Anchorage· Raroia· French Polynesia: Tuamotus, Marquesas, Gambier & Australs
Kon-Tiki Anchorage (Raroia)
16° 3.9′ S · 142° 21.7′ W
Raroia's signature anchorage on the windward east side of the lagoon, in sand off the tiny motu where Thor Heyerdahl's Kon-Tiki raft came ashore in 1947. Flat water behind the reef, clear lagoon and evening bonfires on the motu.
Practical
Soggy Paws (July 2010): 16°03.85S / 142°21.68W in 35 ft sand off the Kon-Tiki Monument island. Jacaranda (Aug 2016): 16°03.869S / 142°21.568W; mostly sand with some bommies, and they floated their chain. Near the hoas (shallow reef channels), current and lumpy conditions can build in strong breeze. Kokopeli (Nov 2018) anchored south of the motu in about 40 ft, swung 350 degrees in squalls and had poor visibility. Villa Veritas (June 2022) found a sand patch slightly south big enough to skip floats, with lots of octopus. Getting here from the pass is a roughly 7 nm bommie-dodging crossing (see the Raroia Lagoon Crossing passage). Pantagruel (Cruising World, 2019) anchored in about 6 m of clear water behind the motus. Ciguatera varies year to year: ask locals which fish are safe.
Best for
The classic Raroia stop and the Kon-Tiki landing site
Season
Best in E-SE trades
Nearby
- Kon-Tiki Landing Beach (Raroia)0.1 NM away
- Kon-Tiki Motu and Monument (Raroia)0.1 NM away
- Raroia Coral Garden Snorkel (near Kon-Tiki Motu)0.1 NM away
- Raroia Kite Beach (south of Kon-Tiki Motu)0.1 NM away
- Raroia Lagoon Sharks, Rays and Octopus0.1 NM away
- Three Palm Island Anchorage (Raroia)0.4 NM away
- Raroia Pearl Farm1.1 NM away
- Southeast Lagoon Anchorages (Raroia)2.6 NM away