Mooring near the pass
The entrance to Faaite lagoon is through the Teporioha pass. The Kanahava anchorage is located just at the entrance of the lagoon, on the north side of the pass and in front of the village of Hitianau. A buoy is installed on a mooring opposite the village, which is used by schooners that come to supply the atoll and by the local barge.
When this buoy is occupied, you must anchor very carefully between the numerous coral spats. Get a diver to help you, and ease your chain with a fender to avoid damaging your mooring line or the corals!
Here, there is a depth of 3 to 5 meters, and hundreds of curious fish.
A miniature village
In Faaite, everyone knows each other. It is rare that sailboats make a stopover: one is quickly noticed, but the welcome is benevolent and the locals are happy to come and meet you. The village has only a few streets and you can go around it in 30 minutes.
Hitianau offers some supply possibilities: there are two stores, whose stocks depend on the random passage of schooners. It is risky to rely on them for food! There is also a bakery, open one hour a day at sunrise. To take advantage of it, you have to order the day before.
The Office des Postes et Télécommunications (OPT) allows mail to be sent, but there is no cash machine.
An overview of Polynesian architecture
In addition to the boats of all shapes and sizes that punctuate the stroll along the lagoon, Faaite offers a glimpse of the typical architecture of the Tuamotu Islands.
The streets and houses are well maintained and the gardens made of sand are very charming. There are many driftwood sculptures, buoys and shells to decorate the village.
The town hall on stilts, designed to serve as a shelter in case of cyclone is also a remarkable element.
A lifestyle built around the resource
In Faaite, everything is designed to make maximum use of the resources available on site.
The inhabitants live largely from fishing and coconuts. Fish and copra are used locally, but also sold to schooners passing through on their way to Tahiti and the market stalls in Papeete.
Fish parks in front of the village allow to get fish quickly, without exhausting the resource. Fishing is also done with a machine gun or by diving with a harpoon.
At one time, Faaite Atoll produced drinking water by desalination of sea water. But the equipment did not work for long, and rainwater is once again used by the inhabitants.
