Vaimahutu Falls (Faarumai Waterfall)

Faarumai, Tahiti Island, French Polynesia

About Vaimahutu Falls (Faarumai Waterfall)

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Waterfall Safety and Common Sense

Vaimahutu Falls is one of three Faarumai Waterfalls in the northeast part of Tahiti Nui.

When we first saw it in September 2002, the falls was impressively tall though a bit thin.

Faarumai_Waterfalls_014_20121215 - Vaimahutu Falls in Wet Season flow
Vaimahutu Falls in Wet Season flow

Having made that visit well into the Dry Season, we knew it had better flew earlier in the year.

Ten years later in mid-December, we showed up again, and the picture you see above was what it looked like.

In addition to the main waterfall, we even noticed smaller temporary waterfalls flanking it!

So given that we’ve seen this falls in both low and high flow, I have to believe this waterfall reliably flows flow year-round.

Faarumai_002_09042002 - Vaimahutu Falls in Dry Season seen as we were walking the access road to the car park
Vaimahutu Falls in Dry Season seen as we were walking the access road to the car park

The Faarumai Waterfalls may also be referred to as Les Trois Cascades de Tefaarumai (as indicated by a sign at the car park here) or simply “Les Trois Cascades” since it’s possible to visit the base of three waterfalls within a short distance here.

However, I’ve also seen TripAdvisor threads referring to these waterfalls as the Fautaua Waterfalls and that is not correct.

To set the record straight, the real Fautaua Waterfalls are in the Fautaua Valley near Papeete.

Accessing the Vaimahutu Falls

Visiting this waterfall was a pretty straightforward affair as we were able to do it by self-driving (see directions below).

Faarumai_Waterfalls_004_20121215 - The car park for the Faarumai Waterfalls
The car park for the Faarumai Waterfalls

We even visited this waterfall after putting Tahiti Island’s public transportation system to the test on our first attempt back in 2002.

Therefore, I have to believe it has to be Tahiti’s most famous and popular waterfall.

It was only about a five-minute or less walk from the car park to the base of the falls.

In fact, it was easy enough for Julie and I to bring our two-year-old daughter here in an Ergobaby.

Faarumai_Waterfalls_011_20121215 - A couple along with a dog following the trail closer to the base of the Vaimahutu Falls, which was one of the Faarumai Waterfalls
A couple along with a dog following the trail closer to the base of the Vaimahutu Falls, which was one of the Faarumai Waterfalls

The waterfall was tall enough for it to be difficult to capture the whole thing in one shot without a wide angle lens when standing at the concrete viewing spot.

I figured out that you have to stand back on the main trail in order to capture the whole thing easily.

I don’t know exactly how tall the falls was, but the main visible tier that the trail leads to had to be at least over 100ft tall or more.

However, it seemed like there were more leaps and tiers unseen from the main viewing area but could be seen from the main road as well as the approach road to the car park.

Faarumai_Waterfalls_043_20121215 - Direct look right at the Vaimahutu Waterfall in Wet Season flow, which was one of the three Faarumai Waterfalls
Direct look right at the Vaimahutu Waterfall in Wet Season flow, which was one of the three Faarumai Waterfalls

It was only by noticing the falls from the approach did we appreciate the full scale of the falls.

Authorities

Vaimahutu Falls is on Tahiti Island near Papeete in Tahiti (or more formally French Polynesia). For information or inquiries about this area as well as current conditions, visit the Tahiti Tourism website or their Facebook page.

Maps and Routing Content are for annual subscribers. See Membership Options.
Content is for subscribers. See Membership Options.
Tagged with: faarumai, tahiti, french polynesia, tahiti nui, papeete, tefaarumai, papenoo, taravao, south pacific, waterfall, mahina



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Johnny Cheng

About Johnny Cheng

Johnny Cheng is the founder of the World of Waterfalls and author of the award-winning A Guide to New Zealand Waterfalls. Over the last 2 decades, he has visited thousands of waterfalls in over 40 countries around the world and nearly 40 states in the USA.
Read More About Johnny | A Guide to New Zealand Waterfalls.