May 9-14, 2019
We thought that things could not go any better after Bora Bora. Until we arrived at Huahine. Maybe, the island is not as spectacular as Bora Bora but is even more relaxed and almost without any tourism touch. It is true that the island tried to kill us just on the very first day, but we have forgiven it already.
That day the sea was quite rough, and we went snorkelling anyway. Being a bit ignorant to nature, we even did not pay attention when our housekeeper told us there is a pass to the open sea. After a while, we noticed we are being pulled out of the shore. Even with the maximum effort, we were not able to get closer. A buoy not far from us seemed to be a good point to stop and wait for help or find the way out. Unfortunately, we never reached the buoy since the current took us further away. We were stuck in the lagoon and being taken to the open sea. Even though there were quite many little yachts and not being very far from the shore nobody heard us shouting and waving for help. That just was a perfect time to start panicking. My impression was that Mira almost started drowning when one little boat spotted us and came to help us. We are both good swimmers, but the panic can really make you start being irrational and cause fatal results. Anyway, all ended well, and guys at the boat told us we are not the first to be rescued today. Lesson learned.
Around the island of Huahine
After this unexpected introductory session, we became friends with the island. The next day we rented bicycles (free at the hotel property) and went to the former Sofitel beach. The hotel has been closed for a while, and there are mostly ruins, but the beach had free public access. I am not sure what went so wrong that the hotel went bankrupt since the place seemed to be the ultimate paradise to me. There is a white beach with maybe the best coral garden in French Polynesia, blue lagoon and green mountains. On top of that, it is very secluded, and it was one of the very few proper hotels on the island.
Read more: Apo Island & Dauin – meet turtles
In the afternoon we went to the big local supermarket where we stock up for a few next days. Then had a beer during happy hours at the beach restaurant and relaxed at our own hotel veranda, preparing dinner and reading books. The Pension Ariitere was absolutely perfect. We had an entire cottage for ourselves with private outside cooking facilities. There was also a small pool that we used every day. We could ride their bicycles and housekeepers also managed for us a scooter and boat rental. Awesome. We have to highlight the effort and care of people working there. This really made our stay. They deserve nothing but five-star rating.
Having a motorbike for at least a day is a must. We visited Sofitel beach again, spotted sacred eels close to Faie, and crossed a bridge from Huahine Nui (big) island to Huahine Iti (small) island. Going around the small island, we stopped at Bellevue sur le lagon to make kitsch but real pictures of all shades of blue, bought ourselves a simple meal and lied and swam at Avea beach.
Last but not least, probably the top of everything in French Polynesia, a boat rental. None of us had a “driving” licence for a boat, but we read that we could rent something small with a tiny, powerless engine. What we got was maybe 5 times exceeding the limit. However, nobody seemed to have an issue with that, and we could enjoy our very best day on maximum. In the beginning, the weather was not perfect, and the water was rough. But once we got to the eastern part of the small island, we were rewarded with clear sky and water of all shades of blue that we could even imagine, again. In the end, we had to pay some extras for gas on top of the already high rental price, but it was absolutely worth it. The boat trip around Huahine was really a spectacular farewell to this paradise island.
