes that live in the river flowing through the center of the village. Next we saw the 'V' shaped fish traps while crossing the bridge onto Motu Ovarei on the way to Marae Manunu close to the beach. We were incredibly lucky to see a whale just offshore as we stood on the stunning beach on the east coast. After a brief stop at Maeva village we made our final visit to a vanilla farm not far from the airport.
Lunches / dinner Snorkelling paddle boarding