The OPT team has “put the clocks back on track” on the Raiatea–Tahaa sprint, the second stage of the Hawaiki Nui va’a this Thursday. Shell Va’a, second, holds a slim two-minute advantage in the overall standings, while Popora te hoe mamu remains in the wings. The final stretch, 58 kilometers long and cushioned by favorable swell, has everything to offer a spectacular finish in which cap choices will be “determinant.” On the vahine side, Ihilani va’a delivers a royal double, and a New Zealand V6 creates the surprise by finishing ahead of Air Tahiti among the juniors.
The scenario is common, if not classic, in the second stage of the Hawaiki nui va’a, the shortest at 27 km in the lagoon of Tahaa and Raiatea. The team that won the first stage, comfortably placed in first overall, “plays the strategy,” rotates its crew, and only makes sure to tag their day-earlier pursuers. Those, for their part, have no choice but to give their all to gain precious seconds in the standings. “That is exactly what happened again this Thursday,” notes Alex from Va’a News, our partner who brings this 2026 edition to life for listeners of Radio 1 and Tiare FM. Shell Va’a played the marking strategy. The OPT Team wanted to put the clocks back on track and rode solo from the funnel to the finish line.
The OPT thus wins this sprint stage in 1 h 56 min 30 s, with an “interesting lead” of 1 min 32. However, that lead does not allow them to take the overall first place: Shell will keep about two minutes of lead before the final stage. It remains the Po Pora te hoe Mamu team, who finished second on Wednesday and fifth this Thursday, who sit on the final step of the overall, a little under six minutes behind the leader. They are followed by Team Huahine, Enviropol, and EDT va’a, distanced but neck and neck.
Determinant Cap Choices
But that still means that this third and final stage toward Bora Bora, the longest, will be decisive as usual. Last year, the OPT team arrived there dominant, ready to string together a second consecutive victory. Shell Va’a, thanks to a “magical” crossing away from the other canoes, ultimately pulled away at the finish by more than 7 minutes, stealing the title. Could there be a new twist this year? “Two minutes of lead translates to about 400 to 500 meters over 58 kilometers; it’s possible to go and grab it,” notes Alex from Va’a News. Freshness, endurance, and the crews’ mindset will clearly play a role, but “on the third stage, depending on conditions, the cap can truly be determinant,” emphasizes the specialist.
The forecasts, with strong east winds and a southwest swell, are “very good conditions to go from Taha’a to Bora.” “But the rowers will be tested and will have to show their talent,” adds the onboard commentator, who recalls that the OPT team made a navigational error in the first stage, losing about 800 meters to the leading duo. The 2024-winning crew has reasons to seek revenge, especially since after their recent Molokai victory, everyone knows the qualities of their helmsman. Facing them, Shell can count on its new recruit Hotuiterai Poroi to find the right course:
Ihilani reigns, the Kiwis victorious among the juniors
This second stage also marked the end of the race for the vahine, with Ihilani va’a dominating and placing both of its crews on the two highest steps of the podium. The Tahitian women had left the title last year to a Hawaiian crew, which did not participate this year. By contrast, foreign guests were well represented among the juniors: Akarana waka ama, a New Zealand V6, beat the Air Tahiti junior Team by 1 minute 48, allowing it to take first place in the final standings ahead of the Tahitians and a Hawaiian crew.
