Kauehi is a small slice of paradise in the South Pacific. It was our first atoll after leaving the Marquesas Islands. After all we’d heard about the entrances of atolls we were a bit on edge but we hit this one just perfect…..ebb tide!!!
You enter through Arikitamiro Pass which is a wide (200 meters) and deep pass (9 meters) making it pretty accessible at any time. This was a nice way to start our trip through the atolls. The first thing we noticed was the clarity of the water. Jilly was on the bowsprit watching for bommies and could see well over 45 meters to the bottom. It is pretty awesome!
Anchoring At Kauehi
The anchorage we chose was straight in front of us and pretty easy to navigate. There are a couple of large bommies on either side of the channel about midway through but our charts were dead on so all was good. There is also another anchorage just south and east of where we anchored. We chose the one we did because there were quite a few boats at the other one and none here.
The village of Tearavero is just north of where we anchored and is said to be very accessible. They even have lighted beacons to help if you’re arriving during the night. We choose never to arrive or depart an atoll at dark, but if we’d have had to, we think this one would have been okay.
Now that you’re in the Tuamotus bommies (coral heads) are literally everywhere so it pays to take time and really look around before just dropping your hook. The best time to anchor is between 1000 and 1400 when the sun is high in the sky and provides the best visibility. We always tried to ensure we’d arrive during this time even if it mean heaving to for a while.
Floating your anchor chain is highly recommended in the atolls as it saves the coral and it prevents you from dealing with a tangled mess of chain when you get ready to leave. We used a small round fender we have on board and it worked perfectly when we needed one. If you’re unsure of how to float your chain Cruising World has a great article that tell all about it. Click Here!
The anchor spot we used had a good sandy bottom and the coral was much closer to the shore, so we didn’t have to worry about bommies or floating our chain. And, there was snorkeling right in front of us.
The waters are spectacular and clear here but the snorkeling was a bit disappointing. The coral is mostly dead but we did see some life that provided hope that it is coming back.
The Village Of Tearavero
We never went into the village here because by this time we were ready to be somewhere secluded. Since we didn’t go to Tearavero we can’t really tell you much about the people or the available facilities. We have heard from friends who went to the village that you can get limited, very limited, amounts of diesel but we don’t know the quality and honestly we wouldn’t suggest it unless you absolutely have to get some extra fuel.
There are a couple magasins located in the main village. These small villages rely on the supply ship for their regular supplies. We have heard that buying up supplies in these remote villages can sometimes be detrimental to the locals. We tried to obtain our supplies at the larger villages so as to have minimal impact on the locals.
As for internet….I’m laughing as I write this. Don’t expect to find it here. In fact, unless you are at one of the larger places like Fakarava or Rangiroa where they have very slow connections, you are pretty much out of luck. It’s just one more reason we were thrilled to have our Iridium Go. We kept our families aware of our travels and were able to get emails and great weather information.
Of course Starlink has now introduced their new Maritime Plan that is made for cruisers so if you’re willing to couch up the $2500+ USD and $250/month you can probably have reasonably good internet anywhere in the world.
We spent several days here just enjoying the peace and quiet of one of the most beautiful places on earth. As you can see below, we always had big smiles going! Of course, who wouldn’t? We’re in paradise!
To see more of the beauty of Kauehi, click on the button below.
Read about more about our trip to Kauehi by clicking below.
And don’t forget the Tuamotus Compendium on the Soggy Paws site is a fantastic resource to provide you with information on places we did not visit. Click on the image below to go to their compendium.
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