Manihi Lagoon

Tairapa Pass

The Pearl Farm Site (Manihi)

French Polynesian cuisine is a delicious fusion of traditional Polynesian cooking methods with French culinary influence. The iconic dish is poisson cru, fresh raw fish marinated in lime juice and coconut milk, served with vegetables. Other staples include grilled mahi-mahi and tuna, fafaru (fermented fish), and poe (tropical fruit pudding made with banana, papaya, or mango and coconut milk). Fresh breadfruit, taro, and sweet potato accompany most meals. The French influence brings quality baguettes, croissants, pastries, and fine wines to even the most remote islands. Roulettes (food trucks) in Papeete serve affordable Chinese, French, and Polynesian dishes.

White Sand Beach Resort Tikehau

Hotel Kia Ora Resort & Spa

Fakarava Lodge

Pension Teavairoa

Manihi is one of the northernmost atolls in the Tuamotus, offering excellent diving with significantly fewer visitors than its more famous neighbours. The Tairapa Pass provides exciting drift diving into the lagoon with grey reef sharks, Napoleon wrasse, barracuda schools, eagle rays, and occasional manta rays riding the tidal currents. The pass is narrower than Rangiroa or Fakarava, creating more concentrated marine life encounters in a dramatic setting. The Pearl Farm Site is unique to Manihi, where the structures of an active pearl farming operation create artificial reef habitat attracting schools of snapper, moray eels, and providing an educational insight into the territory's most important industry. The Manihi Lagoon offers calm, clear conditions with abundant macro life including seahorses and pipefish, making it excellent for training dives and photography. The atoll's remote northern location means it receives fewer liveaboards and resort visitors, preserving an authentic and uncrowded diving experience. A small number of pensions and a resort provide comfortable accommodation with dive operations included. The pearl farming heritage adds a unique cultural dimension not found at other Tuamotu atolls, and the combination of quality pass diving, unique pearl farm sites, and peaceful lagoon environments makes Manihi a rewarding destination for divers seeking to explore beyond the mainstream Tuamotu destinations.

Manihi (Tuamotu)

Air Tahiti flights from Papeete via Rangiroa take approximately two hours.

Where to Stay in Manihi (Tuamotu)

Accommodation Overview

Recommended Areas

Resort

Pensions

Featured Hotels & Resorts

White Sand Beach Resort Tikehau

Hotel Kia Ora Resort & Spa

Fakarava Lodge

Pension Teavairoa