A New Hotel on Nukutepipi

Last week Tahitipresse announced a new hotel is to be built on the atoll of Nukutepipi. Oceandots.com states that it is the southeasternmost atoll of the Duke of Gloucester group. It's less than 6 square kilometers, 3.5 kilometers in length by 2 kilometers wide.

Air Tahiti does not fly there. While it's part of the commune of Hao, it's quite a distance away. Every 25 days the cargo boat Nuku Hau stops there. It costs 7900 for a one way deck ticket.

It will cost US $16,500,000 to buy the land and build the hotel, which will accomodate 25 to 40 people (that's pretty big for French Polynesia and sort of defeats the point of being on a remote island). It's scheduled to in 2007 (that's this year!)

However, before embarking on the Tuamotu project the French-Canadian investor plans to build a 40 unit hotel on the northwest coast of Bora Bora. That's scheduled to open in 2010 so maybe the Nukutepipi project is slated for completion in 2017?

I'm fascinated.

Photo courtesty of Tahiti Tourisme.