Travel Guide Moumu

Isolated from the rest of the Tuamotu archipelago, 210 km northeast of Tahiti, Makatea has an unusual history. From a unique configuration in Polynesia, this island is a vast plateau of 30 km ², flanked by cliffs of 80 m height. The cliffs are in fact the remnant of a barrier reef, while the plateau corresponds to the toilet of the old raised lagoon.At the end of the nineteenth century, large quantities of phosphates were discovered, leading to the creation in 1908 of the French phosphate company of Oceania (CFPO), which was responsible for exploiting the deposit. The company turned out to pay, a real mushroom town, Vaitepaua, erected on Makatea to accommodate the thousands of Chinese workers working on the site.Schools are built as well as a cinema, churches, industrial facilities, a 100 m metal jetty and even a railway. In 1956, phosphate became the first resource of Polynesia, surpassing coprah and vanilla. In 1962, the population exceeded 3,000, making Makatea the most populous island in the Tuamotu. In 1966, more than 11 million tons of phosphates were ripped off from Makatea's wombs! This is the year when exploitation ceased, with reserves exhausted. In two months, Makatea was deserted without prejudice to the Territory, which found a major relay in the establishment of the Pacific Experimentation Center (CEP) in Mururoa and Fangataufa.Today, less than 100 inhabitants live in Moumu, the newly created village, replacing the ghost town of Vaitepaua. Makatea can be reached by boat through Mareva Nui, which joins the island once a month directly from Papeete. But it is not a tourist atoll, and no pension is open. Attention: The return will require you to complete the entire itinerary of more than 15 atolls.