For my last day in French Polynesia, I left Moorea using the Aremiti ferry back to Papeete in the morning and was planning to tour the island during the day. My flight to LAX being scheduled for midnight, I would give me the full day to explore Tahiti.
It started to rain a bit when we left Moorea. The ferry ride was a bit bumpy, but nothing compared to the Stuart island ride I experienced a couple weeks before !
On board the Aremiti ferry 1
Not crowded...
Leaving Moorea, with a bit of rain
Approaching Papeete with traditional Polynesian canoes.
Papeete
American tourists :-)
Aremiti 1 ferry
To visit the island, I choose to hire a car from a local car rental agency, Ecocar, which was near the airport (and actually right next to the airport hotel I stayed in 3 nights before). February being the low season, I did not see any organized tours which I could join which could fit my schedule and also wanted to enjoy the freedom of going where I wanted when I wanted.. One of the benefits of using Ecocar was that they were offering a free shuttle service from the ferry terminal to the agency. Renting a car in Moorea was quite pricey due to lack of competition (Only Avis and Europcar are operating on the island if I remember correctly and got charged about 15200XPF, about 130 Euros for 2 days - and that was using my corporate discount code), but renting on the main island of Tahiti was more affordable : I paid just 4200 XPF, about 35 Euros for a one day rental.
After getting the car, the first thing I did was to head back downtown Papeete and had lunch at the Municipal market. I also took this opportunity to buy small gifts for the family there.
I love visiting markets (or supermarkets) when I am abroad and this one was pretty nice. Although I arrived around 1 pm there, which was on the late side by local standards !
Papeete city hall
City market hours. Those guys are early birds !
Local produce
Tahitian souvenirs
I love the Joyeux Noel (Merry christmas) signs in February
My lunch in the market, some fried local fish. Yummy !
Soon after I left Papeete to drive along the main road towards the other end of the island. Like most of the Pacific islands, the road network in Tahiti consists in a main road going around the Western part of the island until you reach the town of Taravao where there is a small portion of land (an isthmus) linking another island. The main road splits in a fork at Taravao to enter a more rural part of Tahiti.
I drove counter-clockwise departing Papeete to drive along the coast and stopped on the way in different spots, when I felt like it to have short walks or take pictures for example. While this planning could certainly be improved with a better planning, I certainly enjoyed what I saw !
Teanateatea caves
The black sands of Taharuu beach
Also a surfing spot
I indeed played a bit with the drone that day, at least during the sunny spells...
At some point I reached the road intersection in Taravao and went up to the belvedère. When I got there the weather was ok, but the clouds quickly came and the rain followed. That did not last long, but unfortunately the day light was running out and I had to leave. This was a beautiful place to see, would defnitely go back there for some more hikes...
Going up the mountain
Taravao belvédère
Taravao belvédère
You can clearly distinguish the Isthmus from here. Papeete is at the end of the main island
But the clouds started to show up when the drone got out...
Going back down to sea level... Before the sunset
I continued my drive towards Papeete and around the town of Faaone stopped for a last set of pictures, with a beautiful rainbow on the way...
Selfie time !
The sun sets pretty fast on those islands and soon after I left for my last photo stop it was completely dark and it started to rain again. The polynesian people may be very friendly but on the road, this is a different thing, they tend to be a bit.. pushy ! The drive back to Papeete was a bit stressful but I eventually arrived there around 19:30. My flight scheduled to depart at midnight, I had a last stop in a supermarket to get the last few Polynesian souvenirs and refill the tank before heading to the airport...
We are still in Frnace, and having Comte in Tahiti is just priceless :-D (Oddly enough, I could get JuraFlore Comte in Tahiti, but not at home in Maastricht !)
Not sure I would do a raclette party in Tahiti !
I arrived in Faa'a around 20:30 and gave the car back without issues.
I really enjoyed my short stay in Polynesia, and Tahiti island was much nicer that I was expecting. I would love to go back there, but would plan this time exploring the other Archipelagos of Polynesia, Bora Bora and Huahine to begin with and the Tuamotu and Marquises islands also. In that respect, I would love to join a cruise onboard the Aremiti (same company as the Moorea ferry crossing). A few times a month you can board one of their ships which visit the many islands of the Tuamotu and Marquises archipelagos. This half cruise ship / half cargo ship acts as a lifeline for those remote communities. I met during this trip some people who did a trip onboard and this was a truly unforgettable experience, with a 100% Polynesian staff and authentic expeiences during the islands stops. One day, I will go back... hopefully !
Next : My first transpacific flight on board the Tahitian Dreamliner... or not ! (Air Tahiti Nui lounge PPT + Air Tahiti Nui Business class PPT-LAX)