Public domain (NASA astronaut photograph), Wikimedia CommonsAnchorage· Faaite· French Polynesia: Tuamotus, Marquesas, Gambier & Australs
Hitianau Village Anchorage (Faaite)
16° 42.0′ S · 145° 21.2′ W · approximate
The Kanahava anchorage just inside Faaite's pass, on its north side in front of Hitianau village. Few yachts stop, and locals often come out to say hello.
Practical
Coordinate approximate: set on the north side of the pass mouth, inside the lagoon, from the BoatNews (Sept 2022) description and the OpenStreetMap pass beacon. Depth 3-5 m over coral patches with 'hundreds of curious fish'. A mooring buoy off the village is reserved for the supply schooners and the local barge. When it's occupied (or always, to be safe), anchor very carefully between the coral heads: get a diver to help and float the chain with fenders. Sloepmouche (2008) called the outside anchorage uncomfortable with S swell or occasional W wind, on a hard-coral shelf. Current from the pass sweeps the area, mostly outgoing. Dinghy to the town pier. A stick-marked dinghy channel through the reef also reaches the village in protected water (from inside, head back toward the pass; the sticks are on your left just before the pier). Village: two to three small magasins, a bakery, the OPT post office, no ATM. Faaite belongs to the commune of Anaa; population 317 (2017).
Best for
A quiet village stop by the pass