Taravao is a neck of land, and you notice it the moment you arrive. Tahiti is two volcanoes joined by a narrow isthmus, a figure of eight lying on its side, and this is the waist. The coast road from Papeete splits here: one arm heads on around Tahiti Nui toward Teahupoo, the other climbs to the plateau and the viewpoint over the isthmus. For a rider it is the island's junction, supply point and breathing space all at once.
The town itself is practical rather than pretty. Afaahiti and Taravao have grown together into a community of several thousand, with supermarkets, petrol stations, pharmacies, a market and bakeries that open early. It is the one place on the south and east loop where you can confidently fill the tank, buy water and find a proper sandwich. Take advantage, because both Teahupoo and the long quiet shore to the west have little beyond small shops.
What makes Taravao worth more than a pit stop is the plateau above it. A road climbs into cooler air through pasture, with dairy cows grazing on green fields that look oddly like Normandy under tropical sky. Higher still the road gives views down the isthmus, with the sea on both sides, and on a clear morning you can see across the channel to Moorea. It is cooler, quieter and a good deal less hurried than the coast, and the bends are easy, though rain falls often and the tarmac can be greasy where trees overhang.
The place has a military past, since the French garrison built a fort here in the nineteenth century, and the isthmus has always been strategic as the only land link between the two halves of the island. Locals will tell you the area has a slightly different character from Papeete, more farming, more fishing and more slow Sunday lunches. If you arrive in the late morning, you might pick up fruit from a roadside stall, mangoes or pamplemousse the size of a child's head, and eat it sitting on the kerb.
The best time to come is early, when the light is soft and the supermarkets are empty. Then you can take the road onward with a full tank and some idea of what to expect.