SOME GOOD REASONS TO GET THERE !

Ahe a • A destination off the beaten trackt a glance • The lagoon and its riches (fauna, flora, scuba diving/snorkeling opportunities, unique environment)

• Discover some of the world’s most famous pearl farms • A destination which captures all the strong points and charm of the Tuamotu archipelago • A surf spot in the Tiareroa pass for those who love surfing (and are adept surfers…!)

Coordinates: Latitude 14°30 South, longitude 146°00’ West

Population: 561 • Coordinates: 132 km2 / 85 mi2 Administratively, the atoll is related to the commune of the neighboring atoll Manihi, which is situated about 20km/12.7 away.

AIR TAhITI FLIGhTS Air Tahiti oers 3 to 4 weekly flights.

PRAcTIcAL InFoRMATIon • 2 family pensions • 1 medical dispensary • 1 Air Tahiti agency • GSM (Vini) network and Internet access available Attention: there are no banks or ATMs available, so it is important that visitors plan ahead and bring cash, or arrange other forms of payment in advance.

‘ō’ō, PTILINOPUS CORALENSIS, PTILOPE DES TUAMOTU / ATOLL FRUIT DOVE PHOTOS?PHILIPPE BACCHET

About 470 km/292 miles to the North of the island of is the Tahitian name for these low-lying islets made up of coral Tahiti—a one The Hub of Tahitian Black Pearls-hour long ight away—lies the atoll of Ahe debris. The ring-shaped strip of land that constitutes the atoll is tempting visitors to enter the captivating universe of Tuamotus covered by ranks of coconut trees—which is the island’s main coral islands. The Tuamotu archipelago is French Polynesia’s vegetation—, and is punctuated here and there by small and Today Ahe’s 561 inhabitants represent a rather discreet largest archipelago with 78 atolls and covering an ocean space shallow passes with radiant colors, called hoa. Depending on presence surrounded by a grandiose environment. The main of more then 1800km/1118 miles long and 450km/279miles the swells and tides some of the shallowest hoa are left dry. village called Tenukupara lies on the main motu at the South wide. In fact, it is the biggest chain of coral islands in the entire of atoll, and here the inhabitants gather in religious centers, area known as the inter-tropical Oceania. Like many other Populated in the First Millennium the city hall, the post oce or in the atoll’s primary school, atolls in the Tuamotus, Ahe is a low-lying and ring-shaped coral an essential institution for the island’s children. The main island. Its underlying structure has been created over the span It is thought that Ahe was populated by Polynesians as early as occupation on the island is the cultivation of Tahitian black of millions of years, and today the visible parts of the island lie in the rst millennium (C.E). At the time, the Polynesian people pearls. Ahe’s lagoon oers the perfect conditions for pearl just a few meters above sea level, with most of the island having migrated from Occidental Polynesia (the islands known now as cultivation and the pearls that are “born” here are widely disappeared underwater over time. The atoll’s “donut-shape” Fiji, Samoa and Tonga), and populated the islands of so-called sought after and have a reputation of being particularly separates the ocean from the lagoon, which is Ahe’s treasure Oriental Polynesia. After these long-distance migrations by lustrous. However, the more traditional activities of shing because of its abundant fauna and ora. The atoll measures sea, the Polynesians settled and developed civilizations which and copra (dried coconut which is used to make coconut oil 23 km/14.5 miles long and on average about 12 km/7.8 miles were perfectly adapted to the environment of the Tuamotus, and other products) continue to be of great importance for wide, and there is only one passage that breaks the ring shape particularly making use of their navigational skills and their much of the island’s population. The atoll’s airport opened in connecting the lagoon to the ocean; the Tiareroa pass which abilities to take full advantage of the ocean’s resources. It was 1998, opening up for flight service to the atoll, and this has beauty and perfection of this unique environment. As one is situated on the Northeastern shores of the atoll. Tiareroa is not until much later, in 1616, that the Europeans “discovered” helped to advance tourism. The island has great potential approaches the atoll, the view is reminiscent of that of a a deep and wide pass which allows for yachts, as well as the Ahe. The Dutch navigators Jacob Le Maire and William Schouten because of its exceptional and pristine natural environment, water lily oating graciously on the deep blue sea. Soft so-called “goélettes”—small cargo ships—to enter the lagoon. were the rst to have observed and documented Ahe during and the local population is concerned and actively involved shapes and vivid colors ranging from the orange coral The “goélettes” bring freight and connect these distant islands, one of their expeditions in the Pacific Ocean. First contact with in the ght to preserve the environment. Visitors to Ahe shores to the various blues and greens of the ocean greet thereby representing a vital lifeline for the local population. the Europeans and colonization followed, and in 1880 Ahe arriving by plane are certain to be mesmerized by the visitors and inspire the lust for exploration. The atoll’s perimeter is constituted of a string of motus, which became a French protectorate.

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