Tahiti - good initiation to French Polynesia
Written: Jun 20 '00 (Updated Jun 20 '00)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Interesting culture, beautiful island
Cons: Not as good as other islands for snorkeling and beaches
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| Jennlee.2's Full Review: Tahiti |
Tahiti - just the word brings up images of shimmering white sand beaches and palm trees in a perfect tropical paradise. I visited Tahiti while on a South Pacific cruise and I enjoyed Tahiti a lot, although I'd recommend some of the other islands more highly for their beaches and their beauty. (I wrote a review on the cruise - look in my profile if you're interested)
Tahiti is about an 8 hour flight from Los Angeles. To find Tahiti on a globe or atlas, find Hawaii. Look south from Hawaii to the equator. Next look directly south again about the same distance and there is Tahiti and the rest of the Society Islands. It is fairly expensive to visit Tahiti and the South Pacific. Resort stays can go for $500-$1000 per night (food not included). Simple "burger" meals can cost $12.00 and higher. It is understandable, as these small islands have to import so much from far away that the cost is high. Gasoline is very expensive and purchased by the liter. I don't recall exactly, but we put in enough to drive about 50 miles and it cost about $12.00. I found the most economical way to see the islands was a package cruise where your room and board is included.
Tahiti is the main, most developed island in French Polynesia. It is comprised of volcanic peaks, the highest of which is more than 7000 feet tall. Most of the people live on the low, flat parts of the island near the coast. Approximately 160,000 people live on Tahiti Nui and Tahiti Iti, the two parts of the island of Tahiti. The French military has a presence in French Polynesia and have several buildings in Tahiti. It is not uncommon to see the French military around the island. Need a college degree? Consider University of Tahiti, a four year institution on the island of Tahiti. Tempting, isn't it?
For history, Tahiti is in what is called the Society Islands, one of the archipelagos that make up French Polynesia. Tahiti has been a territory of France since just after World War II. Further back, we've all heard the story of Captain Cook and the mutiny on the Bounty. Further back than that it is believed that people from South East Asia settled on the Society island of Raiatea from which point they eventually spread out through the South Pacific and Hawaii.
If you visit French Polynesia, it is very likely that you will fly into Papeete, Tahiti, no matter where your final destination is. Actually the airport is in Faa'a, but it's close to Papeete. I'd recommend spending a couple days in Tahiti to acclimate yourself to the climate and the culture and then head out for Moorea, an island only about 12 miles from Tahiti, which has many more beautiful beaches. Or hop a flight to Bora Bora, one of the most beautiful islands.
Papeete is a bustling city along the island's North North West side. The city is fairly large and very accommodating to tourists. There are many shops that sell tourist items and the public market (for natives and tourists alike) is huge. The public market is located a few blocks from the port (where the visitor's bureau and the Moorea ferry is located). I recommend visiting the visitor's bureau to pick up information on Tahiti and other islands to which you may be travelling. Information on tours and so forth is also available.
Tahiti is famous for it's black pearls (farmed in the area on several islands). These pearls are really expensive and can cost several thousand dollars for one pearl. Cost and quality vary greatly, but expect to pay a lot for black pearls. I don't like them much myself, I think they resemble ball bearings, but some people love them. Be careful if you purchase because you'll be spending a lot of money and you want to get the real thing. Only shop at reputable stores.
The island boasts a number of interesting and historical sites. You can visit the Paul Gaughin museum and find out how this artist settled on Tahiti to find something in himself for his art. You can walk on a coral beach and see and feel a "blowhole". You can surf at one of several surfing beaches. You can visit public gardens (the whole island is a giant garden, but to see many native plants in a small area, the gardens are great). You can visit a fern grotto and see lovely ferns growing upside down on bare rock cliffs. You can visit a beautiful waterfall. You can visit a lagoonarium. You can see a spiritual marae and find out about native Polynesian religious heritage. Tahiti has a museum dedicated to the history of Tahiti and other South Pacific islands. There are a few white sand beaches where you can swim and snorkel and some black sand beaches where you can swim or surf.
A key to beaches is the black sand beaches are best for surfing and the white sand beaches are best for snorkeling. The white sand comes from the breakdown of the corals and it means the beach area is protected by a reef. The waters there will be calmer and you can usually swim and snorkel easily.
The climate in Tahiti and the rest of the South Pacific is wonderful. It is usually warm and humid. Still, you're wearing shorts or a bathing suit and the climate feels great. The only place I was uncomfortable was during a really hot day in Papeete. The road goes through between the water and the main part of the city and there can be a lot of traffic and a lot of exhaust. The humidity and heat, combined with the car fumes was a little bit much for me. This was our first day in Tahiti and having come from the Midwest during early spring I needed a few days to get acclimated. We were told this area doesn't have hurricanes but they do occasionally get large wind storms. They get tropical rains, heavy warm rains. Many of the islands are protected by coral reefs which break the large waves so the island is protected.
When you're in Tahiti you can either rent a car, take a tour, or use public transportation to get around the island. One day we took a tour via taxi van from an outfit called Alan and Emilie Taxi. Emilie was great - a polynesian woman who had lived in America for several years and spoke English very well. She knew all about the island and told us about its history (recent and past), plant life, and its culture. We enjoyed our tour around the Tahiti Nui (Circle Island tour). The cost of this tour was $150.00 for the day and we split it among four people (could have had 6 max).
Another day in Tahiti we took Le Truck, the Polynesian public transportation, to a public beach called Mahana Park and did some snorkeling. Le Truck is like busses in America except they are large trucks with passenger space built onto the back. You pay about $2.00 apiece to get just about anywhere. The trick is to find the correct Le Truck. This took us a while, but people are very friendly and helpful. When we got on Le Truck we weren't sure where to get off, since we didn't recall exactly where the beach was. Communication with the drivers in the truck cab isn't possible, but the other passengers were happy to help out. The Le Trucks will stop anywhere on route to pick people up, or there are also designated stops. We found that the driver would honk at anyone standing near the road and if they'd signal, he'd stop.
The public beach at Mahana Park was nice. The snorkeling there was easy and a good initiation to the South Pacific. The water is exceedingly calm and you can walk out from the beach and snorkel in shallow water among sporadic coral with plenty of fishes. Not the best for viewing abundant coral, but it was a great experience.
French Polynesia is an interesting combination of European culture and native Polynesian culture. The people there speak Polynesian and French. Many also speak English because of the tourists. Many people have french bread delivered to them a couple times a day in boxes that look kind of like mail boxes. It was not uncommon to see people riding bicycles carrying loaves of fresh french bread.. Life is simpler there - the native people usually aren't in a hurry and take things easy. You don't need much in paradise, and many people have very happy lives living in a small house (very small by American standards).
Being the most populated and having lots of tourists, Tahiti was the most littered of the islands. The beauty of Point Venus was a bit reduced by the uncollected trash and litter. Still all in all, a beautiful spot. Make Tahiti your stopping place for a few days and then head out to see some of the other islands if you can. The South Pacific is one of the most beautiful places in the world.
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
Jennlee.2
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Member: Jennlee
Reviews written: 117
Trusted by: 55 members
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