Tour around the edge of Tahiti-Nui

The morning is here, and what's happening outside? It's raining... and how... Great – this is how you imagine Tahiti in the South Seas: rain.

We won’t be deterred, we spread our jam on bread and drink our instant coffee.

Then we head out. The plan is to circle the island with a detour to the small island (Tahiti-iti), the appendage of the large island, Tahiti-Nui.

The weather has improved in the meantime, and the sun is coming out. We are heading to a few special spots. Since we are on the only road, the main traffic road, there is also a corresponding amount of traffic, at least in the broader area of the capital. Additionally, there are construction sites... so we take quite a while to reach our first destination: several caves located in a beautiful, park-like setting. These are the Mara’a, Mata Va`a, and Teanateatea caves, side by side, filled with ice-cold water.

Actually, it was supposed to only rain in front of the caves, meaning water would flow from the mountain above into the cave. At first, that is how it is, but then things take a different turn and the sky opens up. Still, we stay and shelter under the large trees that provide some protection.

The next station is Taharuu Beach, where black sand lies, as it does almost everywhere in Tahiti. Not particularly inviting, but a beautiful view of the sea...

Next, we head to the Water Garden Vaipahi. Here, there are wonderful plants, ponds with fish, and smaller waterfalls. We enjoy it immensely and spend some time admiring the plants. Rain comes and goes intermittently, sometimes heavy, sometimes lighter...

As we continue on our way, the weather improves; we reach the eastern side of Tahiti where the weather is much better, and the sun comes out. Beautiful views of the green-clad slopes become visible. We can also see Mo’orea...

The next destination is the triple waterfall in the “Fa’aruma’i Valley,” the largest of the three plunges from over 250 meters high into a small lake, which drains into a small creek... Since the official path over a bridge to a short trail to the waterfall is closed due to construction work and it's officially impossible to reach the waterfall, we take a chance and, after a small river crossing over stones, we almost illegally reach the cascades... This means we’re completely alone there. It’s also a great experience...

The final stop is the Plage de la Pointe Venus in the north. Many Tahitians seek the water, as it has turned very sunny (though we think the rain was only on the west side...) and the sun is burning on us again. We ponder how to walk barefoot on the beach in this sun and the dark sand...??? We are exhausted and decide to wrap up the day now, go fill up the tank, and then head to the hotel.

Tomorrow morning, we'll return the car and then take a taxi a short distance into town. We'll look around there and do some shopping... After all, it should be over 30 degrees tomorrow, and it’s better to stay in the (hopefully) well-air-conditioned shops. Well, and besides, there’s also a lot to see in the city...

The attentive reader may have noticed that there is no report about the tour in Tahiti-Iti... It was canceled due to bad weather... :)