Starting from Papeete the farthest we go is the Vaipahi Water Gardens one of the major attractions of Tahiti. Nearby are the actual Botanical Gardens which are closed since 2024 or something like that so the Water Gardens are the only public gardens left. They are free to enter but the parking area is quite limited so we are happy that we are able to find a place to park. And then it is time to visit starting with the gift shop and small cafe at the entrance.
There are always chickens here in Tahiti and the Vaipahi Water Gardens are no exception. There are also a couple of trails that go into the mountains which we planned to hike to find the fruit doves but it is too late by now so we decide to only walk at lower altitudes around the ponds and water features.
The lower level hike is actually quite a nice one leading first to a beautiful waterfall. Which surprisingly we find deserted so we take a few photos before the next group arrive.
There are some beautiful ponds also and lots of information about the myths of the native population and how they buried their dead.
Impressively even on this short hike we see a lot of special birds with the top one being the Tahiti Striated Heron. It is a subspecies of the Little Heron that is highly endangered with only about 70 left in Tahiti so seeing one is quite special.
The other lifer that we see is a Pacific Black Duck, somehow we missed them till now but not anymore after the visit to Vaipahi Water Gardens.
We decide to walk around the pond even though it is a bit wet on the ground but it allows us to enjoy the marsh and the ponds from both sides.
We really like the many myths described here but mostly we really enjoy the lily covered ponds that are beautiful to photograph.
Nearby we make one more short stop at the Vaima Source. Supposedly you can see some eels here but no luck for us, there are some fish and lots of people swimming but no eel in the small spring fed river. So we continue on towards Papeete with one more stop at a supermarket before the next major stop at the impressive Grottes De Mara’a.
