Craig and Amy in the South Seas: Pre-Voyage, Huahine. Part 2

Voyage to Pitcairn Island. Part 2...Trip to Huahine

Before we set off on our voyage to Pitcairn, we decided to spend a few days on the small island of Huahine, a 40 minute plane ride from Tahiti. Huahine came recommended to us by Genevieve Dupre, a tattooist in San Francisco, who grew up there. We also know, through Amy's halau, some other people from there.

We arrived in Papeete in the evening and had a wonderful dinner at the Roulottes, the food trucks on the wharf. The next day, we met our Tahitian friend, Maire, for lunch with another friend, Reia and Maire's sister, Tania. This was at the Captain Bligh restaurant and since it was Friday afternoon, there was live music and dancing. There was a great buffet of raw fish that was scrumptious!

The next morning we flew to Huahine. We stayed in a bungalow, right on the beach, next to the small town of Fare, the capital. Huahine is that island you've been looking for, but haven't found yet. It's not only small, but there are only 6,000 people living there and there are only 3 small hotels. There's very little traffic and everyone says "Io ora na" when they walk by, and they mean it.

One of the days was spent on a tour of the island by local guy, Cesar, the boyfriend of the mother of before mentioned tattoo artist. Cesar was born and raised on Huahine, so he knows all about the place and took us to some marvelous spots, including a large luau on the other side of the island. Great food! There was a Tahitian band there and I got to sit in with them and play.

We were privileged to meet several other local folks. One was Frederique, a French woman whose been living on Huahine for over 40 years. The caretaker of our house, Robert, said she loved playing ukulele and we ought to go to her store in town. So we met Fred, as she's called, and Fred invited us to her Hawaiian dance class that night. The teacher is Aunty Lovina, a Tahitian lady who lived in Hawaii for many years. The class is held at Lovina's house, right on the water. Amy got to join in the dance and afterward, there was a small kanikapila where we learned some great Hawaiian songs.

Other highlights of our stay was just cycling around areas near where we were staying and visiting several marae (ancient temples, which there are a lot of here). The marae have been lovingly restored.

Cesar cuts a coconut