French Polynesia
Huahine, French Polynesia
Huahine: Ancient Marae, Sacred Eels and Two Islands Joined by a Bridge
Huahine is two islands, Huahine Nui and Huahine Iti, joined by a small bridge inside one fringing reef, and its many marae record more than a thousand years of Polynesian life. Those restored by archaeologists since 1972 stand at Maeva, on the shore of a lake that was once an atoll lagoon. Its sights are spread across both halves, so read your ship's notes on where you come ashore before deciding how to spend the day.
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Good to know
Arriving in Huahine
Your ship will tell you where and how you come ashore, and some lines list the call as Maroe Bay, which lies between the island's two halves. Fare, the largest of Huahine's eight villages and its administrative center, is on the northwest coast of Huahine Nui.
- Huahine is about 16 km long and up to 13 km wide, and a fringing reef with several islets, called motu, surrounds both halves.
- About 6,300 people lived on the island at the 2022 census.
- The highest point is Mount Turi, at 669 meters, on Huahine Nui.
- Huahine lies roughly 170 km northwest of Tahiti, and close to Raiatea, Taha'a and Bora Bora.
Huahine on Your Own
Huahine's sights are spread across both halves of the island, so an independent day means picking a few stops. Ask your ship what transport is available from the landing before you set off.
- Fare: The main village has the Catholic Church of the Holy Family, first built between 1906 and 1909 and reopened in 2010.
- Maeva: The old village stands by Lake Fauna Nui, a brackish lake of 375 hectares that is all that remains of an ancient atoll lagoon. Its restored marae can be visited.
- The sacred eels: A bridge on the island crosses a stream where freshwater eels between 0.9 and 1.8 meters long live. Local mythology holds them sacred, and visitors can buy a can of fish to feed them.
- Huahine Iti: A small bridge links the two halves. The marae of Anini is on Huahine Iti, and a lookout point stands on the slopes of Mount Turi.
- Getting back on time: All-aboard is usually about 30 minutes before sailing, and your ship posts the exact time. A ship will not wait for passengers touring on their own.
Eating on Huahine
Poisson cru, raw fish marinated in lemon juice and coconut milk, is one of the top-rated dishes in French Polynesia. Small restaurants known as snacks and food trucks called roulottes are where local people eat, and they cost less than restaurants aimed at visitors.
- Ma'a tinito, a Chinese-Tahitian mix of pork, kidney beans, Chinese cabbage and macaroni, is another popular everyday dish.
- Grilled mahi-mahi and tuna are common on snack and roulotte menus.
- Huahine's farmers grow vanilla, and watermelons and melons are grown on the motu.
- Fishing, vanilla and copra, dried coconut, remain among the island's main livelihoods alongside tourism.
Tipping and Currency
Tipping is not a custom in French Polynesia, and in general local people do not expect a tip, although it has begun to appear in some restaurants and hotels on the larger islands. The currency is the CFP franc.
- International credit and debit cards are accepted in French Polynesia.
- Banks charge a commission on each currency exchange.
Marae and Island Life
Huahine's marae, the stone platforms of old Polynesian religion, are numerous. Most islanders today are Christian, the result of Protestant and Catholic missions from the 19th century onward.
- Huahine is one of four islands, with Bora Bora, Taha'a and Raiatea, that host the Hawaiki Nui Va'a, an international outrigger canoe race.
- Excavations at Fa'ahia, in the north of the island, found bones of several bird species wiped out by the first Polynesian settlers.
- Bobby Holcomb, an American artist who settled on Huahine, contributed as a singer, composer and painter to the revival of Polynesian culture.
A Brief History
People have lived on Huahine for at least a thousand years, and the island was ruled by its own royal dynasties until the 1890s. Captain Cook called here in 1769, and France annexed the island in 1895 after half a century of resistance.
- From the 9th century: Archaeologists estimate that Polynesian settlers reached Huahine by at least the 9th century AD. Remains dated between 850 and 1100 AD are among the largest concentrations in Polynesia.
- 17th century: The first of the island's three ruling dynasties was founded. Its last representative, Queen Teha'apapa I, met Captain Cook.
- 1769 and 1773: James Cook arrived at Fare on 16 July 1769 on HMS Endeavour, with the Tahitian navigator Tupaia, and came back on 3 September 1773.
- 1809 and 1815: Protestant missionaries first reached the island in 1809. In 1815 the mission ordered the images of the old gods destroyed.
- 1846 and 1847: Huahine resisted French rule, and in 1847 it proclaimed itself the independent Kingdom of Huahine.
- 1879: The island's government signed a treaty of friendship and commerce with the German Empire.
- 1888 to 1895: France established a protectorate in 1888, and French warships bombarded the two largest villages in September 1890. On 15 September 1895 the regent and chiefs signed away their powers to France, and the last queen was deposed.
- 1972 and 1977: At the request of the Polynesian government, the archaeologist Yosihiko Sinoto began restoring the old village of Maeva and its marae in 1972. In 1977 he uncovered the oldest known settlement in the Society Islands, with the remains of an ocean-going canoe.
Huahine with Children
Huahine with children comes down to a few short stops: the sacred eels, the restored marae at Maeva and a beach. Keep the day simple and leave a wide margin before all-aboard.
- Younger children: The eels can be up to 1.8 meters long, so keep small hands away from the water while they are fed.
- School age: At Maeva, look for the marae and explain that the lake beside them was once the lagoon of an atoll.
- Teenagers: The digs at Fa'ahia turned up bones of birds that died out after the first settlers arrived, among them the Huahine starling, gone for about seven centuries.
- In the water: Moray eels hide deep in the coral and can bite, so keep fingers out of gaps in the reef.
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