A quad ride in Tahiti

I have been living in French Polynesia for 4 years now and I must admit that we often don’t necessarily take the time to discover the place we live in. I had already been to the middle of the island of Tahiti for work, but I had never taken the time to enjoy a trip there. This is now done after having tested, in collaboration with Vaihiria quad, a quad ride in the interior of Tahiti Island.

I had already heard about it briefly, but the opportunity presented itself to be able to do a 3-hour quad ride to discover the natural beauties of the Tahiti hinterland. I hope I can inspire you to stay a few days on Tahiti Island during your visit, because only a few tourists take the time to do so. For those who live here, it is also a good excuse to go on a great excursion and support this local business. Come on, let’s go, I’ll take you for a ride. For the reservation, you can do it directly through Manawa, a website that I really recommend for sports activities on the territory. When preparing your itinerary in French Polynesia, I really invite you to consider spending 2 days on the Island of Tahiti.

If you’re looking for a swimming spot after this walk, have a look at our article on Tahiti’s beaches.

The rendez-vous is given in the small town of Mataiea, at PK 47.5, on the mountain side. You can find their exact location on the web, by googling “Vaihiria Quad”. You get to know the team: Heiata and Haamana, the two young Polynesians who opened the company about a year and a half ago. A nice welcome drink awaits us. Explanations are then given on the safety instructions and the functioning of the quads, nothing very complicated so, let’s go for a 3h ride. We get to see three lakes/water retention on the road and then you turn back at the locally known Vaihiria lake, in the center of the island. Oh yes, I almost forgot that the outfit with the helmet and the charlotte is quite funny.

We left with 3 quads: mine, two girlfriends together and Haamana, who would be our guide for the day. We left the area to go down into the valley on a small asphalt road. It had been a long time since I had actually driven a quad and I liked the feeling of riding slowly and taking time to discover the place. After 10 minutes, we began on the dirt road and that’s when the funny things start!

At this point, the valley is still quite wide, but you can already see the diversity of flora in the center of the valley. For those who are not used to seeing the inner islands, it’s really beautiful to discover and it changes from the white sandy beaches as well. We were lucky as the weather is nice and even quite cool (I almost put on a sweater!). As the valley narrows, the vegetation is more and more dense! We did our first official stop at the “green lake”, a cute little dam lake in the early morning…

We continued on the dirt road that was getting more and more narrow. Then we had another nice little stop at a beautiful double waterfall a few cables away from the road! The path then took us to the superb blue lake, another artificial reservoir, much more beautiful than the previous one. Nestled at the foot of an impressive volcanic cliff where a beautiful stream of water flows off. The lake is located in an enchanting environment. We took a moment to admire this beautiful setting!

The splendid Blue Lake at the edge of an imposing waterfall. I wouldn’t imagine in the rainy season how it must flow!a

We crossed an iron bridge to proceed towards our final destination. To the right and left flowed some small waterfalls that must be really impressive in the rainy season. The excursion was at the end of September, so before the arrival of heavy rains. It would almost be worth coming back during the months of January or February with good weather to admire the waterfalls, which should have a much stronger flow!

The higher you go, the more vegetation is omnipresent and dense, it’s really nice to see and a quad ride is well suited for this type of landscape anyway! We arrived shortly afterwards at our final destination, Lake Vaihiria, at an altitude of 470m (1542ft). We were lucky because the weather was still quite fine. It must be said that the area is reputed to be the area on the island of Tahiti that gets the most rain. So clearly it’s more than wet here. We sit for a few moments at a small panorama at the top of the lake that offers superb views of the surroundings with dense vegetation and sharp ridges.

We then followed the guide towards the lake for a small fruit snack. While Haamana prepared all this, I took the opportunity to escape and take some pictures of the place by the lake. I must say that the reflection of the mountains and the vegetation in the lake is really beautiful, even though the white tarpaulins and the construction work that was there during our visit was a shame….

There are several billboards present around the lake giving explanations about the formation of the lake and the fauna and flora found in the surroundings. It’s always a little bonus in my opinion.

We took this opportunity to eat a few wild blackberries from the area and to enjoy with great pleasure what Haamana has prepared for us, a small fruit delight composed of blackberries, papaya, star apple, guava and with coconut juice to accompany it all. This is the kind of small gesture that doesn’t cost much but makes you very happy. It makes you want to see this more often at tourist places in French Polynesia. In short, it was nice! We even had the right to the legend of Hina and the Coconut tree (link in French sorry), told by our guide!

It was time for us to come down (3h went fast). We took a short swim break in the not very warm water but in a very beautiful place at the blue lake. We went back the other way at full speed for a quick return! In the end, I must say that it was still very pleasant to drive in this environment and I sincerely think that it is an excellent way to discover the interior of the island, other than with a 4×4. In short, I recommend it at 100%. Beautiful surroundings with a beautiful team and a very good time spent!

Moreover, if you would like to discover the interior of the island in a simpler way, I invite you to go hiking on the heights of Vaitavere, in Punaauia.

Practical information for the Quad excursion

Some general information to know:

• The price is 21000fr for 3 hours for 2 people (about 175€). You can also rent a quad alone for 17000fr (140€ approximately),
• You don’t have much choice in how to get there. Either you rent a scooter or a rental car in town, or they can pick you up in the city center for 4000fr (approx. 35€).
• As for timing, knowing the tropics and the area well, I personally advise you to go out in the morning instead. Very often, the interior of the island covers over in the afternoon as the clouds reach the valleys. It might give it a certain charm, but well…. you won’t see much,
• Remember to bring a small bag with you with you with spare clothes, a bathing suit, towel, sunscreen, K-Way, and your driver’s license,

Here, I hope that this little quad ride in Tahiti has pleased you and made you want to visit the middle of the island. As I said, few tourists take the time to stay in Tahiti, and I think it’s a shame. It is a way to discover the beauty of the island’s interior in half a day.

For additional things to do and see on the island of Tahiti, don’t hesitate to read our article!

I look forward to seeing you soon for a new Tahitian discovery. For those who are wondering, it is also possible to go Quad riding on Moorea Island.

Sylvain

Written by Sylvain PONS

From 2015 to 2021, French Polynesia was our home, with Mélanie and our children. I'm happy to share my experience and advice to help you organize an unforgettable stay in French Polynesia, based on my in-depth knowledge of the territory.

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