About Vaiharuru Falls
Vaiharuru Falls (not to be confused with the one in Papenoo Valley) was one of those look-but-don’t-touch waterfalls as it plunged dramatically at a distance from the main road. I’d have to say this is probably more for waterfall collectors or if you’re looking for a place to stretch and take a short break from driving.
However, with that said, it could’ve easily been a more touted attraction as it was supposed to be one of the filming locations of John Huston’s remake of Herman Melville’s Typee
The falls looked like it fell in two main tiers with a large section between the tiers unseen from our vantage point. It was definitely no slouch as far as major waterfalls were concerned, but I’d have to say that this was one of the more obscure waterfalls as we really had to know where to look in order to spot it. If it wasn’t for reading through our 2007 Moon book, we wouldn’t even have known to look for it. Otherwise, we easily could’ve continued driving past this guy without even noticing it or passing it off as just another miscellaneous waterfall!
With such an impressively tall and pretty waterfall, it made us wonder if there was a way to get closer to the falls without trespassing and without worrying about getting the rental car stuck or having to bushwhack our way there as there was no infrastructure in the form of signs or an obvious trail that would’ve taken us closer. Unfortunately with a fussy baby in tow, we weren’t in position to try.
Instead, the photo you see at the top of this page was taken near the bridge over the Faatautia River (see directions below). You’d probably need to have a pretty decent zoom on the camera in order to capture the falls satisfactorily. Otherwise, it’d look pretty small from such a distance. Plus, there were some trees blocking our ability to see if the falls was even taller than what we could tell. So I’m sure there was more to this waterfall than meets the eye!
I couldn’t tell if we happened to see this waterfall in a swollen state or if it could go dry in the Dry Season. Because we spotted this waterfall in the midst of Tahiti’s Wet Season (in what seemed to be a particularly active cyclone season), we weren’t in a position to make that evaluation. So it’s entirely possible that you might spot this waterfall later in the year and wonder what the fuss is all about.
Related Trip Reports
Related Top 10 Lists
No Posts Found
Related Itineraries
Trip Planning Resources
Nearby Accommodations
This content is for subscribers only. See Membership Options.Featured Images and Nearby Attractions
This content is for subscribers only. See Membership Options.Visitor Comments:
Got something you'd like to share or say to keep the conversation going? Feel free to leave a comment below...No users have replied to the content on this page
Visitor Reviews of this Waterfall:
If you have a waterfall story or write-up that you'd like to share, feel free to click the button below and fill out the form...No users have submitted a write-up/review of this waterfall
Nearest Waterfalls
