Island guide · Society Islands · Leeward
Huahine,
the slower Society.
Two islands in one lagoon, a village with a general-store heart, and the densest concentration of ancient marae in the country.
01 / Orientation
Two islands,
one bridge.
Huahine Nui and Huahine Iti share a lagoon and touch at a single bridge — about 75 km² of green hills, bays, and farmland, home to some 6,300 people at the 2022 census. Fare, the main village on Nui's west coast, still feels like a port town from an earlier Pacific: a wharf, a strip of shops, outrigger canoes at dusk.
History runs deep here. Around Maeva, dozens of stone marae line the shore of Lake Fauna Nui and climb Matairea hill — one of the largest complexes of pre-European ceremonial sites in Polynesia, with ancient stone fish traps in the channel that families still work today.
02 / Essential facts
The island
in numbers.
Leeward Society Islands, about 40 minutes by air from Tahiti
Ferries call some daysAbout 75 km² across the two islands; Mount Turi 669 m
Bays cut deep into both6,263 at the 2022 census; Fare is the main village
Farming still mattersThe Maeva complex: dozens of marae plus working stone fish traps
One of Polynesia's densest sitesRental cars, scooters, bikes; a relaxed 60 km of road
Little traffic anywhereMay–October; vanilla farms and melon season enliven the dry months
Surf breaks work year-round
03 / What it does best
History
you can walk.
Marae terraces under the trees, eel-filled streams at Faie, fish traps older than any map — Huahine keeps its past in daily use.
04 / A sensible first visit
Days that
use the island well.
- 01Base near Fare or Avea Bay
Fare keeps you near shops and the wharf; Avea Bay on Iti trades convenience for one of the finest beaches in the Societies.
- 02Circle both islands once
A day's slow loop: Maeva's marae, the Faie eels, the Belvedere over Maroe Bay, then Iti's beaches.
- 03Let the lagoon set one day
Boat tours cover coral gardens and motu; surfers will find long-famous passes off Fare.
- 04Buy from the source
Vanilla farms and fruit stands sell direct — the island's flavors travel home well.
Official destination info
Events, closures, and operator lists move often.
Tahiti Tourisme ↗Weather & marine forecast
Check conditions close to travel, not months out.
Météo-France Polynésie ↗Nearby & next