The Sights, Sounds and Smells of Papeete

Cinnabar (red boat of course) at the dock

It was quite a culture shock to arrive in downtown Papeete after being in the remote Tuamotus for months. Before approaching the harbor entrance we were required to call port control to make sure we wouldn't have to share the somewhat narrow entrance with any of the numerous ferries and other LARGE commercial vessels that frequent the harbor. As we entered the very busy harbor into downtown Papeete we caught a delectable whiff of toasting coconut and thought "We might just like this city after all."

Based on recommendations from our friends on SCOOTS we headed for the new city marina which is smack in the middle of the downtown. In fact, when you exit the marina gate you have to look carefully both ways because you'll be stepping out right onto the main promenade which always seems to filled with cyclists, skateboarders, runners and pedestrians.

We had to laugh at the no-handrail promenade, something you will probably never see in the U.S. When we asked the marina office about it they assured us that there is a dock ladder at each end "because sometimes a kid falls in." Uh, OK.  

Don't fall in!! Sure wish I had a picture of the kids popping wheelies just 6" from the edge.

One day Tom saw a young skateboarder lose his board into the water. Oops! No problem. With an audience of several cruisers and numerous pedestrians he stripped to his skivvies, jumped into the water, borrowed a mask and snorkel from a nearby boat and retrieved his board.

Papeete is a city of aromas, most of them good. When we first stepped out of the marina we were struck by the strong fragrance of flowers. The city is filled with Plumeria trees and Tiare plants (Tahitian gardenia). The first time I went to the downtown market I smelled it long before I saw it because one section of it is filled with flower vendors selling stalks of exotic (to me) flowers, arrangements, leis and beautiful crowns called heis. 

The sweet-smelling leis and heis

Then there are the numerous restaurants, cafes and bakeries that fill the city which make it smell especially yummy in the mornings when baguettes and croissants are fresh.

Papeete is a very noisy city with all the ship's horns, street traffic (that starts at 04:00) and sirens. The pin pon pin pon (that's the sound a French siren makes) of the ambulances is nearly a constant. At night, well, we are across the street from a karaoke bar; need I say more? 

One morning I woke up, looked out our companionway, and was met by a wall of hundreds of people looking our way. A 1,000 foot cruise ship had arrived and was parked right behind us! For several days these huge monsters came and went (from Hawaii bound for Australia or New Zealand), with them thousands of pale passengers, loud announcements, bells and generators. 

The day we arrived we were happy to be greeted by our friends ATHANOR, MALUHIA and NAOMA waving at us as we motored by . As we were about to pull into the slip MALUHIA Dave calmly remarked "You might want to put out some fenders." Doh! That's what happens after 5 months away from a marina. We got safely docked with a little help from our friends, checked into the marina, enjoyed a long, hot shower courtesy of the facilities, and walked down to the Roulottes for dinner. 

The Roulottes are food trucks and there are about 30 of them in the nearby plaza serving a variety of food such as fresh fish, pizzas, chow-mein, crepes, burgers, the list goes on.

         Food trucks aren't "trending" here, they are a way of life. (photo courtesy of trip Advisor)

The next day I caught the free shuttle from the nearby Visitor Center to the gigantic Carrefour store on the other side of town; it's kind of like an upscale Walmart with lots of beautiful groceries, cheese, fruits, vegetables, electronics and home goods. I felt like I was in Disneyland with all the choices.

Sylvia finds her "sole" mate at the Carrefours. (Actually, it is a huge Opah.)

In addition to the huge Carrefours there are hundreds of stores and shops that sell everything you can imagine. Very close to the marina there is a fantastic City Market, a kind of farmer's market, that sells fresh produce, fish, meat, prepared foods and all sorts of goods and souvenirs including woven hats, perfumes, scented oils, fabrics, jewelry, clothing, etc.

You can even outfit yourself like a Tahitian dancer.

Transportation: there is an OK bus system in Papeete and Tom has taken the bus to Pt. Venus twice to go kiting (but he had to hitch-hike back once because the buses stop early on the weekend). 

Very popular kiting beach at Point Venus

Taxis are VERY expensive here. We were invited to a party at the marina on the other side of town and we ended up renting a scooter for the day ($33) which actually turned out to be slightly cheaper than a bus-to-and-taxi-back option. Plus we got to go sightseeing around the island on our scooter. Mostly we walk, borrow the marina's lender bicycle, or utilize the free shuttle from the Visitor's Center that runs to the 2 Carrefours three days a week. This free shuttle is a temporary program paid for by the Carrefours to assess utilization numbers. I hope they decide to make it permanent as it's a huge benefit to cruisers.

Sightseeing around Tahiti

One of the reasons we came here is because Papeete is a great place to arrange things and get boat work and repairs done. In fact, we ordered our new sails here and they arrived a few days ago from New Zealand. So in addition to sight-seeing and walking around town we have been doing some serious boat work. More about that subject later. And notice how I didn't include "Taste of Papeete" in the title. We're still assessing the restaurants; so far the brew pub (yes!! good beer at last!) is our favorite.

When people ask us how we like Papeete I always think of that part of the Green Acres song that goes "da da da DA da...The Chores! da da da Da da...The Stores!"