About us
vision STATEMENT
There is a sanctuary. A place where natural beauty and personal privacy are revered. In such a place, we effortlessly reconnect to nature, nurturing our higher selves as we discover the dual heritage of the first contact between the Polynesians and the Europeans and the shared future as the story continues to unfold. The personal journey to unlock the secrets to our own health and healing are a delicate interweaving of the traditional and timeless with the modern and high tech.
The site itself has a natural beauty that stops you in your tracks. It captures your attention and expands your field of vision as you look out across the horizon up to the sky and down to the sea below. You have to turn your body around to be able to see everything and there is a lot to take in. The stillness of being at the clifftop taking in the view across the vast South Pacific ocean allows us to hear the whispers of our own intuition and destiny.
With self sufficiency as a core value, the entire property is planted out as a permaculture food forest, where sumptuous organic fruits and vegetables are literally within arms reach. This uniquely Tahitian wellspring is staffed by a high performing cohesive team of multiple disciplines ready to welcome VIP guests in a relaxing family environment that rekindles the connection with vibrant natural living, all with an authentic taste of Polynesia.
The developers
Stuart Smits
The primary focus of Stuart’s professional endeavors over the past 20 years has been on structuring innovative energy and real estate projects and business models to adapt to the realistic challenges of climate change, with a focus on innovative project and program design at the local government and tribal levels.
For the past 11 years, Smits has been engaged full-time in renewable energy project development activities, including project feasibility and due diligence, structuring project sales and acquisitions, negotiating sophisticated energy project structures, and working with several municipalities (in US, Mexico, and Peru) in launching innovative renewable energy project funding programs.
Over the past 5 years, Smits has focused upon indigenous economic development initiatives blending an innovative set of legal and financial structures designed to scale economic development projects.
Prior career activities included several decades of distinguished accomplishments as a trial lawyer, handling complex cases involving managing the efforts and work product of subordinates, outside counsel, and hundreds of experts.
Ben Eastwood
With over 20 years’ experience as a chiropractor, working 3 countries and in multiple languages and cultures; Ben has a broad base of clinical practice spanning the attentive care of newborns and developing babies, elite athletes who compete on the world stage, through to the resolution of chronic pain syndromes for people of all walks of life in his local community. Ben has an expertise within the philosophy art and science of well-being.
Throughout his career he has enjoyed working both independently and in collaboration with multi-disciplinary teams from around the globe. Including a spot on the global WSL medical team, working in step with the event coordinators since 2012, and as a consultant for Air Tahiti Nui since 2015 in various capacities spanning seat ergonomics to workplace health and safety.
These invaluable exposures have provided a with a deep understanding in wellness experience both as a discerning consumer and high end provider; equipping me with the ability of transferring to a new venture within the luxury wellness and regenerative tourism sector.
Ben works and resides full time in Tahiti and acts as the Piha’apape project’s political and cultural liaison.
Heirama Fearon
Heirama Fearon is a Hawaii-based seasoned entrepreneur with an impressive history of tourism and hospitality business successes in Hawaii and French Polynesia. He was raised in Bora Bora, Tahiti, literally immersed in the hospitality industry, and later educated in Hawaii and California.
His family has deep generational ties and extensive networks throughout French Polynesia. Heirama is fluent and interacts in English, French and Tahitian.
He represents the 3rd generation of Tahitian land developers, following in the footsteps of his Grandfather, Ed Fearon, who built the first luxury resorts in French Polynesia in the 1960s (Hotel Bora Bora and Taha’ara).
Over the past 20 years, Heirama has established many tourism and hospitality related businesses in Hawaii and Tahiti. He has demonstrated excellence in his approaches to innovative business optimization and operational success. His keen eye for design and detail has cultivated his longtime interest in nature photography and cultured jewelry design involving Tahitian black pearls.
Heirama’s priority project is the Piha’apape Estate Project, a 5 star + state of the art Hotel and branded residential project located on the island of Tahiti. This innovative and groundbreaking project is centered around wellness, regenerative tourism and agriculture, while showcasing ancient Polynesian cultural heritage.
Baron Ah Moo
Baron R. Ah Moo has over 30 years of experience in investment, hospitality finance and operations. As a recognized expert in emerging markets and cross border transactions, Baron’s capital markets, mergers & acquisitions and portfolio asset management engagements are global in nature, having lived and worked in four countries in three different continents. His list of clients includes private equity funds, major hotel operators and private wealth and family offices.
Baron was the founder and Managing Director of BLI Capital Group, a leisure real estate advisory and consulting firm. His previous roles include serving as the Head of Hotels-Capital Markets for Colliers International based in Hong Kong, COO for the Hotels Division of Lewis Fund Holdings, one of the largest Family Offices in the UK (GBP 4 billion assets under management), and as the CEO of Indochina Hotels and Resorts, which managed the largest private portfolio of leisure real estate in Vietnam (USD 500 million assets under management).
Baron has contributed to several industry and media publications including Bloomberg Television and was featured on the cover of Hotel Investment Outlook. He is a contributing author to “Strategic Hospitality Leadership – The Asian Initiative” and was nominated by Cornell’s President to serve as a member of the University’s Alumni Council.