Tahiti and Tuamotus: Fakarava – our first port of call

Fakarava in the Tuamotus…ahhhh! Sounds exotic, doesn’t it? While Tahiti is (relatively speaking) much more familiar to the general public, tell someone you’re going to the Tuamotus and you’ll mostly likely get a lot of blank looks. Where in the world is that???

Where are the Tuamotus?

The Tuamotus include 77 islands and atolls that cover around 328 square miles, forming the largest chain of atolls in the world. They are part of French Polynesia, along with the Society Islands, Austral Islands, Marquesas Islands, and the Gambier Archipelago, also known as the Mangareva Islands.

Tahiti, where our 10-day Tahiti-Tuamotus cruise aboard Windstar Cruise’s Wind Spirit began, is about 275 miles away…

French Polynesia map (Copyright, Graphic Maps)

What is an atoll?

Fakarava NASA Aerial Photo

Rangiroa NASA Aerial Photo

An atoll is a ring-shaped coral reef including a coral rim that encircles a lagoon partially or completely. The coral often sits on top of the rim of an extinct seamount or volcano that has eroded or subsided partially beneath the water.

Earlier posts:

Tahiti and Tuamotus: Choosing to cruise

Tahiti and Tuamotus: On board Windstar’s Wind Spirit

When we decided to book Windstar’s 10-day Tahiti-Tuamotus cruise, being able to finally visit Rangiroa, one of two ports in the Tuamotus included on Windstar’s 10-day itinerary, was a major factor for me. I remember reading about scuba diving the Tiputa pass more than 20 years ago after becoming a PADI certified diver in 1992. A tentative plan to stay at the Hotel Kia Ora Resort  in Rangiroa many years ago fell through but the dream of going there had lingered on.

Fakarava, the second largest atoll in the Tuamotus, wasn’t on my radar back then, but when I read it has been designated a Biosphere reserve by UNESCO and that its south pass, sometimes called the “shark wall,” is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, I was excited! We would board ship in Papeete, Tahiti, spend a day at sea, and arrive in Fakarava, our first port of call.

Fakarava – our first port of call

As soon as the Wind Spirit had anchored off Fakarava, we were on the first tender to shore. We’d arranged to do a one-tank dive with Kaina Plongee, also known as Fakarava Dive Center. It is one of three dive operators on Fakarava, evidence that scuba diving is a major interest for visitors to this special spot in the South Pacific. (SLIDESHOW below)

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It was only a short walk to the dive center, where we checked in with Vincent, with whom I’d communicated via email before the trip, and soon boarded a 25-foot semi-rigid Aquapro inflatable dinghy boat along with three other divers for the short ride to Ohotu Reef.

Ohotu Reef is known to be a great area for sighting sharks and manta rays and it did not disappoint. I have seen many stingrays and eagle rays while diving but had always wanted to see a manta, largest of the ray family, which can reach a wingspan of more than 20 feet. Three manta rays came into our line of sight and put on quite a show for us. (See SLIDESHOW below)

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After our dive, we wanted to see more of the atoll and noticed bicycles were available for rent by the hour. Vincent suggested we rent a bike and make our way along the main road where we would reach a beautiful beach at the other end of the island.

My husband, Stephen, with his rental bike on Fakarava.

Australian pines on Fakarava.

On the way, we stopped at this beautiful Catholic church at Rotoava. Dedicated in 1850, it was built entirely out of coral by early European missionaries.

Historic Catholic Church on Rotoava, Fakarava.

Interior of church at Rotaoava, Fakarava

A bit further down the main road, the Havaiki Fakarava Guesthouse, a small resort bordering the lagoon, came into view. There are 10 bungalows on the lagoon and five garden bungalows. (Note: If you go to the website, click on “Translate” at bottom left to see the text in English.)

Havaiki Fakarava Guesthouse, Fakarava

The resort was closed until after January 1st (we visited in late November) but a small group of locals were there enjoying the water and having what appeared to be some kind of party.

View from shore of the submerged table at Havaiki Fakarava Guesthouse

Shark circling submerged table at Havaiki Fakarava Guesthouse

Two ladies were sitting at a table submerged in the water a short distance from shore when we arrived. After they’d left, we decided to wade out to the table until we saw a reef shark circling the table. Maybe it was accustomed to getting table scraps? Whatever the reason, we waited until it swam away before we ventured out to the table to take a few selfies.

The shark had left when Stephen took this pic of me at the table.

Our selfie shot at the table…

I wish we’d taken time to snorkel there as it was such an amazingly beautiful location. I wouldn’t hesitate to return to stay a few days at the resort, dive, snorkel and completely retreat in this idyllic paradise.It is also the site of Pearls of Havaiki, the island’s only black pearl farm, established in 1989.

As I tried to drink in all the colors of the lagoon and keep them in my mind’s eye to conjure up paradise once again, I thought of French artist Henri Matisse who visited Fakarava in 1930. “The fish come all around you, just like flies in France – they’re not frightened,” he wrote, and even though decades have passed since he was said to have gone for “rapturous swims in lagoons with water the colour of diamonds, emeralds and sapphires” it seems that very little has changed in this remote part of the South Pacific…

Havaiki Reef at Havaiki Fakarava Guesthouse. I would love to come back here to snorkel and retreat from the world!

Keep reading:

Tahiti and Tuamotus: Rangiroa, our second port of call

Tahiti and Tuamotus: Taha’a and Motu Mahaea

Tahiti and Tuamotus: Huahine

Tahiti and Tuamotus: Bora Bora

Earlier in the series:

Tahiti and Tuamotus: Choosing to cruise

Tahiti and Tuamotus: On board Windstar’s Wind Spirit