Arahoho Blowhole

At Arahoho on Tahiti's north coast the sea has found a lava tube running under the coastal shelf, and swell driving into it is forced up through a hole beside the road, throwing spray across the tarmac when the surf is running. There is a pull-in beside it and a small black sand beach a short way along. On a calm day nothing much happens; with a north swell running the spray reaches the road.

What you actually see

• The blowhole - swell forced up through a lava tube beside the road.
• The spray - water thrown across the tarmac when the surf is running.
• The black sand beach - the shore a short way along the coast.
• The lava shelf - the volcanic rock the tube runs through.

When to go

The effect depends on swell; a running north swell is needed and winter is more likely. On calm days there is nothing to see. Traffic on the road is constant.

Honest expectations

On a flat day the blowhole does nothing at all. The pull-in is on a busy coast road and crossing to it takes care. Spray reaching the road makes the surface slippery.

Nearby

Faarumai Waterfalls are nearby, and Point Venus is west.