Making the most of Tikehau Tuamotu Islands
Use these notes to shape a realistic day ashore, then confirm any time-sensitive information for the date of your call.
Arriving at the port
Ships moor or anchor in this port, so tenders bring you ashore.
A printable map to take with you.
Known as "Robinson's Island", this oval-shaped atoll lies some 300 kilometers north-west of Tahiti and about a dozen kilometers from Rangiroa. It has a broad pass and multiple islets; the largest, in the atoll’s south-west, is inhabited and 900 meters wide.
Flower-filled Tuherahera sits at the southern end of this large motu, which has two further villages. Tuheiava is an important center for lagoon fishing and its many fish parks supply Tahiti’s markets; Maiaia, on the other large motu to the north-east, traditionally produces copra.
The fauna’s beauty and abundance make scuba diving popular, particularly in Tuheiava pass, where dancing manta rays alternate with parades of barracuda shoals and tuna fish, as well as gray and white-tipped sharks.
This, one of Polynesia’s most beautiful atolls, also shelters many bird colonies on its small motu. They include the aptly named Isle of Birds, well known for red-footed gannets and brown noddies.
Food and shopping
Popular Tahitian products include black pearls, tiare and coconut soaps, monoi oil, vanilla beans, shell leis, wood carvings, woven hats and baskets, and colourful hand-dyed pareu fabric worn by island natives. Visitors favour the public market. Shops generally trade from about 7:30am to 5:30pm (Noon on Saturdays), always with a long lunch hour. Other than in hotels, shops are usually closed on Sundays.
Haggling and bargaining over market or store prices is not customary.
Money
1000 CFP francs = 8.38 euros. There are no banks or ATM's here.
Staying connected
French and Tahitian are the official languages.