Top choice in Around Tahiti Nui
Success has done nothing to dull the buzz at Blue Banana, a hip lagoonside restaurant in Puna’auia. The food is as good as the ambience – feast on innovative French and Polynesian dishes (small portions but artistically presented) and fine French vintages from the air-conditioned cellar. Pizzas also grace the menu.
Make sure you ask for a table out on the pontoon and arrive early enough to sip a drink and watch the sun set over Mo’orea. Reservations are recommended on weekends.
5.05 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…
11.49 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…
10.48 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
18.45 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…
14.25 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…
19.4 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…
15.51 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…
20.14 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 MILES
The elegant Marina Taina is a trendy spot featuring restaurants, bars, two diving centres and, of course, lots of yachts.
2. Musée de Tahiti et des Îles
2.31 MILES
Only 15km from Pape’ete along the west coast, this excellent museum, in Puna’auia, is divided into four sections: geography and natural history; pre…
2.44 MILES
This narrow stretch of white coral sand is suitable for swimming and has public facilities.
4.37 MILES
This square is an evolving multi-use development project on Pape’ete’s western edge. The far end of the square is home to a 5000-seat pavilion, which is…
4.4 MILES
This is the main walking area along the waterfront, where you’ll find paved walking paths that meander past blooming planter boxes and the occasional tree…
4.53 MILES
Although the Catholic cathedral is placed squarely in the town centre, Tahiti remains predominantly Protestant, a lasting legacy of the LMS missionaries…
4.56 MILES
This pearl museum was created by pearl magnate Robert Wan with aims of luring visitors into his glamorous shop. It’s a worthwhile, small and modern museum…
8. Robert Wan Musée de la Perle
4.56 MILES
This pearl museum was created by pearl magnate Robert Wan with aims of luring visitors into his glamorous shop. It’s a worthwhile, small and modern museum…