Blogs from French Polynesia, Oceania - page 43

Bonjour tout le monde! We're in the Archipel de la Société, where Polynesians ride bikes whilst clutching baguettes, eat croque monsieur, play pétanque and listen to accordian music (well, sometimes...). The laissez faire attitude comes naturally to Polynesians so it seems to be quite a good match. Indeed the Polynesians here voted to maintain their association with France in a referendum in 1958 (mind you, that was five years before the French started detonating nuclear bombs in the Archipel de Tuamotos). As far as the French are concerned Polynesie Française is another part of France itself and a fair number have decided to follow Gauguin and start a new life out here in the cyclone zone. One thing that immediately strikes you about French Polynesia is that there are flowers everywhere. Many of the locals wear ... read more

After all that hard work travelling around South America we decided we needed a holiday and where better than French Polynesia. We had already booked our flights from Papette in Tahiti to Rangiroa and accomadation once we got there. Rangiroa is, as you would imagine an idylic tropical island except it's got coral beaches and not soft sand, however it is still beautiful. The second thing you notice in French Polynesia after the scenery is how expensive it is, we were told this is due to there being no income tax here and all government income is generated by their equivalent of VAT ranging from 20% on small items to 80% on larger more expensive stuff. Our accomodation was adequate relativley clean with lagoon side views, the food was some of the best we've had on ... read more

What can I say about Tahiti..... Expensive! It cost me nearly 3 pounds for half a beer the robbing gits! Other than that it's a beautiful Island, I stayed in the capital Papeete but there is not much too do here. If your planning on visiting the the area you really only need a night here and then get yourself to the smaller islands. Ideally bring yourself a friend and plenty of cash also. Although there isn't much too do I'm not complaining as my sun burn from the Rarotonga was quite paingful and so I tried to stay away from the sun as much as possible. I 've started to peal and it reminds of the guy from the Austin Powers movie - It's not a pretty sight! French is the main langauge on the ... read more

It’s another morning of coffee and breakfast on our balcony as we near Raiatea. This island is almost as large as Tahiti; but its quiet, rural demeanor is far removed from the hustle and bustle of Papeete. On the way into port, we pass more over-the-water bungalows perched on an island motu. Today we dock instead of tendering. The dock area is clean and fairly new with thatched covered huts housing local craftsmen. Raiatea and it’s twin island, Tahaa, share the same lagoon and there are too many choices of things to do. Our excursion is the Faaroa River and Island Exploration. We are two jeeps traveling together with only five people in our jeep and nine of us total. First, we take a drive around a portion of the island and into the interior. The ... read more

It’s true what they say about Papeete, Tahiti; it is not the tropical paradise one imagines. This large city (by Polynesian standards) has about 20,000 inhabitants and plenty of city sounds and traffic. Sitting on the balcony, drinking our morning coffee as the ship pulls into port after another day at sea, we notice the car-jammed streets. But, it is an exotic place to us and we can’t wait to get out in the very hot and humid weather to explore. After walking down the gangplank and across the dock to a walkway that skirts the water, Alan and I are quickly soaked in sweat. We pass by another cruise ship and continue for a while along the pathway. Changing sides of the street, we walk back towards the ship looking in shops along the way. ... read more