Flowers
Tahiti is a tropical island filled with all kinds of fragrant flowers. One of the most notable is the Tiare (or Tahitian Gardenia). The Gardenia is present around the world with 5 to 9 petals, but the majority of the Tahiti variety have exactly 7 petals. It was first recorded around 1770 during Captain Cooks voyage.
The Tiare flower is now the National Flower of both Tahiti and the Cook Islands and you can see it prominently displayed on the tail of Tahiti Nui airlines planes.
Just like Hawaii and other areas of Polynesia, Tahiti has a tradition of wearing …
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Papeete Town
Papeete is the main town on the big island of Tahiti. It is a small place of which the main areas can easily be walked around. It consists of a center with low rise buildings (nothing over 4 storys high), a freight and passenger port, and a marina for private yachts.
At the center of Papeete is a tiny yet pretty yellow Cathedral. As you go around the island you will see distance markers from Papeete which are measured from this point.
Near the Cathedral is a local market, which is a large 2 story building containing people selling all …
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Internet Access
Internet access on Tahiti is not as common as you would find in most of the world, its more of a rare luxury.
You will not find it in every single restaurant or bar that you go to, and even at the places that do have it, such as the airport, you will find that it is often charged for by the hour or day. Some hotels do offer free wifi, so pay attention when you book. On your mobile phone its also not usual and expensive.
The main and pretty much only telephone company in Tahiti is called Vini. It is such …
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Languages Spoken
The official languages of Tahiti are French and Tahitian. Many people do speak English, but if you can speak French you will feel much more comfortable.
Tahitian is an interesting language and is used in particular for place names and anything to do with Polynesian culture.
Here is a list of some useful words in the Tahitian language.
o, oia – yes, correct
aita – no, not
ia ora na – good morning
mauruuru roa – thank you very much
manava – welcome
vahine – woman, wife
tane – man, husband
motu – …
Fast Food and Coffee
The only fast food or coffee chain you will find in Tahiti is McDonalds. There are at least 3 on the main island of Tahiti. At the time of writing there are no KFC, no Burger King, no Starbucks, no Costa, no Taco Bell.
The McDonalds are pretty expensive with an average meal costing 1200 XPF. Amazingly enough the only branch that serves hot coffee is the McDonalds at the airport. The others just have Tea, Hot Chocolate, and the usual cold drinks.
Many restaurants and snack bars serve coffee but the most popular with the locals is the tiny …
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