Tahiti’s North Shore

When hearing about Tahiti, I guess most people imagine white sand beaches, coconut trees, beautiful tanned girls (and boys), bright colors everywhere you look. And for surfers, you can add the perfect reef breaks, Teahupo’o being THE break you want to surf. And if you don’t feel like paddling out, at least you want to have a closer look at the beast.

Now I want to tell you about this part of the island that few people don’t really talk about. And I have to admit that I used to find it a bit boring myself, probably because I had spent so much time over there during my childhood and teenage years (plus I’m not a fan of black sand). But not that long ago, I re discovered this area and realized that it really is a great place. So, let me take you, just for a few minutes, to Tahiti’s North Shore (yes, we have one too)…

Between October and April (rainy season, but well, it still gets sunny), the north shore of the island gets all the big swells coming from Hawaii, only a bit smaller, which makes it possible to find within a few miles stretch everything you can think of:

1 shore break for bodyboarders eager to break their neck (no joke, these guys are crazy)!

1 beach which gets a little bit of the big swells and where you can teach the kids to surf and bodyboard safely (that’s where I take my little one bodyboarding).

2 perfect reef breaks, a left and a right (the left is a rippable wave that I love, really fun, and the right.. huh, well… don’t fall there because there’s no water. The wave nearly breaks on a dry reef, so if you make every take off, you’ll get barreled wave after wave, guaranteed!

About 10 super rippable beach breaks right on the side of the road, with one break called Chinese Bay (don’t ask why, I have no clue) that stand-up paddlers particularly enjoy.

Waves breaking in the open sea if you want to give tow-in surfing a try (nothing like Peahi in Maui, but it’s big enough to make you think twice before going out).

1 kite beach where you can either attempt huge tricks or surf (and here again, you have a choice between kiting the reef or the beach).

Is that all?? Hmmm, I’d say yes for the maritime options. And if the conditions are not that good, well, you can still go hiking in the beautiful valleys, swim in the rivers’ pure water (just choose your river carefully though) and admire the waterfalls.

I remember the day when I really realized what a great place it was: I had spent a few hours kiting and before going back home I decided to have a look at that right hander I just told you about. From the beach I could tell it was definitely not worth paddling out… there were waves for sure, but the reef was above the water surface (!!!).

Thank you, no thank you, not in the mood for that today. So I just stopped at my friend’s kite shop (www.moanareva.com), just to see him closing the store. He was like: “Keen for a stand-up paddle boarding sesh?” And there we went, cruising with our paddle boards, all the way to the left hander this time, where he caught a few waves.

Even if I didn’t catch any waves (these boards are way too big for me, I just can’t turn, psssshhh!!), the great smile my buddy had on his face was enough to make my day. We paddled back home a bit before dark, with the sunset right in front of us and actually stayed in the water until 7pm, catching small waves at the beach break before going back to his place. It had been a perfect day, and if I hadn’t been that cold, I would have stayed in the water even longer.

Sometimes, I get dissatisfied with my life and just wonder how I can make it perfect… but when I write about my lifestyle and my islands, I realize that I can’t complain: I live in a great country that provides me with all I need.
I think these words by Antoine de St Exupéry say it all: “perfection is achieved not when there is nothing more to add, but when there’s nothing left to take away”.

Vainui