August 7th - Our extended visa would expire in one week, so we knew we would have to move quickly to see as much of the Leeward Islands as possible during that time. All systems and the weather are finally a go - it feels good to be moving again after so long at anchor in Papeete.
Huahine
We left mid-afternoon with Sequioa for the 20 hour passage across to Huahine. The waves were 2-3m+ and short period as usual, so lots of rocking and rolling; but we made good time in 12-20kt winds and arrived off the pass in the morning, just an hour after Sequoia. We anchored off the town of Fare and soon set out to explore the town - we found a good grocery store, the "Huahine Yacht Club" pub, friendly people and a Europcar outlet. The four of us set out the next day for a round island tour. Our first stop was at Maeva, the former seat of power and spiritual capital of Huahine. A series of marae are set along the edge of the salt-water lagoon, Fa'una Nui, with ahu (altars), ancient stone fish traps and an excellent museum. This site had a wonderful spiritual feeling to it. The stone fish traps are still in use. The helpful man at Europcar had told us about a nice hike we could take from this site. The trail ran inland and along the flanks of Mt. Mouatapu to another marae with a magnificent view of the lagoon and the east side of the island. We all enjoyed the hike and it is well worth the time and effort. Our next stop was at Marae Manunu, further along the northern shore. The structure and construction of this marae was quite unique and unlike anything we had seen. Instead of the usual round basalt rocks, this marae was constructed of slabs of limestone reef positioned on-end with the spaces between the slabs filled with smaller pieces of limestone. We learned that they set fires on the shallow reef rock at low tide, allowing the heat to shatter the slabs; the slabs were then moved into position on the marae. Back on the road our next stop was at Fa'ie to view the sacred blue-eyed eels (puhi tari'a). Children were happy to sell us a can of mackerel (at an inflated price) to feed the eels and encourage them to come out of their caves along the edge of the river. Ted and Jan were brave enough to step into the river to lure the eels out - the sapphire blue eyes were quite amazing. Our journey continued south and up to the Belvedere with good views of both sides of the island. We descended to the longest bridge in Polynesia (394ft) which joins the north and south ends of the island. According to legend, the god Hiro split the island in two while passing through in his outrigger canoe. We turned east to circle Huahine Iti and enjoyed some beautiful views of the lagoon. At the south tip of the island, we passed the Marae Anini; but as we were hungry, we decided to return there after lunch. The Relais Mahana, around the corner in Parea, had been recommended and we enjoyed a delicious lunch overlooking the southern anchorage. It was a delightful spot and we decided to move our boats there the next day. After lunch we returned to Marae Anini, another coastal marae, similar to Manunu; then hiked up the ridge overlooking the site for some great views of the south and west sides of the island. North of Parea, we entered the agricultural district of Haapu. We noticed a sign for a Vanilla Farm and, on a whim, drove up the grass path into the farm. It appeared closed, but a worker appeared and gladly showed us around. Francois is Marquesan from Nuku Hiva, and we quickly made friends with him. He explained the process of growing the vanilla plants, a member of the orchid family, and showed us how he pollinates each flower by hand. We were impressed with the amount of work required. By this time, the sun was lowering into the west, so we headed back to Fare along the west coast, and reached the Huahine Yacht Club just in time for Happy Hour. We were treated to a spectacular sunset as we sipped our Hinano beer - a perfect end to a perfect day! The next day we sailed down the channel to the south end of the island and anchored off Parea - what a gorgeous spot with the various shades of blue water, the waves breaking on the reef just beyond us and the lovely mountain backdrop. A Canadian boat (Rigel) from Vancouver was anchored there. Jan and Carl knew this boat from San Francisco, and had watched it being commissioned by the previous owner - a small world! The next day, the four of us kayaked round the south end of the island as far as Marae Anini, and then drift snorkled for several miles back through the coral gardens, towing our kayaks. There was a huge diversity of fish, good coral and thousands of sea cucumbers mating in the sand. It was fairly exciting in places where the coral was very shallow; you had to find a way through narrow breaks as the current carried you along at speed - it reminded me of tree skiing! As our time was limited, we bid goodbye to Sequoia, and sailed across to Raiatea the next day.