Pape'ete
At the top of the hill at around PK8, pull off to the lagoon side of the road and park in the lot that once belonged to Tahiti’s very upmarket Hyatt Regency. From this crumbling site of the abandoned hotel you’ll get sublime views of Matavai Bay all the way to Pape’ete, including the silhouette of Mo’orea in the distance.
One Tree Hill was named by Captain Cook who used a tree here (now gone) as a landmark. The hotel has been closed since 1998.
4.48 MILES
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…
2.59 MILES
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…
1.39 MILES
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…
Bain de Vaima & Vaipahi Spring Gardens
18.36 MILES
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…
6.72 MILES
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…
18.7 MILES
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…
18.31 MILES
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…
19.44 MILES
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…
1.04 MILES
On the edge of Matavai Bay, this wide curve of sparkling black sand is great for a dip. It never gets crowded. The eastern side is framed by steep…
1.39 MILES
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…
1.5 MILES
In Arue, on the water’s edge, signposted and just a short detour off the coastal road, is the tomb of the last of the Pomare family. The Tomb of Pomare V…
1.62 MILES
Towards the outer edge of Pape’ete’s urban sprawl in Arue is this lovely little replica of Mutiny on the Bounty co-author James Norman Hall’s house. The…
2.26 MILES
The black-sand Plage de Hitimahana is exposed to the prevailing winds, which makes it an excellent kitesurfing and windsurfing spot.
2.59 MILES
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…