Huahine

Arrival photos

Hauhine is an island of 6,400 inhabitants and has one main town, Faie, and the island is nearly cut in two and connected by a 200 meter long bridge.  The two halves are HUI meaning large and ITI meaning small.

We anchored in Maroe Bay between the 2 halves and tender boat ride into the village of Mr'in.  Then boarded an open air "bus" --Le Truck" -- and went on an archealogical adventure, learning the culture and history of the island and visiting the ancient ruins of MARAEs -- worship sites.

But first to a vanilla plantation to learn about the planting, growing, cultivation and harvesting of the vanilla plant,  A plant will take 3 years to mature an be ready for harvest,  The flower is artifically pollenated as the plants are now grwn in screened hothouses to protect them from the winds, rains, and environment.

Vanilla plant f

Vanilla plant flower

Vanilla plants in screened hothouse

Vanilla bean pods drying

We headed to Maeva Village -- the densest concentration of archaeological sites in Polynesia. At one time, this was the traditional home to all of the island's chiefs and their families. Marae, or prehistoric temples abound here and stand as a testament to the importance of the area.

Maeva Temple Foundation and Fire Pit

Marae by the sea

Maeva Marae

Restored Marae by the Ocean

Just above the coastal flat of Maeva is Mata'irea Hill, home to more than 200 stone structures. Marae, agricultural terraces, house foundations, fortification walls and burial platforms dot the landscape here. We took guided walk for a firsthand look at these sites -- a window into the past. Paul, our guide, offered insights into Polynesian origins and migrations, traditional Polynesian society, plants and animals, religion and warfare, and the arrival of the European explorers, missionaries, soldiers and whalers.  He was so well-versed in the culture and past history -- really, really informative.

Fortification Walls

Agricultural Terrace

Temple walls at the banyan tree site

Very, very old banyan tree on Mata'irea Hill 

Then to the stone fish traps of Maeva's Lake Fauna Nui. These are still in use by the villagers, many hundreds of years since they first appeared on Huahine's cultural landscape.  The fish swin into the V-shaped channel and end in a walled pit and are caught there.

On to the village of Faie, where we stopped to see the giant blue-eyed eels.

Then, back to Maroe Bay and the ship.  What a great tour!!!

And now we are off the Papeette, Tahiti