Deena flew from SF to Tahiti and spent a week in Moorea before joining us in our Gambier-Marquesas passage. She shares her experience in Papeete and how to deal with Air Tahiti inter-island flights, how to get internet access, and how to get cash in French Polynesia. Note: her Moorea tips are in another post, although the picture is from her horseback riding in Moorea..

PAPEETE

I was only in Papeete for a day, and only because of delayed AirTahiti flights, so I didn’t have anything planned. I stayed in Hotel Sarah Nui (quirky, but fine) because it’s walking distance from town – you can walk to the market , which is open every day, but early hours, so check before you go. On Sunday, it’s only open from 4am-9am! You can also walk to the evening food trucks (awesome local scene, every night from 6:30pm-10pm).

Musée Tahiti and her Islands. You’ll likely need to take a taxi to this museum. It’s a great overview of native Polynesian life, and don’t let the hotel tell you it’s closed on Sundays, call, because they might be open. (It was the only thing I could do on Sunday, everything else was closed). After the museum, you can walk (~5 min) to Le Meridien hotel. Gorgeous architecture and a great place to get a drink or a meal before asking them to call you a cab to head back to town.