On forbidden paths

The road network on Tahiti is manageable. In principle, there is only one road around the island. So that it is not too easy, it is divided into the western one, called RT1, and the eastern one, called RT2. These two roads carry 98% of all the traffic on Tahiti and it can be heavy. From five o'clock in the morning, traffic in Papeete increases steadily and by seven o'clock it reaches rush hour. Nothing works any more, well, maybe at best it's still slow. At four o'clock in the afternoon, the same thing happens in the other direction. Due to the high mountains in the interior of the country, there is no cross-connection from east to west. However, there is a road from north to south, the RT20. It winds its way through the Papeno'o Valley in the north and leads through the Vaihiria Valley in the south. We were not aware that there was a road through the interior of the island at all. We were all the more curious and wanted to know what this road looked like. It was clear to us from the start that the road could not be very well paved. The best we could get from the car rental company was an SUV suitable for everyday use. But can it also do the RT20 route? We'll see.

We set off early in the morning. The crew of SV Tuvalu and Katinka Enjoy are well equipped. The cooler bag is full of drinks and we have also thought of food. For safety reasons, we take the Iridium Go with us. You never know. In Urarii Manu, we turn off onto the RT20 before the Papeno'o river. For the sake of simplicity, the valley and the river have been given the same name. The RT20 has no asphalt right from the start. Due to the rainfall of the last few days, the path is littered with numerous puddles. At the beginning, it is still possible to avoid the puddles because the path is still wide enough, but after a kilometer the road becomes so narrow that we are faced with our first water barrier. Roswitha gets out and walks through the brown sludge while we keep a close eye on the depth of the water in the car. Two to one that we could make it. However, the path slopes steeply down to the puddle. At worst, we have to push the SUV out of the puddle. We carefully feel our way forward and get through. As the number of such obstacles increases, our driver becomes more and more courageous and Roswitha can stay seated. After about three kilometers we come to the first ford. 

Ford through the Papeno'o, Tahiti

We have to cross the river. A local sits in a hut and laughs at us. “You won't get through with this thing.” Indeed, the SUV is not the right vehicle for this route. It should be a 4 × 4. Nevertheless, we take the second option and use the bridge, which is designed for up to 3.5 tons. Just about enough for us. Another kilometer further on we come to a reservoir. Now we have to use the ford, but this is no problem as the water level is low despite the rain and the reservoir is not yet overflowing. Yellow-red stones mark the route boundary. If you can no longer see the yellow of the stone and only the red marking is still visible, you are in danger. 

Waterfall in Papeno'o, Tahiti

Shortly after the dam, there are a few steep ramps to negotiate. The SUV reaches its limits and it is to be feared that we will have to get out of the car to negotiate the ramp. But we just make it. We drive further and further into the valley and reach a Tiki. Time and again, we come across a pick-up truck with seats on the loading area that drives paying guests over this uneven track. A day trip like this costs around 100 euros. You can see from the drivers' faces that we are not welcome here in our car. It doesn't take long for one of these drivers to stop us as he is taking a break with his guests. He points out to us that we are not actually allowed to drive this car here. Astonished, I ask if the road is closed. “Not that,” he replies, ‘but the car rental companies forbid the road,’ it's in the contract. 

On forbidden paths, Tahiti

In fact, when we return the car, we are asked where we have been with the car. And the GPS data was read out. Obviously, the nice guy snitched on us at the car rental company. Of course, he and his colleagues lost a whopping 400 euros, so you have to put a stop to it immediately. It's all the more annoying because we follow his advice and turn around.

Vaihiria Valley, Tahiti 

We take the coastal road to the south, into the Vaihiria Valley. At least we want to take a look at the exit of the RT20. What is immediately noticeable is that the road is much drier here. However, it is also very narrow and bumpy. Unfortunately, our plan to return with a more suitable vehicle and drive the entire route fails. It is actually stated in the contracts of the car rental companies that you are not allowed to drive on unpaved roads with a rental vehicle, even if it is an off-roader. This means that the RT20 is reserved for the locals, who use their vehicles to cart tourists across a beautiful landscape. For us, it is a forbidden path.

Winch maintenance

As planned, I also serviced the winches this week. Five of them with different levels of maintenance. Now they are all in the same condition and we have winches that will run well at least until New Zealand. Technically, everything is now so well done that we can concentrate on bunkering supplies next week. Until then, fair winds and keep a stiff upper lip.