Landmark· Mataiva· French Polynesia: Tuamotus, Marquesas, Gambier & Australs
Pahua Village (Mataiva)
14° 52.0′ S · 148° 42.6′ W
Mataiva's only village, split in two by the atoll's single shallow pass and joined by the longest bridge in French Polynesia; a quiet place of about 290 people, a mairie, the Sainte-Therese church and a small quay.
Practical
Coordinate is the Pahua village node in OpenStreetMap. Population 294 (2017 census). The mairie (OSM, 14.86687S 148.71042W) and the Eglise Sainte-Therese (OSM, 14.86948S 148.70938W) are in the village; the airport is a short walk west. Yachts cannot enter the lagoon (see Pahua Pass) and there is no recognised outside anchorage, so Pahua is visited by air from Papeete or by the supply ships that serve the atoll. Accommodation is in family pensions; the Mataiva Plongee dive centre runs outer-reef and pass dives. Most land on the atoll is reached on foot, by bike or by 4x4.
Best for
Experiencing a tiny, traditional Tuamotu village by air
Nearby
- Pahua Bridge (Mataiva)0.1 NM away
- Mataiva Airport (MVT)0.2 NM away
- Pahua Pass (Mataiva, not navigable)0.2 NM away
- Mataiva Plongee (dive centre)1.9 NM away
- Mataiva Lagoon Pools (the 70 basins)2.2 NM away
- Ofai Taunoa Turtle Rock (Mataiva)2.2 NM away
- Mataiva Atoll (no yacht anchorage)2.5 NM away
- Mataiva Bird Motu3.3 NM away