Amanu (or Timanu, as the island is called in Puamotu) is a really beautiful island in the Tuamotus. We have the impression that it is a bit greener than Hao. A highlight for us was that we were visited 3 times by a whale at our anchorage. He (or she?) came very close to our boat. The corals at our anchorage were very beautiful and quite a lot life in the water. We saw many sharks and also on land the nature looks relatively undisturbed in many places. We saw many coconut crabs and you can hear birdsong everywhere.
The village on Amanu is called Ikitake and about 200 people live there. There is a small harbour basin where you can anchor if the boat has not much draft. With us it would be just about at the border. But instead of trying it out we decided to anchor outside the village behind a reef. Maybe also because there were already some boats in the harbour (3 Cats and a monohull). At the anchorage we are undisturbed and can still go with our kayak comfortably ashore and walk to the village. So we see also more of the island. The village Ikitake is very tranquil. There are 2 small churches (old and new church), 2 shops, a post office and the mayor/city hall (Mairie). At the moment the harbour is under construction and a new pier is being built.
The atoll Amanu has several passes. 2 of them are navigable by yacht. All are relatively narrow. The pass Fafameru, which is the closest to the village, was our choice. When we arrived there was just outgoing water and waves from the north, i.e. waves and current in opposite directions. As it was already late and we still wanted to find a place to anchor with daylight we decided to dare to enter the village. It was quite a hot ride. We had similar conditions only in Bahia/Equador. But everything went well and we could find a nice anchorage before sunset. A neighbouring sailor gave us a tip to find a good spot. Sea charts of Amanu are inaccurate. Many places in the atoll Amanu are deep (over 30 meters) and there are lots of corals, so it is not always easy to find a good spot. Especially near the village. In the north I think it is a bit easier, but we haven’t been there. In total we were only 5 short days on Amanu. Besides enjoying the island we were also busy preparing our boat for the crossing to the Marquesas. We wanted to use the announced good weather window. Nevertheless we are glad that we could experience this beautiful island at least for a few days.
