Hiva Oa
Iipona is one of the best-preserved archaeological sites in French Polynesia. You’ll be moved by its eeriness and impressed by the five monumental tiki –…
Must-see attractions in French Polynesia
Mo'orea
The spectacular Cook’s Bay is something of a misnomer because Cook actually anchored in Opunohu Bay. With Mt Rotui as a backdrop, Cook’s Bay is a lovely…
Rangiroa
South of the atoll, an hour by boat from Avatoru, Île aux Récifs is an area dotted with raised feo (coral outcrops), weathered shapes chiselled by erosion…
Rangiroa
This is what many people visualise when imagining a Polynesian paradise: a string of motu and coral reefs has formed a natural pool on the edge of the…
Fakarava
A double crescent of dreamy beaches split by a narrow spit of white-and-pink coral sands, Les Sables Roses seems to come right out of central casting for…
Mo'orea
Magnificent Opunohu Bay feels wonderfully fresh and isolated. The coastal road rounds Mt Rotui, and at about PK14 turns inland along the eastern side of…
Nuku Hiva
About 300m towards Taipivai from the Hikokua site, these three connecting sites make up the largest excavated archaeological area of Nuku Hiva. A team led…
Pape'ete
A Pape'ete institution. If you see one site in town, make it this market, which fills an entire city block. Shop for colourful pareu (sarongs), shell…
Maupiti
A more scenic spot you’d be hard pressed to find. Here the lagoon is crystal clear and the bone-white beach is nearly all sand (no smashed coral or broken…
Nuku Hiva
It’s believed that this extensive communal site, with its paved esplanade, belonged to the war chief Pakoko, who was killed by the French in 1845. Today…
The Marquesas
This glorious bay is caressed by jade-green waters and is studded with a broad strand of golden sand. It’s a good picnic spot (despite a number of pesky…
Huahine
Prior to European influence, Maeva village, about 7km east of Fare, was the seat of royal power on the island. It’s mostly famous for its concentration of…
Matairea Hill Archaeological Sites
Huahine
This walk up Matairea Hill is a high point for anyone interested in archaeology. A signpost on the Fare side of Maeva, about 200m west from the Fare Potee…
The Tuamotus
Most islanders live in Tuherahera, in the southwest of the atoll. Find peace in this pretty village, bursting with uru (breadfruit), coconut trees,…
Fakarava
Most islanders live in Rotoava village at the northeastern end of the atoll, 4km east of the airport. Aside from Rangiroa’s Avatoru, this is the most…
Rangiroa
Very few visitors venture to this charmingly quiet village edging the eastern side of Tiputa Pass. Although it doesn't have tourist facilities (all…
Fakarava
A bit of a local’s secret, Plage du PK9 is – you guessed it – 9km west of Rotoava (go past the airport and follow the dirt track towards the northern pass…
Fakarava
Simply divine. Near the northwestern corner of Fakarava, Lagon Bleu features an indescribably lovely stretch of white-sand coral beach, turquoise-blue…
The Tuamotus
Marae Papiro is a well-kept marae (traditional temple) on the edge of a hoa, about 14km from the village. In the centre of this marae you can see the…
Around Tahiti Nui
There’s a popular surf break just before the headland that signals the start of the small village of Papenoo. A long bridge crosses the Papenoo River at…
Nuku Hiva
One of the most powerful archaeological sites in the Marquesas, Hikokua was discovered by the archaeologist Robert Suggs in 1957 and has been restored and…
Around Tahiti Nui
Part of Captain Cook’s mission on his three-month sojourn in 1769 was to record the transit of Venus across the face of the sun in an attempt to calculate…
Mo'orea
The coastal road rounds Hauru Point, the northwestern corner of the island, between PK25 and PK30. Hauru Point has one of the best beaches on the island,…
The Marquesas
This tiny village, built against the steep slopes of the central ridge, retains a few vestiges of its stormy past. On the seafront stands a modest…
The Marquesas
Hanavave boasts a splendid setting, at the mouth of a steep-sided valley, best enjoyed from the sea (lucky yachties!). When the setting sun bounces purple…
Huahine
A visit to tiny Fare almost feels like stepping back in time, so perfectly does it capture the image of a sleepy South Seas port. There’s not a lot to do,…
Hiva Oa
A must-see for Gauguin and Brel devotees is the Calvaire Cemetery, perched on a hill overlooking Atuona. You will find this frangipani-filled graveyard an…
The Marquesas
Time moves at a crawl in Omoa. The most striking monument is the Catholic church, with its red roof, white facade and slender spire. It makes a colourful…
The Marquesas
High up in the valley of Hane, the site of Meiaute includes three 1m-high, red-tuff tiki that watch over a group of stone structures, pae pae and me’ae,…
Pape'ete
The Territorial Assembly and other government buildings occupy Place Tarahoi, the former site of the Pomare palace. The termite-riddled 1883 palace was…
The Marquesas
Thousands of kaveka (sooty terns) nest year-round on these islets and lay thousands of eggs daily.
Bain de Vaima & Vaipahi Spring Gardens
Around Tahiti Nui
Bain de Vaima (Vaima Pool) is where locals come from all over to bathe in the icy but exceptionally clear waters that are thought to have healing…
Around Tahiti Nui
Strategically situated at the narrow isthmus connecting Tahiti Nui with Tahiti Iti, the town of Taravao has been a military base on and off since 1844,…
Around Tahiti Nui
Through the village of Tiarei where the road swoops around a black-sand beach, you’ll see a sign on the mountain side of the road for the exceedingly high…
Around Tahiti Nui
The 137-hectare Jardins Botaniques has walking paths that wind their way through the garden past ponds, palms, a massive banyan tree and a superb mape…
The Marquesas
Hapatoni curves around a wide bay and is accessible by boat in less than 15 minutes from Vaitahu, or by a track.
Around Tahiti Nui
Just east of the village of Papara, the Marae Mahaiatea was the most magnificent marae on Tahiti at the time of Cook’s first visit (according to Cook it…
The Marquesas
Experts believe that the first Polynesian settlement on the Marquesas was here, tucked away in a bay protected on the east by the impressive Motu Hane…
Around Tahiti Nui
This museum has been closed for years but hopefully it will reopen during the life of this book. The airy site surrounded by lush foliage is lovely, and…
Mo'orea
This delightfully peaceful property perched on a small plateau is heaven on earth for the sweet-toothed, who can sample (and buy) homemade organic jams,…
