GO Cruising!
09914 4675
Level 4, 66 Wyndham Street
Auckland, New Zealand
Level 4, 66 Wyndham Street
Auckland, New Zealand
Makatea Island, South Pacific, is one of the most northwesterly of the Tuamotu Archipelago, French Polynesia. It is an uplifted coral island which was once a solid mass of phosphate that was mined jointly by the British and the French. Makatea is one of the only four islands of the Tuamotu Archipelago that do not constitute a true atoll. It is administered as part of the Windward group of the Society Islands.
Makatea is surrounded by spectacular cliffs, rising to a plateau 80 meters above the sea level. The principal village is Moumu on the east coast. There is a ghost town, Vaitepaua, and a close-by abandoned port on the northern west coast, Temao, both from the times of phosphate mining
Cruise Season – Jan - Dec
Currency – CFP franc (XPF)
Language – French, Tahitian
Land Area – 24 km²
Population – 95 approx
Electricity – 2 angled flat pins and 1 round pin centred below Australian style
Time – GMT minus ten hours
International Country Telephone Code – + 689
Port Location – The port is located at the village of Moumu, on the east coast of Makatea.
Transport Links – Two cruise ships/luxury liners currently ply the islands: the Paul Gauguin, which does a regular 7-day trip around the Societies, with occasional trips out to the Tuamotus, Marquesas and Cook Islands; and the Tahitian Princess which does similar itineraries.