Vai Tamaroa

Useful Information

Location:	Mitiaro Island. East coast. (-19.873344, -157.687852)
Open:	no restrictions. [2022]
Fee:	free. [2022]
Classification:	Cenote Karst Cave
Light:	bring torch
Dimension:
Guided tours:	self guided
Photography:	allowed
Accessibility:	no
Bibliography:
Address:	Vai Tamaroa.
As far as we know this information was accurate when it was published (see years in brackets), but may have changed since then. Please check rates and details directly with the companies in question if you need more recent info.

History

Description

Vai Tamaroa is a cave filled with water which is used by the locals as swimming pool. It is freely accessible, but less popular than nearby Vai Nauri. Like a cenote it is a blue pool at the bottom of a sinkhole, and locals just jump into the hole from the rim. As far as we understand it is not difficult to leave the cenote by climbing back to the surface. Nevertheless, that's obviously a fun which is restricted to fairly fit people who like swimming and climbing.

Local women used to hold gatherings known as terevai at Vai Nauri and Vai Tamaroa. They met to swim and sing bawdy songs of their ancestors. But Mitiaro’s population is declining, many live now in Australia and New Zealand. The terevai tradition is thus reactivated only during holiday periods like Christmas and New Year, when those islanders return to Mitiaro.