Facts and figures about Taha’a:

• Number of inhabitants: 5 296
• Surface area: 88 km²
• Number of vanilla pods consumed everyday : who counts?

3 reasons to visit Taha’a:

• Swim nearby the coral reefs
• Buy lots of vanilla for your whole family
• Taste the local rums

“Toi… Petite sœur de l’île sacrée… On t’appelle la sauvage, parce que tu es belle.”

Does it ring a bell? It means only one thing: you have already spent a couple of nights out in the open around a good ma’a Tahiti and a Hinano case, putting the finishing touches to your repertoire of hit local songs… Come on, put these spoons and ukulele down, party’s on Friday night! As for today, you guessed right, we are talking about the island of Taha’a.

“Lulled by the murmur of the waves, the royal vanilla scent filling the air,” the Te Aho Purotu music group was right, this small island of the Raromatai is a nice place to live. Quiet and mysterious, it inspires and aspires to peacefulness. Taha’a is indeed not devoid of this old-fashioned charm peculiar to the Leeward islands.

Surrounded by a whole bunch of motu, it is located only 4km away from Raiatea and is shrouded in the same turquoise. But that’s all they have in common because, in Taha’a, everything is small, starting with the surface area. The family guesthouses only own a few bungalows, the luxury resorts make sure to limit the maximum occupancy and stay close to their travelers, everything is intended to preserve both authenticity and hospitality. You know what they say: “the smaller the size, the bigger the welcoming.”

An island tour…

“Pédaler vélo…” Yep, that’s another local song, but the island tour is way better with a great playlist, isn’t it? You are free to choose the means of transport you like. So what will it be today: an eco-bike, a scooter, a car, or a buggy? The most important thing is to take your time. You’ll get used to it, the island time… Take a look at this tropical Eden. Just a piece of advice, if there is one place you shall stop by to take a few pictures, it is the heights of the Ha’amene bay, 100%: the view from here is literally breathtaking.

Hiking

What team are you? Ham, butter, and pickle sandwich or Sao-Spam? You have to take a side. Walking gives you an appetite and, even though Mount Ohiri is just 598m high, a quick nosh-up will be most welcome… With its four bays and uneven relief, Taha’a looks just like a three-leaf clover from above. Its hills, its waymarked paths, its 180° panoramas overlooking the lagoon and surrounding motu make it even more pleasant for nature lovers.

Visit the vanilla plantations

You can smell it too, right? This sweet perfume filling the air… Pretty sure it’s the vanilla pods from the valley, getting a tan. Yes, if Taha’a is called the “vanilla island,” it is probably because 80% of the Polynesian production comes from here. Have you never added a bit of vanilla extract in your sauce to complement your haura or mahi mahi dishes? You should. Do you even know how vanilla grows? If not, you should definitely come to the vanilla farm. Vanilla is first and foremost a cute yellow orchid that wraps around trees and likes to grow in humid and shady places. And, just like any orchid, it’s hard work… From July to October, at dawn, flowers are cross-pollinated by hand. Patience, gentleness, and agility are three of the qualities required if you ever want to invest in a vanilla farm because, once they bloom, flowers stay open for a few hours only… Once ripe, the pods are carefully put outside on big stands to take a sunbath for a few hours, and it looks like we arrived right in the middle of their tanning session. Afterwards, the farmers take them to a shady space and repeat the process a few times until they are fully dried. But the farmers have a lot more to tell about the whole process. As a bonus, you can buy a few goodies: vanilla essence, powder, hydrating creams, and monoi.

Discover the Pari Pari domaine

Don’t you think it is time for an agricultural rum sample tasting? Welcome to the sugar cane den! At first glance, it doesn’t look much, but don’t be so sure. Here, people make eco-friendly, up-market rums only, from endemic species. Just go and take a look around as you are being told about the distillation process, rum, and coconut virgin oil making. As for us, we will wait for you in the shop, busy tasting the 55° white rum and old rum (both gold medal winners, by the way…).

Explore the coral garden everyone keeps talking about…

Come on, you must have heard about this coral garden a hundred times. You know, the one right next to motu Tautau… Whether you are the kind of person who puts on their snorkeling gear before the captain starts to speak or you are more into staying onboard and wrapping yourself up in a towel, this is THE spot, the reason why lagoon tours are so popular in Taha’a and Raiatea. Reason number 1: the corals are still very colorful—which is rare nowadays. Reason number 2: it’s quite easily accessible—all you have to do is let yourself be carried away by the current. Your mission: counting the number of clownfish, surgeonfish, triggerfish you come across, bypassing the coral reefs and avoiding the moray eels. Level of difficulty: intermediate.

Visit a pearl farm

What do you know about Tahitian black pearls? Answer a) A lot: go straight to the shop and choose a pearl, a pendant, a bracelet, or whatever you like. Answer b) Pretty much nothing: back to square one. Time for the owner’s tour, followed by a pearl grafting demonstration and a quick lesson regarding pearl classification. As for the farm itself, the least one can say is that you are spoilt for choice: Love Here Pearl Farm on the Northwest side, Ia Ora na Pearl Farm nearby Tapuamu, but our favorite is the Champon Pearl Farm, in the Apu bay.

A lagoon tour

Vanilla plantation? Done. Rum distillery? Done. Coral garden? Done. What if you could tick the boxes in just one day? That’s the whole concept of a lagoon tour, with a few swimming sessions with sharks and stingrays here and there and a local lunch on an islet.

The Mana’o rum distillery

You feel like we keep repeating ourselves? Not at all, we just like a good old rum. And the thing is that there are a couple of Paris International Rum Fest gold medal winners at Mana’o’s. Not bad for a small local company which harvests its sugar canes by hand at dawn. Give it a try and tell us what you think about it…

A sunset cruise

Last but not least: a nice breeze, a glass of Champagne, good music, and a coral sunset… All of these from a boat with the bay in the background…

Frequently asked questions