Huahine

Huahine, France

A wide sunrise view of the turquoise lagoon and green mountains of Huahine from a wooden pier.

A quiet Society Islands stop where a fringed lagoon, ancient marae and a brackish lake sit close together, with few crowds.

The place

Huahine lies in the Leeward group of the Society Islands, part of French Polynesia, an overseas territory of France in the South Pacific. Measured end to end it runs about 16 km, and at its widest about 13 km. The island is really two main landmasses: Huahine Nui to the north and Huahine Iti to the south. A few hundred metres of water separate them, a sandspit joins them at low tide, and a small bridge now carries the road across. Together they cover about 75 square kilometres, and around 6,300 people live here. A fringing reef encircles the island, broken up by a scatter of motu, the small coral islets you notice from the air as you come in.

Inland the island is green. Coconut palms cover much of it, and copra has long been an economic mainstay alongside vanilla and melons. Two botanical gardens reward an unhurried morning: Ariiura Garden Paradise, which grows traditional Polynesian medicinal plants, and l'Eden Parc, a collection of fruit trees from many parts of the world. In the north-west of Huahine Nui lies Lac Fauna Nui, a brackish lake of about 375 hectares. It is what remains of an ancient lagoon that was once enclosed by the atoll.

The island's natural wealth is in its fish and birds. The reef teems with life, and the island's birdlife once included the Huahine starling, a species that vanished centuries ago and survives mainly as fossil remains.

Fare is the main village and the practical base, a short drive from the airport. Most people come for a few slow days on the water rather than a packed sightseeing schedule.

Its story

People have lived on Huahine for at least a thousand years, and the marae scattered across the island are the clearest evidence. Archaeologists think Tahitian Maʻohi settlers reached the island from at least the 9th century AD, and Huahine holds one of the richest concentrations of Polynesian archaeological remains dated to roughly 850 to 1100 AD.

Until the late nineteenth century, Huahine was an independent kingdom, usually called the Huahine and Maiao Kingdom. Three dynasties are traditionally said to have followed one another. The first began in the seventeenth century and ended with Queen Tehaʻapapa I, whom Captain Cook met in 1769. She worked to keep the kingdom united and independent. She and her husband, Mato a Tamatoa, founded the Tamatoa branch, which reigned until 1854. The Teururaʻi dynasty, descended from a Huahine chief and a Tamatoa woman from Raiatea, held the throne from 1854 to 1895.

The succession grew tangled because chiefly families were linked across the neighbouring islands. A prince with claims to both Huahine and Raiatea could not hold both crowns, so the thrones were divided between brothers. Teriifaʻatau Marama became prime minister in 1884, and he became a central figure in the annexation of the kingdom by France.

For visitors the history is physical: stone platforms scattered in the bush, a royal residence at Fare, and the memory of a kingdom that was absorbed into France's Pacific holdings.

What to see

Culture

Huahine is part of French Polynesia, where Polynesian and French habits sit side by side. Family ties, fishing and village life set the rhythm of the day, and Fare is the easiest place to see it. Greetings are warm and unhurried, and a simple 'Ia Orana' is a friendly way to start a conversation. Marae were places of worship and ceremony, and the eels in the stream are regarded as sacred, so both deserve a quiet, respectful approach.

The island's visitor economy is modest, and tipping is not expected in French Polynesia. Locals are often hostile towards tourists, and yachtsmen in particular are frequently targeted, so a courteous and low-key manner goes a long way. Keep noise down in the evenings, especially in villages, and ask before you photograph people, particularly at ceremonies or inside homes. Ask before photographing people, and never take stones or coral from an ancient site.

What to wear

Traditional dress on the Society Islands centres on the pareu, a rectangular wrap of printed cotton that can be tied many ways, and on flower crowns and shell ornaments worn for dances and festivals. Older clothing was made from tapa, beaten bark cloth, while woven pandanus and coconut-fibre materials went into mats and hats. Dancers in Huahine still perform in these styles at festivals, and their costumes can be elaborate, built from feathers, flowers and woven elements.

Day to day, people on Huahine dress lightly and practically. Shorts, T-shirts and sundresses are common in Fare, with the pareu worn as a sarong or beach wrap. Many people wear rubber sandals on the road. For church, or for a family celebration, people usually dress more carefully, often in clean white or bright printed clothing.

What a visitor should wear comes down to sun, sea and respect. Pack loose cotton or linen, a wide-brimmed hat and a rash top for snorkelling, and use plenty of sun cream, as the sun is strong near the lagoon. Reef shoes or water sandals protect your feet from coral and sea urchins. Cover shoulders and knees when you visit a village or a marae, and save swimwear for the beach.

What to eat

Plan it

Best time. May to October is the drier stretch, with calmer seas and less rain. November to April is wetter and more humid. Check a current forecast before you book, as rain can arrive in any month.

How long. 3–4

Getting there. Fly into Huahine airport on the northern shore of Huahine Nui. Air Tahiti runs three to four flights a day from Papeete, about 40 minutes in the air. Taxis wait at each arrival, and the drive to Fare takes about 15 minutes.

Budget. high

Tips

Etiquette

Nearby

Sources