Anchorage· Taha'a· French Polynesia — Society Islands
ZMR de Apu (Taha'a)
16° 40.9′ S · 151° 29.2′ W
Taha'a's biggest small-boat zone, a sand shelf at the mouth of Apu Bay off Pointe Toamaro, facing Raiatea across the shared lagoon. It is the first stop out of the Raiatea charter bases and the only Taha'a zone that allows month-long stays.
Practical
Quota: 10 boats for up to 48 h plus 10 boats for up to 30 days, renewable (decree); the 2025 brief rounds this to 20 yachts, 48 h to 30 days. Position is the centroid of the five decree points ZM-AP-1 to AP-5 (WGS84). The zone sits just north of the marked Taha'a–Raiatea channel (beacons No11, No13 and Fl(2)G.6s No15 on the SHOM base chart in the decree annex), so keep clear of the fairway. Get ashore at the second large pier, the one furthest inside the bay, which belongs to Champon Pearl Farm. Nearby: a bakery open only 6am–8am; Taha'a Yacht Club (opened recently: dock, showers, toilets, waste collection, sail loft and mechanics, fruit and vegetables to pre-order, tel. 87 27 53 57); Ficus restaurant, open some evenings only (87 30 20 66); Fare Vanira vanilla plantation with its own dinghy dock (87 75 74 73); Maru Iti massage by appointment. Poutoru pier, on the other side of the bay, has the Maupiti Express shuttle to Raiatea. Standard ZMR rules (arrêté 911 CM, 26 June 2025): boats under 20 m only; anchor inside the charted polygon; overnight (4pm–9am) must be pre-booked on escales.gov.pf, by email to escales.dpam@administration.gov.pf or by phoning DPAM on 40 54 45 78 (24/7). Day use 9am–4pm is free within the quota. Inside the zone: 5-knot limit, no sailing, anchor light from sunset to sunrise, AIS left on if fitted, no scuba, jet skis or windsurfers, swimming only close to your own boat, no underwater or hull lights, no grey/black-water discharge. The booking service was free during the 2025 pilot; the brief says fees start in 2026, so verify locally. DPAM planned to lay permanent moorings in 2026; once a zone has moorings, anchoring there is banned and you must use a buoy.
Best for
First and last night of a Raiatea charter; longer stays; Champon pearl farm visit
Season
Year-round; the SE trade blows across the bay mouth