Anchorage· Aukena· French Polynesia: Tuamotus, Marquesas, Gambier & Australs

Aukena Anchorage (Gambier)

23° 8.0′ S · 134° 55.0′ W

Turquoise water over clean sand off Aukena's SW shore, a short hop from Rikitea but a world away: pine-and-palm hillsides, the St Raphael church and trails to old missionary ruins.

TuamotusMarquesas

Practical

Coordinate from Sugar Shack (Feb 2022): 4 m of sand with no bommies. Pitufa used 23 deg 07.962'S 134 deg 55.027'W in good-holding sand (2015). The south end can be rolly, and better spots lie further NE above Pointe Puirau. Approach: pearl-farm buoys block any direct route from Rikitea. Follow the northern edge of the inner reef that joins Mangareva to Aukena toward Aukena's southern tip, keeping all floats to port. The buoys run very close to the reef, and new lines are set all the time, so an old GPS track may be blocked. Use your eyes, not the chart. A wrongly charted coral head lies near 23 deg 07.90'S 134 deg 55.46'W. Hug the Aukena shore going north and watch for coral heads. Bernard, who lives below the saddle, asks boats not to anchor within about 100 m of his house (front or sides) without permission. The north side of the island is private, so no landing there. Northerly gusts of 40-50 kn hit here in a 2013 winter front. The Vini tower on Aukena gives the best 2G in the lagoon.

Best for

First lagoon anchorage outside Rikitea

Season

Best in E-SE trades and calm summer weather

Nearby