Emergency listing: the Vice-President of French Polynesia visits Bora Bora

In April 2024, following the alerts raised by Te Fare Hiro'a nō Vāvau regarding heritage sites threatened by construction projects, Vice-President of French Polynesia Éliane Vaimeho Tevahitua travelled to Bora Bora to assess the situation on the ground.

The sites visited

The Vice-President visited four key sites:

• Te-pua-ō-Matāri'i (Nunue) — rock formations bearing petroglyphs of turtles and centipedes;
• 'Ōfa'i honu (Ti'ipoto district) — the turtle stone, listed since 1952 but still exposed to development pressures;
• Marae Maro-tētini (Pointe Mautau) — a 50-metre structure dedicated to the goddess Pele;
• Tumu iti (motu To'opua iti) — a site designated by oral tradition as the birthplace of the god Ta'aroa, directly threatened by a hotel extension project of thirty overwater bungalows.

A significant institutional recognition

This visit represents a significant institutional recognition of the work of Te Fare Hiro'a nō Vāvau. It demonstrates that cultural associations rooted in their territory have a real role to play in heritage protection — and that their voice can reach the highest levels of Polynesian institutions.

Emergency listing procedures were initiated following this visit. The association continues to monitor their progress in liaison with the Direction de la Culture et du Patrimoine.