On May 27th, we departed from Huahine to arrive, a few hours later, in Raiatea by crossing the Irihu pass, located to the east of the island; right in front of the pass is the deep bay of Faaroa where we had planned to moor.
Mooring at Faaroa Bay
The next day, we traveled about a mile upriver by dinghy along the river that flows into the bay to reach the botanical garden.
The “river” that we navigated to arrive at the botanical garden
Its visit pleasantly impressed us not only because of the many species of plants and flowers present, but above all for the order and care with which this place is maintained.
The botanical garden from above
Continuing along the road adjacent to the botanical garden, we walked for a couple of kilometers to reach the “Promenade des Gabbros,” a trail that crosses an area characterized by outcrops of “gabbros,” rocks formed deep within the Earth’s crust as a result of the slow crystallization of magma underground and later exposed by erosion processes.
Una piantagione di ananas lungo il camminoLa “Promenade des Gabbros”Scenic overlook from “Des Gabbros”
Back at the spot where we had left the dinghy, and after crossing the river to reach the opposite bank, we ventured into André’s plantation. André is a small, lean man who, alone and seven days a week, passionately and enthusiastically cultivates a plot of about two hectares where he has planted various fruit tree species and sown different vegetables. With great generosity, he offered us numerous fruits, turmeric roots, and vanilla pods.
Some fruits generously given to us by André – rambutan, guanabana (soursop), sweet tamarind pod, granadilla, guava, avocado, turmeric, lime, papaya.
While waiting for the spare parts we had purchased online from the United States—and kindly forwarded to us by our friend Rich—we returned to Tahaa, the twin island of Raiatea. We moored in the same bay called Tapuamu where we had anchored last year. Taking advantage of the favorable weather, we went on some local excursions. The first was a visit to the Pari Pari rum distillery, where they process the small amount of locally grown sugarcane and produce a good-quality rum.
The “Pari Pari” rum distillery
The other destination was the “coral gardens,” about a mile from our mooring, which we reached by dinghy. As we were preparing for a snorkeling session, we unexpectedly encountered a friendly Italian couple on vacation, staying at the nearby resort.
The coral garden
On the last day before returning to Raiatea, where the spare parts had meanwhile arrived, we continued our exploration by dinghy along the coast of Tahaa, visiting one of the many pearl farms in the area.
“La orana” pearl farmSunset at Tahaa
Once we had picked up the long-awaited parts at the shipyard, we finally set off with Bora Bora as our destination.
Again in Raiatea and Tahaa
On May 27th, we departed from Huahine to arrive, a few hours later, in Raiatea by crossing the Irihu pass, located to the east of the island; right in front of the pass is the deep bay of Faaroa where we had planned to moor.
The next day, we traveled about a mile upriver by dinghy along the river that flows into the bay to reach the botanical garden.
Its visit pleasantly impressed us not only because of the many species of plants and flowers present, but above all for the order and care with which this place is maintained.
Continuing along the road adjacent to the botanical garden, we walked for a couple of kilometers to reach the “Promenade des Gabbros,” a trail that crosses an area characterized by outcrops of “gabbros,” rocks formed deep within the Earth’s crust as a result of the slow crystallization of magma underground and later exposed by erosion processes.
Back at the spot where we had left the dinghy, and after crossing the river to reach the opposite bank, we ventured into André’s plantation. André is a small, lean man who, alone and seven days a week, passionately and enthusiastically cultivates a plot of about two hectares where he has planted various fruit tree species and sown different vegetables. With great generosity, he offered us numerous fruits, turmeric roots, and vanilla pods.
While waiting for the spare parts we had purchased online from the United States—and kindly forwarded to us by our friend Rich—we returned to Tahaa, the twin island of Raiatea. We moored in the same bay called Tapuamu where we had anchored last year. Taking advantage of the favorable weather, we went on some local excursions. The first was a visit to the Pari Pari rum distillery, where they process the small amount of locally grown sugarcane and produce a good-quality rum.
The other destination was the “coral gardens,” about a mile from our mooring, which we reached by dinghy. As we were preparing for a snorkeling session, we unexpectedly encountered a friendly Italian couple on vacation, staying at the nearby resort.
On the last day before returning to Raiatea, where the spare parts had meanwhile arrived, we continued our exploration by dinghy along the coast of Tahaa, visiting one of the many pearl farms in the area.
Once we had picked up the long-awaited parts at the shipyard, we finally set off with Bora Bora as our destination.