Mo'orea
The spectacular Cook’s Bay is something of a misnomer because Cook actually anchored in Opunohu Bay. With Mt Rotui as a backdrop, Cook’s Bay is a lovely…
Must-see attractions in French Polynesia
Mo'orea
Magnificent Opunohu Bay feels wonderfully fresh and isolated. The coastal road rounds Mt Rotui, and at about PK14 turns inland along the eastern side of…
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Nuku Hiva
About 300m towards Taipivai from the Hikokua site, these three connecting sites make up the largest excavated archaeological area of Nuku Hiva. A team led…
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Nuku Hiva
It’s believed that this extensive communal site, with its paved esplanade, belonged to the war chief Pakoko, who was killed by the French in 1845. Today…
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The Marquesas
This glorious bay is caressed by jade-green waters and is studded with a broad strand of golden sand. It’s a good picnic spot (despite a number of pesky…
The Tuamotus
Most islanders live in Tuherahera, in the southwest of the atoll. Find peace in this pretty village, bursting with uru (breadfruit), coconut trees,…
The Tuamotus
Marae Papiro is a well-kept marae (traditional temple) on the edge of a hoa, about 14km from the village. In the centre of this marae you can see the…
Around Tahiti Nui
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…
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Nuku Hiva
One of the most powerful archaeological sites in the Marquesas, Hikokua was discovered by the archaeologist Robert Suggs in 1957 and has been restored and…
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Around Tahiti Nui
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…
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Mo'orea
The coastal road rounds Hauru Point, the northwestern corner of the island, between PK25 and PK30. Hauru Point has one of the best beaches on the island,…
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The Marquesas
This tiny village, built against the steep slopes of the central ridge, retains a few vestiges of its stormy past. On the seafront stands a modest…
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The Marquesas
Hanavave boasts a splendid setting, at the mouth of a steep-sided valley, best enjoyed from the sea (lucky yachties!). When the setting sun bounces purple…
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The Marquesas
Time moves at a crawl in Omoa. The most striking monument is the Catholic church, with its red roof, white facade and slender spire. It makes a colourful…
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The Marquesas
High up in the valley of Hane, the site of Meiaute includes three 1m-high, red-tuff tiki that watch over a group of stone structures, pae pae and me’ae,…
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The Marquesas
Thousands of kaveka (sooty terns) nest year-round on these islets and lay thousands of eggs daily.
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Bain de Vaima & Vaipahi Spring Gardens
Around Tahiti Nui
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…
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Around Tahiti Nui
Strategically situated at the narrow isthmus connecting Tahiti Nui with Tahiti Iti, the town of Taravao has been a military base on and off since 1844,…
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Around Tahiti Nui
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…
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Around Tahiti Nui
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…
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The Marquesas
Hapatoni curves around a wide bay and is accessible by boat in less than 15 minutes from Vaitahu, or by a track.
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Around Tahiti Nui
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…
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The Marquesas
Experts believe that the first Polynesian settlement on the Marquesas was here, tucked away in a bay protected on the east by the impressive Motu Hane…
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Around Tahiti Nui
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…
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Mo'orea
This delightfully peaceful property perched on a small plateau is heaven on earth for the sweet-toothed, who can sample (and buy) homemade organic jams,…
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The Marquesas
Built for the 2013 Mini Marquesas Festival, this beautiful site holds a large performance area and the island's main museum. The Marquesas's largest tiki,…
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Mo'orea
A small shop at the college sells jams in local flavours as well as honey, coffee, fruit juices and, on occasion, ice cream. If you’ve got itchy feet,…
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Marae Titiroa & Marae Ahu-o-Mahine
Mo'orea
Past the agricultural college, the valley road comes to a parking area beside this vast complex, on the edge of a dense forest of magnificent chestnut…
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Nuku Hiva
Most tours stop in Taipivai to visit the Paeke archaeological site, which lies on a hillside at the exit of the village on the way to Hatiheu (the path…
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Ra'iatea & Taha'a
On Taha’a, if you’re willing to take a bit of a walk you can get to deserted Joe Dassin Beach, on the southwest side of the island, a 15-minute walk along…
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Mo'orea
At last, a public beach! Ta’ahiamanu (Mareto) Beach is one of the few public access beaches on the island. This narrow stretch of white sand is a popular…
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French Polynesia
Raivavae’s stunning lagoon, brimming with marine life and ringed by ironwood-covered motu, is one of the treasures of the South Pacific. Motu Piscine …
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Mo'orea
At PK21, a cement road veers inland and makes a very steep climb to a lookout called ‘Magical Mountain’, at a height of 209m. It's an arduous, 45-minute…
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Bora Bora
The island’s main settlement, Vaitape is not the most evocative town, but it's a great place to do a bit of shopping, take care of banking needs and just…
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Mo'orea
The best beach on the east coast, and the widest perhaps in all of French Polynesia, stretches from Teavaro round to the airport. The Sofitel Ia Ora…
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Marae Raitoro, Haunarei & Harii
French Polynesia
More than 200 marae have been found in Tubuai and the few that have been cleared are among the most fascinating in the country. Raitoru and Haunarei Marae…
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Mo'orea
A busy little village with a few shops and services, Papetoai was established as the Pacific headquarters of the London Missionary Society (LMS) in 1811…
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Tahiti
Teahupoo is world famous among surfing circles for its monster wave. Until the early 2000s, the Teahupoo wave was only known to local surfers. It now…
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Bora Bora
Faanui Bay was the site of the US military base during WWII. At the southwestern end of the bay, a steep and often muddy track climbs up to an old WWII…
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The Marquesas
Tiny and scenic Hokatu, about 3km east of Hane, lies in a sheltered bay edged with a pebble beach pounded by azure seas with direct views of imposing,…
