Faaroa River

The Faaroa is the only river in French Polynesia that can be navigated, running down a valley into Faaroa Bay on the eastern side of Raiatea, and it is paddled by kayak or taken by small boat up through overhanging hibiscus, mape chestnut and wild ginger for a couple of kilometres before it becomes too shallow. Tradition holds that the canoes that settled New Zealand and Hawaii were launched from this valley.

What you actually see

• The navigable stretch - a couple of kilometres of river passable by kayak or small boat.
• The overhanging forest - hibiscus, mape and ginger closing over the water.
• The valley - the deep bay and valley the river runs down.
• The voyaging tradition - the canoes said to have set out from here.

When to go

May to October is the dry season. Trips run in the morning when the water is calmest. Heavy rain raises and muddies the river.

Honest expectations

The navigable stretch is short and the trip takes a couple of hours. Trips must be booked with operators rather than self-arranged. Mosquitoes along the river are persistent.

Nearby

Uturoa is north, and Taputapuatea is south.