Monuments to visit French Polynesia

We really recommend a visit to the market on Sunday, early in the morning (unless you go there to buy gifts and souvenirs): the atmosphere is like no other! In the heart of the city, on more than 7,100 m², the Papeete market is worth a visit for its rich colors and scents, and for the picturesque and joyful animation that can be found there every day of the week. If it is obviously magical for the visitor, it has kept its primary function as a place of exchange.

The Papeete market has existed since Governor Bruat drew up the plans in 1847. Destroyed by the cyclone of 1906, then by the German bombings of 1914, it has been rebuilt several times, the last one in 1987. The current building, whose metal structure is not really aesthetic, is organized in two levels.

It is very busy on Sunday mornings, when all the families living in the suburbs of Papeete come to get the supplies for the Sunday maa tahiti. All the local products are here, and they have even taken care to present them to you on panels explaining the history, the cooking and the Tahitian name of vanilla, coconut... The coconut, a primordial product, is proposed in several ways: you can open it with a cutter to drink the water through a straw, or you can be offered the bottled milk, the flesh, or all sorts of coconut cakes. But if there was only coconut! Bananas, mangoes, papayas, but also uru (fruit of the breadfruit tree), fei (plantain banana which is eaten cooked), taros (tuber), tamarinds, carambola, barbadines, and other soursops: the choice of fruits and vegetables is very varied. Fish are also numerous (red or white tuna, mahi mahi, parrots, red mullets), as well as seafood (goats, lobsters, crabs, sea urchins, clams, everything is there!) They are fished in the lagoon or offshore in the five archipelagos, and sent by plane, in defiance of any commercial logic (it is very expensive), but to the great benefit of freshness and taste. Do not miss the early morning arrival. Flowers of all kinds are on sale all the time, whether you need a tiare for the ear or a big crown. Allcompose a fascinating patchwork of scents. Monoi, vanilla, jams and pastries are also on offer.

The escalators that lead you to the second level give access to some good snacks and souvenir vendors of all kinds. A non-exhaustive concentration of local handicrafts is offered: various pareos, flowered shirts, carved objects, basketry, tikis of all sizes made of mother-of-pearl, stone or precious wood, dugout canoes, umete (hollow container), hairpins, bracelets... Everything is handmade, engraved with subtle patterns, and you will not find here any kind of made in Taiwan souvenirs. Most of the products in the market are authentic and the work is of high quality. But beware! The handicrafts are sometimes made to order in Indonesia and are almost indistinguishable. Look at the origin, the quality of the work, the material used, and always ask before buying, the sellers are generally honest. Finally, note that you won't be able to get the whole market at a very low price: prices remain high, as everywhere in the country.

The two marae de Paea are among the most beautiful on the island. At KP 19, the Tataa marae is one of the largest, but located in a private property, it is difficult to access. At KP 22.5, the Arahurahu marae is the best preserved in Tahiti: a must in your discovery of the island. Decorated with recent tikis and bamboo huts, it often hosts dance performances as part of the Heiva celebrations in July. Be sure to keep an eye out for the road as these signs are not always clearly visible.

At the southeast end, the marae of Taputapuatea, in the village of Opoa, is the largest and most sacred in all Polynesia: all those built later in the other islands had to have a stone from this marae to have some of its mana. Taputapuatea would pronounce itself in the French Tabou-tabou-Atéa way, so sacred is it. Dedicated to Oro, the popular god of war before Christianization, it only dates back to the 17th century and faces the equally sacred Ava Moa pass, from which canoes from all the Pacific islands arrived to take part in ancestral rites. Among the six known types of marae, it is the only one in its category: it is the only international marae. On site, explanatory panels evoke the importance of marae and this particular site. Marae Hauviri, for example, included the king's throne. Others were used as ceremonial places for dances and pilgrimages, often grandiose. Here, the cult of Oro, the god of war, was celebrated above all. Knowledge and religion were skilfully discussed among priestly experts from all over Polynesia: it is even said that its fame was very widespread and that most of the peoples of Eastern Polynesia considered it as the seat of knowledge, religion and worship. Since July 2017, the marae of Taputapuatea has been on UNESCO's World Heritage List; its volcanic stones and coral slabs, erected and aligned, form a picturesque picture on the edge of the lagoon.