Position 16 48.68 S  150 59.52 W

Huahine – 23^rd May to 28th May

Left Moorea after refuelling and filling up with water at very small quay with diesel and petrol connected to garage across the road.  Sailed overnight of 22^nd May to Huahine.  Huahine is another island divided into two and connected by bridge – Huahine nui and Huahine iti.  Fringing reef around the island(s) as in Tahiti. 

Huahine early in the morning – spray coming off reef bottom left.

Sunrise.

The spray coming off the reef as the swell crashes onto it was +10m in places. 

We entered via the Avapehi Pass into the inner lagoon.  Swell waves breaking over the reef.

We arrived first – having set off before Karacool – but then spent about 3 hours looking for an anchorage.  Went into both Haopu Bay and Port Bourayne Bay but both were too deep (+27m).  Stephen had mentioned sandy beaches but we couldn’t find any.  Meet up with Karacool about midday who promptly went past the above bays and into the uncharted and unmentioned channel (in Charlie’s charts) that runs down the west coast of Huahine iti.  We followed and at the very bottom of island there are indeed sandy beaches  (Avea Bay), with waves crashing over coral reef 400m away.  The best and prettiest anchorage (coral sand mix) we have been in yet.  Depth did drop to 3m in places though.  It is very difficult to tell how deep the coral is and when I am on the bow I think by the time I would decide too shallow we would have hit it anyway.

Marae at bottom of Avea Bay. Marae’s are places where ancient Polynesian's worshipped, had meetings, sacrificed mostly fish and chicken until along came some priest who said that gods wanted human sacrifices.  They used to break their victims neck so that they could not struggle.  Personally we think priest had a grudge and a good way to get rid of someone you did not like.

Keith trying to explain something:

Stephen, me, Keith and Annie debating where south is:

Oyster Moon at anchor in Avea Bay – as you can see weather not brilliant.

Keith spent an afternoon with a couple of locals (Miri and Frank) and we were invited to dinner.  First we had to shuck the coconut (Miri and Frank):

Paul grinding coconut

and me...

Hired a car for a day.  Found a vanilla farm where vanilla grown under netting.  Paul smelling ripening vanilla pods.  Our guide spoke little English and we spoke little French so no idea how you grew it. 

Learnt from Miri that you always turn your coconut upside down after finished with it as the water can collect and then you have mosquitos breeding.  Here the coconut husks are used to nourish vanilla plants and absorb moisture so plant never dries out.

Root ginger: