mountainridgesresemble,Huahineisactuallytwo
islandsconnectedbythebridgeoverMārō’ēBay.
ThebestwaytoexploreHuahineistotakea four-
wheeldrivetour,suchasPoeIslandTour,and
missionup,downandallaround.Localguide
PoeravaAmoLamberty– Poeforshort– isfullof
knowledgeandlaughter,andshebringsthehistory
andtraditionsofHuahinealive.Wevisithistoric
maraes,geta bittoocloseforcomforttogiant
blue-eyedsacredeels,checkouta vanillaplantation
andpearlfarm,thengooff-roadalongthebeach.
Intheafternoon,weheadtoPoe’shouse,where
hercousincooksuplocaldelicacies,including
vanilla-infusedfish(vanillaisoneofthecountry’s
mostfamousexportsandfeaturesinmanysavoury
andsweetdishes)andrawfish‘Poestyle’,before
teachingushowtohuskcoconuts,makeleisand
performtheartof‘oriTahiti(Tahitiandance),
which we discover is best left to the experts.Aftera fulleight-hourdayinthejeep,a sunset
swimisa welcomereliefbackatRelaisMahana,our
beachfrontresort.Weseguefromtheoceanto
dinner,eatingbarefootinthesandwitha
spectacularviewofAveaBay,whichweexplore
viapaddleboardthenextday.
Beforeweflyoutwe’retreatedtoanopen-air
mudbathandmassageatthehomespaofMarie
Christine.TheFrenchwomanmadetheislandher
home 21 yearsagoandimportsmudfromRotorua
topamperherclients’skin.Hoppingintheopen-
air,flower-filledbathwithmytravelcompanionand
colleague,wejokeaboutfinallygettingthechanceto
experiencetheromanticvibethecountryisknown
for– andvowtobringourpartnersnexttime.•ThewriterandphotographertravelledtoTahiti
withTahitiTourismeonAirTahitiNui. For more
information see tahititourisme.nz“We segue from the ocean to dinner, eating barefoot in the sand
with a spectacular view of Avea Bay”
TropicalroadtripHuahine,knownastheGardenofEden,is coveredinlushfoliageandoffersa slowerpaceoflifethansomeofTahiti’s
biggerislands.A daytripwithPoeIslandTourwilltakeyouaroundthetwoconnectedislandsandincludesa visittoa pearlfarm and
a coconut-husking demonstration. The view from Huahine’s Relais Mahana hotel (opposite) is stunning at sunset.