Built in 1988 and operated as a popular "Pension" during the 1990s, it was abandoned to the jungle for 20 years. After 2.5 years of work, I have completed a full renovation with improvements! It is a light-filled spacious house sitting on a 1.55 acre lot, surrounded with old growth trees and bird song. The big lily pond in front of the house will soon be augmented with a Giverny style bridge. It is perfect for events such as artist workshops, yoga or writer's retreats, weddings or family gatherings. The five bedrooms are each independent, with locking entries. On the ground floor are two large tiled bathrooms with showers (accessorized with big basins—“local style” tubs). A handsome circular stairway constructed with planks of tamanu wood from the adjacent forest leads to the upper floor. Upstairs the two bedrooms each have an outdoor terrace, and share a smaller bathroom with a sit-in bathtub under the gabled roof. The kitchen is equipped with the chef in mind, with a gas stove, dishwasher, refrigerator and a chest freezer in case you buy a whole tuna! There are plenty of tables and chairs, in the kitchen and in the double parlour area, a FOOZBALL and a bookshelf to keep everyone happy!

I am an artist-painter, living on Huahine since 1999. My first trip to French Polynesia was in 1979, when I stayed for 8 months and had 2 successful exhibitions of my work. I spent 20 years in Providence RI, planning my return to paradise! Since coming back, with my 2 children in tow, I have been blessed to spend my time immersed in the beauty of this place and the uniqueness of the Polynesian culture. I currently have a gallery space in the center of Fare that I share with my daughter who is a tattoo artist.

Waterlily House, or Fare Vaitumu as I also call it, is in a secluded area but conveniently located close to our main village, Fare. Only a few houses are visible and one of them is my daughter's house, Fare Tarona, which is also listed on Booking. There is a huge banyan tree behind the house, and a Tamanu forest just next to the house, which hides a "marae", an ancient stone vestige. There is a bouquet of creaking bamboo to one side and a few giant old mango trees to the other, with the gorgeous lily pond in between. The side yard is cleared so there is a big patch of sunny lawn, and hopefully soon we will get organized working on a "market garden" at the far edge, where we have another waterway with lilies. The private lane leading to the main road is fringed with banana trees. Once on the main road it's just a couple blocks before shops and restaurants begin, about 6 city blocks to the town center. There are boutiques, a big supermarket, an art gallery, a museum, a distillery of local fruits, restaurants, a pharmacy, medical and wellness practitioners, dive center, a handicraft center, a Tourism office, a Post office, churches, car, scooter, bike, boat rentals. . Beautiful white sand beaches are within a few blocks, and the pristine lagoon is fabulous for snorkeling!