Ever dreamed of a vacay on a postcard-perfect island in the pacific? Well conjure up the cover of a Vogue travel magazine and that’s the island beauty of French Polynesia that awaits you.
You might be familiar with this cluster of islands and atolls from popular honeymoon destination, Bora Bora. But French Polynesia is actually about the size of Europe. There you’ll find jaw-dropping natural beauty from crystal clear lagoons to lush volcanic mountains.
The time you spend exploring these islands depends on you and the kind of holiday you want to experience. We gave ourselves two long weeks of island time. But if you don’t have the luxury of time, even a few days is enough to unwind on a tropical escape.
T A H I T I
When travelling to French Polynesia, all international flights descend into Tahiti. Tahiti is known for a famous surf break, black sand beaches and volcanic mountains. It’s the culture capital of the Society Islands with markets, museums and restaurants aplenty. However, it’s not the drawcard of the islands (and is surprisingly dirty). I recommend staying a maximum of two days to experience what it has to offer before taking a ferry over to Moorea or flying out to one of the other islands.
For ease of travel, you can book a rental car from the airport in Tahiti. A car is the best way to explore the island as there is one road that winds around the island. Most restaurants and shops are clustered around the capital of Papeete. We loved visiting Papeete market for the authentic Tahitian culture, crafts, food and souvenirs. If you want to learn more about Tahitian and Polynesian culture, a visit to the museum (Musée de Tahiti et des Îles) is also a must-see!
While you’re in the area, grab lunch by the wharf at Restaurant Le Moana and enjoy the harbour view. There’s also plenty of other delicious restaurants and cafes around with all kinds of cuisines.
It’s probably worth staying in Papeete to be close to everything unless you’re an experienced surfer who wants to spend their days surfing the legendary Teahupo’o wave. We stayed at Tahurai Homestay right at this famous surf break. The owners were so accomodating and we met some friendly but serious surfers determined to surf this lethal break everyday! Being longboarders back home, we decided to watch this lethal wave from a boat tour that gets up close and personal with mama nature’s power. But the wild weather conditions meant the boat ride was cancelled so we settled on watching from the shore.
Funnily enough, it rained pretty much the whole time we were in Tahiti and though the skies were moody and grey, it cast a poetic picture on the unique black sand beaches and cascading waterfalls. Our favourite waterfall was the Three Cascades. It has a lovely little walk and sweet Tahitian creation story. However, simply driving around the island will reveal stunning waterfalls sprinkled across the mountainous interior. And you’re spoiled with the ocean right next to you on the other side of the car as you drive. If you’re lucky, you might see a rainbow on your way around once that tropical rain dissipates.
M O O R E A
You’ve probably heard of popular honeymoon destination, Bora Bora. But in my opinion, Moorea is full of the same natural beauty without the hefty price-tag that comes with the famous honeymoon isle.
We pre-booked a car ferry from Tahiti to Moorea for ease of travel and the ride over the seas is stunning. As you draw closer, you will see the sweet heart-shape of the land mass, amazing aqua lagoon surrounding it and majestic mountainous interior. As soon as you drive out of the wharf, you’re spoiled with the view of the overwater bungalows perched on the lagoon like an island mirage.
We decided to book local homestays as we were travelling with a group. Though our accomodation wasn’t quite the extravagant luxury of an overwater bungalow at the Hilton, the places we stayed were still so beautiful and owned by local families. I believe this better supports their economy and gives you as a traveller a more authentic Polynesian experience. Our first homestay was a little beach bungalow right near a private beach. The family were so kind to us, providing delicious homemade coconut bread and bringing over fresh coconut water cut from the palms!
The main call of Moorea is the opportunity to swim with whales migrating from Antartica for mating, calving and resting. Whale season is from the 1st August – 11th November, the only time of year you’re allowed to swim with these majestic creatures. We booked two whale tours in our time, one with Moorea Moana and the other with Moorea Expeditions. The idea was to maximise our chance of swimming with these incredible beings. Our first tour with Moorea Expeditions was on a very windy day, making us all feel a little sea sick. It took us a long time to find some whales and the water clarity wasn’t great. It was still amazing to catch a glimpse of the whales but I wasn’t quite satisfied. But our second tour was picture perfect and we probably spent a whole hour in the water with the whales. The detail and magnificence of them up close and personal with the mama, baby and escort whale was breathtaking! You also get to snorkel with the manta rays and reef sharks in the lagoons on your way back to land. If whales and underwater photography is your thing, you might consider reaching out to work on the tour boats to take photos for travellers and spend as much time as possible with these incredible creatures. And if you’re passionate about ocean conservation, you might consider reaching out to the Coral Gardeners. They do some amazing work on restoring the reef by planting coral and raising awareness. You can also help them by adopting a coral.
We were excited to learn more from the locals through booking some private workshops. One of these was a flower crown workshop. Run by local creative businesswoman, Poema Du Pre, she came to our accomodation with her beautiful flowers, wisdom and smile. She showed us how to prepare, weave and make flower crowns and necklaces using materials native to the land. This gave us inspiration for how to use a similar process with our native flora back home! We felt like we were in Moana wearing our flower crowns, taking pictures by the lagoon.
Another activity we organised was a local cooking class at Food & Cook Lab. There we learnt to make poisson cru, tasty taro chips, coconut bread, traditional desserts and more. Set against a lush backdrop, it gave us more knowledge about traditional Polynesian culture and cuisine.
We also booked a horse riding tour with Opnohu Valley Ranch. This was pretty comical as though we paid quite a lot, the place was a bit rundown and tour guide spoke no English. He just smiled his crooked smile and used lots of gestures and took lots of pictures. The best part was the shower caps we had to wear under our helmets, haha! The journey itself was beautiful trekking through the mountains of Moorea. However, I do recommend booking the tour for early in the morning or later in the afternoon as it was hot, hot, hot when we went!
I highly recommend booking a cultural dinner and dance night at one of the major resorts during your stay. We headed to the Hilton and treated ourselves to a buffet dinner and cultural dance spectacular. One of the locals even pulled me up on the dance floor at the end to shimmy and shake. It was hilarious!
Definitely hike up to Magic Mountain for stunning views of the island and surrounding lagoon. And for free, you can simply swim and snorkel in the lagoons. We had the best time swimming with little Marlon fish (the one from Finding Nemo) and taking underwater videos. Then make sure to bring a summer read so you can lay on the beach and soak up the Tahitian sun. And don’t forget to catch the sunsets! You might like to stop at the beach on your way to dinner or even check out a restaurant by the sea.
Over our time on Moorea, we went back to Ioranasmoothies many times for a delicious acai bowl fix. Other cafes and restaurants I’d recommend are Carameline for a French pastry, Coco Beach for a drink by the water and Manava for a boujee dinner. But keep in mind, the coffee is pretty terrible everywhere! Haha.
How long should you stay on Moorea? I recommend anywhere from three days to one week, depending on how much you want to do (or not do)!
O T H E R I S L A N D S
Though we only visited Tahiti and Moorea, there are many other islands in the cluster that are worth a visit. We chose to skip famous Bora Bora simply for its sky-high prices and the fact that the very small island mostly draws honeymooners. In our eyes, Moorea provided the same natural beauty with more adventure and activities for young friends to experience. I’ve also heard great things about Rangiroa. Though this island has more of a remote, castaway islands feel.
C U L T U R A L C O N S I D E R A T I O N S
It’s always polite to travel to another country knowing some language basics to show respect. Here are some common greetings and phrases you might like to learn:
Hello – Io rana (yo-rah-nah)
Thank you – Maururu (mah-roo-roo)
Goodbye – Nana (nah-nah)
Yes – E (ay)
No – Aita (eye-tah)
Polynesians love to celebrate natural beauty. You’ll notice as soon as you’re welcomed by a local that they love to tap into the beauty of flowers. You might receive a hand-woven flower necklace. If you’re a woman, you can also wear a flower behind your right ear to show that you’re single or behind the left to show that you’re taken.
I hope this blog post has inspired and educated you on how to go live your best island life in French Polynesia!
Love Clo xx