Rotui Summit - September 2016

Rotui Summit - Mo'orea - September 2016

Introduction - I thought I’d take the opportunity to write a more current
description of the hike up Rotui since I felt that the post dated on this
website as well as everything I found online (including Lonely Planet) was
outdated!If you’re an avid hiker and are up for conquering a classic
polynesian peak on your time on Mo’orea this is definitely for you! Although
you’ll be bruised, scratched and sore for the rest of your remaining time on
Mo’orea, after this climb you’ll look up at the massif that is Rotui with a big fat
smile on your face!

Preparations – Lots of water. I was fine with 5 liters of
water and I brought my 3 liter camelback bladder and an additional two liters in
Nalgene bottles. There are lots of places to buy water on Mo’orea so if you
don’t have a camelback just bring a backpack and stuff it with water bottles. I
would definitely recommend wearing hiking shoes with good tread because you’ll
slip a lot on the loose dirt and mud. Most of the trail is lined with brush and
ferns which will all scratch you up. Definitely bring hiking pants to protect
your legs and I would also suggest gloves to protect your hands. My arms got
scratched a lot too but I opted to wear a breathable short sleeve shirt because
of the heat. Definitely bring a hat and sunglasses. If you are allergic to bees
(as I am) be sure to bring your benadryl and epi-pen in case of an emergency.
You’ll have cell reception the entire hike so in case there is an emergency
you can call but be sure to save the phone numbers in advance. The round trip
took 7 hours which is longer than what I had read it would take. I’m in
reasonably good shape and am typically passing people when I hike. Be sure to
start early to avoid the heat. We started at 7am were already craving shade in
the first hour or two. I honestly don’t think that you need to hire a guide for
this trip as long as you are well prepared and are confident in your abilities
to handle it. I did call around and there was only one guy who said he was
qualified to guide it because of his certifications and that he told me that he
would bring ropes and harnesses. In my opinion ropes and harnesess would only
be needed if it were raining or if you are fearful of steep slopes, which in
this case you probably shouldn’t do this anyway. If you want to book a guide be
sure to book it well in advance. You can find the phone numbers for the hiking
guides on the official Mo’orea Tourism website or in the guidebook that an
official may give you upon your arrival- http://www.tahiti-tourisme.com/islands/moorea/moorea-activities.asp

Precautions – Definitely don’t do this hike if there is rain
or a chance of rain. The dirt would easily turn into mud and it would become
even more dangerous than it already is. The majority of the hike is along a
knife ridge which is 1 – 2 meters wide so if you get vertigo and are spooked by
the thought of tumbling down thousand foot bush slopes this is not hike is not
for you. I’ll admit that I had to crawl on my hands and knees in a few spots!
For a lot of the trail there are spots in which the trail seems to be solid but
your foot can easily slip through grass/ferns/bushes. It was a constant maze of
going back and forth between tip toeing across a loose left edge and then to a
right edge in which there were uneasy drops on both sides. You’ll have to trust
your footing with each step and grab onto whatever plants you can find in order
to safely navigate the route.

General Route Description – Park at the Hilton in the service lot
on the non-beach side of the road. Walk west on the road toward Opunohu Bay and
the trail head is found by walking down the third driveway. There was a sign at
this third drive way which says “Art Deko” (see picture). Walk down this
driveway and you will see another sign which says “Rotui” and and an arrow
which directs you to the right. There may be some barking dogs and I thought
that we needed to ask permission but before we started we actually met a local
who was doing the hike as well and he said that no permission was needed. The
first section is mostly shaded and goes up a hillside along a fence and through
bamboo forest. The trail then gets rockier and steep and you’ll have to
scramble up some rocks and tree roots until you reach a point where there are
some pine trees. This is the vista first point where you can clearly see both
Opunohu and Cook’s bay. The next section starts at the beginning of the knife
ridge. There are a series of humps in which you will have to scramble up and
there is limited shade. One of the humps was especially steep so be prepared to
grab onto whatever you can to scramble up it. This goes on for a few hours and
you’ll think that you’re almost to the summit when if fact it will be a false
summit and you’ll see a saddle appear. The last section begins when you go down
the saddle and approach a sketchy hump with fixed ropes. The ropes seemed to be
safe and are tied to tree roots so just take a few deep breathes, gain solid
footing and slowly ascend. Continue along the knife ridge and go up the second
hump with fixed ropes. After a few minutes along the final stretch of the knife
ridge you will reach the summit of Rotui! There is a wooden bench and the
summit and you will see the treacherous south ridge and valley below. Enjoy the
spectacular view of the crater rim and spectacular views of Mo’orea! We reached
the summit by 11:30am which meant that it took about 4.5 hours to ascend and
2.5 hours to descend.

Images

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