Time in Tahiti

Here’s a look back at my first time in Tahiti. I spent a cumulative total of 4.5 days in French Polynesia while on my way to and from Easter Island in 1998. I flew out of Sydney to Papeete on 20 November. Thanks to the dateline I arrived in Tahiti earlier the same day. I then spent an afternoon exploring downtown Papeete before transferring to Moorea with the local ferry service.

For the next three nights I camped out in a garden villa at Moorea Village Hotel on the island’s west coast. The hotel had 80 bungalow style villas, each with its own kitchenette and private access to a stunning white sand beach. Sadly, the resort closed in October 2005 and its distinctive beachfront restaurant has been reclaimed by the sea. These days the building’s red concrete balcony pillars are all that remains.

How do I know this? While researching this post I struggled to find any reference to the hotel’s prominent beachfront building. By chance, I stumbled across an image of its remains as shown above. I can only surmise that the structure fell victim to a devastating cyclone. The prime candidate is Oli which swept through the region in 2010. I’ve subsequently learned that ten of the villas were re-leased and reopened as Moorea Fare Miti resort.

The weather for my stay wasn’t as dramatic. Instead it was partially overcast and humid, punctuated by a brief tropical downpour every afternoon. However, the inclement weather matched my mood perfectly. A few months earlier, my first long-term relationship had come to an unexpected end. In the months before we broke up, my former partner and I had talked about visiting Tahiti. I’d decided to proceed with the trip, in part as a defiant form of revenge travel. 

It’ll come as no surprise to learn that traveling alone on a romantic tropical island isn’t a great distraction. Instead, I spent several days largely confined to my bungalow wallowing in self pity. However, despite my mood and the inclement conditions I still found time for some memorable excursions. This included an awesome parasailing ride in the lagoon facing the InterContinental Moorea Resort. 

The sensation of rising into the air behind a surging speedboat was awe-inspiring. As a solo flyer, I was initially harnessed to the parasail onboard the boat, then gently launched into the air from a platform at the rear. As I rose, a second crew member slowly unwound the tow rope sending me higher and higher. The view of the lagoon from my flight’s highest vantage point was spectacular, to say the least. Of course, the boat driver pulled a classic cliche manoeuvre. At one point he slowed the boat, waited until my feet touched the water, then opened the throttle and sent me soaring again.

Sadly, the Intercontinental didn’t survive the COVID pandemic. Its overwater bungalows, restaurants and recreational facilities now lie abandoned on the island’s north coast. However, some of its co-located attractions including the Moorea Dolphin Center continue to thrive. While at the resort, I took time out to watch the center’s trainers put some of its dolphins through their paces.

For my third day on Moorea, I hired a scooter for a half day. I spent time racing along the island’s western coast, soaking in the azure lagoon views, and visiting the island’s more renowned sights including Belvedere Lookout and the photogenic Eglise de la Sainte Famille church. Images of this building’s pristine whitewashed walls and vibrant red trimming are frequently used to promote the best of Moorea.

As I noted earlier, when I wasn’t exploring the island’s coast I hung out in my garden villa. However, with no television, radio or wifi available there wasn’t much to keep me occupied. One afternoon, I walked into the nearby village to source some reading material. Unfortunately, most of the books and magazines on sale were published in French. I eventually found a couple of English language editions of GQ magazine.

On 23 November, I packed my bags and returned to Papeete by ferry. I then made my way to the airport for a midnight flight to Easter Island. Once again, the time zone difference worked in my favour. I landed early the following morning and enjoyed two full days on Easter Island before returning to Papeete. You can read more about my time on the island here.

My return flight arrived mid-morning on 25 November. With time to kill before another late-night flight to Auckland, I decided to spend my final hours in Tahiti enjoying dinner and a cultural show. I booked myself a table at Te Tiare, a restaurant at the InterContinental Resort on the main island of Tahiti. The resort is considered one of Papeete’s finest. It sits on the island’s northwest coast looking over the lagoon towards Moorea.

As I sat down to dine, I noticed an elderly lady sitting alone. I asked her if she was a solo diner and offered to join her for the evening. She was delighted to accept and warmly welcomed me to her table. We enjoyed a delightful evening together swapping traveller's tales, watching fire dancers, and women in grass skirts, whirling their way around the restaurant’s open-air stage.

My overnight flight departed Tahiti at the ungodly hour of 1:00am. I finally arrived in Auckland on 27 November where I enjoyed the company of my parents and my brother Matt and his family for three nights. Mum could tell that time alone in Tahiti had somewhat dampened my spirit. She did her best to cheer me up. I finally arrived back in Sydney late on 29 November.

Tahiti by Paul Gauguin

Garry and I were reminiscing recently with friends. They’d just returned from their first cruise, a voyage to New Caledonia and the Loyalty Islands. Their anecdotes brought back memories of our first cruise in July 2004. At the time, Garry’s cousin, a travel agent, offered us a discounted, last-minute porthole stateroom cruising Tahiti on the Paul Gauguin. On a whim, we decided to book it. 

A few weeks later, we flew out for Papeete. Our flight arrived late so we booked ourselves into the Hilton Hotel for an overnight stay. The following day we woke to perfect tropical weather. A pattern that persisted for our entire time in Tahiti. After a complimentary breakfast, we retired to a couple of sun loungers for a lazy morning by the hotel pool.

Later that afternoon we checked out and made our way onboard the Paul Gauguin. This is a relatively small and intimate cruise ship. It carries a maximum of 330 guests, who are attended to by a total of 209 crew. Despite its compact size, the boat boasts three superb restaurants including a fine-dining venue called L’etoile.

For the next seven days, we cruised through some of the South Pacific’s most picturesque islands. Our first night on board saw us set sail for Raiatea and Tahaa. We woke the following morning to be greeted by stunning views of a lush, mountainous island enclosed by an equally stunning lagoon. The largely unspoiled shoreline was dotted with small villages and fringed by palm trees. 

Raiatea and Tahaa share the same fringing reef. The captain took advantage of this unique phenomenon. We sailed through a narrow reef break in Raiatea and traced a route along Raiatea's northwestern coast before crossing over to Tahaa. It’s hard to describe the breathtaking beauty of such an expansive lagoon. 

For example, as we sailed along Tahaa's west coast, a photogenic red-roof protestant church in Tiva sailed into view. This simple structure, surrounded by a low brick wall, sits right on the water's edge. Its dazzling white facade stands in stark contrast to the tropical wilderness that surrounds it. Interestingly, Tahaa is Tahiti's largest producer of vanilla pods. It's responsible for more than 80% of the nation's annual production of this fragrant spice. 

After a morning of lagoon cruising we dropped anchor at Motu Mahana, an idyllic white sand island on Tahaa’s western fringe reef. The crew set up a private playground for us to enjoy. This includes a floating cocktail bar, deck chairs set along the tide line so that we could dangle our feet in the water, and a sumptuous BBQ lunch.

I made good use of the complementary snorkelling gear and swam out to explore the coral. Sadly, the colourful underwater seascape I’ve previously enjoyed off Port Douglas was nowhere to been seen. Instead, largely barren rock and dead, broken coral covered the lagoon floor. Although, much to my surprise, the dilapidated reef was still teeming with life including schools of adorable little Zebra fish.

However, the real highlight of our cruise came on 21 July. This was the morning we glided into the truly spectacular Bora Bora lagoon. Our first glimpse of its iridescent surface, framed by the iconic Mount Otemanu, was simply breathtaking. It’s easy to see why the French impressionist painter, Paul Gauguin, fell in love with this island.

Our boat spent two nights moored in the Bora Bora lagoon. Garry and I took advantage of the extended stop and booked two memorable excursions. The first was an outing into a remote corner of the lagoon to feed wild manta rays. To this day, we still talk about the unique experience of being relentlessly “humped” by a school of hungry rays.

Our guide led us into the water where we stood waist-deep and hand-fed dozens of extremely friendly rays. These hungry creatures swarmed us, riding up our backs and thighs, often without warning, as they fought to get to the food on offer. In the distance, timid reef sharks continually circled but never ventured close enough to make us panic.

Our second excursion saw us spend an afternoon circumnavigating Bora Bora on ski jets. Our tour guide took us on an exhilarating ride around the dazzling aquamarine lagoon that encircles the island. Our excursion included a brief stop on the island’s far side. Here we beached our jet skis, quenched our thirst with freshly shucked coconut water and, watched local artisans at work.

For the final two days of our cruise we sailed to Moorea, Tahiti’s second largest island. The boat then anchored overnight in Cook’s Bay. We spent most of our time onboard lazing by the pool. We’d booked three nights at the Hilton Moorea Lagoon Resort immediately after our cruise, so we saw limited value in exploring the island while still onboard the Paul Gauguin.

After docking back in Papeete, Garry and I caught a morning ferry back to Moorea and checked into the Hilton. I’d booked us an overwater lagoon bure. The room featured a private balcony with stairs that stepped directly into the lagoon. The lounge floor also featured a glass panel that let us observe fish swimming below.

While in Moorea we hired a couple of Vespa scooters and spent a day encircling the island. Our circuit included a detour to enjoy views of Opunohu Valley from Belvedere Lookout, a stop to explore the decaying stone Ahu platforms at Marae Titiroa and a photographic stop at the island’s iconic Eglisede la Sainte Famille Church.

The panoramic view from the lookout showcases Cook's Bay (also known as Pao Pao Bay) and 'Ōpūnohu Bay, two long fjord-like coves that give Mo'orea's north coast its distinctive "W" shape. This is where Captain James Cook anchored the Resolution in 1777 and violently clashed with local Polynesians following a dispute over a goat. However, confusingly, it’s 'Ōpūnohu Bay, not Cook’s Bay, where the British explorer dropped anchor.   

The Eglisede la Sainte Famille (Church of the Holy Family) is an attraction I recalled from my first visit to Moorea back in 1999. This white, twin-spired chapel, built in 1897, has long been a popular subject for painters and photographers the world over. However, while it celebrates the joy of Christ, other locations on the island like Marae Titiroa, bear witness to Christianity’s darker history.  

The marae, a decaying complex hidden by dense tropical foliage, was once the island’s centre of worship. However, early missionaries removed the idols that stood along its stone ahu platform and threw them into the sea. The site was subsequently abandoned as the native population was converted to Christianity. Today very little is known about these ancient sites or the rituals they promoted.

NOTE: 2 August 2026

The BBC recently published a story about Moorea which included this discussion about the marae.

“Less than 200m uphill from the carpark, I find the well preserved Afare'aito marae flanked by archery platforms oriented towards Mount Tohiē'a (1,207m), the island's highest peak. With limited information available in English, I call on Mark Eddowes, a leading authority on Polynesian anthropology who lives nearby, to explain the significance of this important cultural site.

“Each lunar cycle, the sons of chiefs gathered here to 'start' the new cycle of abundance," Eddowes explains. "The chiefs are related to the gods in the heavens, so their sons' firing an arrow in the direction of the peak was believed to connect the living world (te feua) with that of the benevolence of the gods in the heavens (te reva) and start a new lunar cycle of fertility for the chief and his people.”

A quick shoutout for the classic tourist photo we took from Moorea's Toatea Lookout.  This hilltop location delivers an idyllic view of the island's stunning turquoise lagoon, framed by a string of picturesque overwater bungalows at the Sofitel Kiaora Resort. This is the image you can see above.

Our final night in Tahiti was spent at the Intercontinental Hotel near Papeete’s international airport. It was here we witnessed one of the island’s most extraordinary sights. The hotel is perfectly located for a truly spectacular sunset. As the sun sets behind neighbouring Moorea Island, its dying rays flare through Moorea's peaks and set the sky alight with dramatic shadows framed by golden streaks. Early the following morning we flew home with Air Tahiti Nui.

The image above of the Paul Gauguin was taken from a ferry we caught back to Moorea after disembarking on 25 July.  The boat docked shortly after 7:00am. This meant we got to enjoy another full day on Moorea once we'd checked into our hotel.  We stayed an additional two nights, three days, on Moorea. I'm not sure about the grey smudges?  If memory serves me well it's smoke haze blowing towards us from the ferry's funnel.