Ancient archeological featuresSights to See on Tahiti


With a steady stream of year-round visitors from all over the world, Tahiti is the island most people imagine in their minds as the perfect Polynesian Island paradise. When they first arrive, everbody wonders what they will do and see.
  
This page is your starting guide to the most common general sightseeing possibilities and points of interest. Whether you're a tourist or a traveler, you'll most likely end up at at least one or possibly all of these sightseeing attractions on the island of Tahiti.

With a good rental car, scooter, or via tour option, one can experience many of them in a single, well planned day.


 
***Don't miss our PAPEETE GENERAL SIGHTSEEING & POINTS OF INTEREST- specific to the City of Papeete, and PAPEETE ATTRACTIONS, (for stuff that doesn't fit into that category)***


Only found in Polynesia!
THE RARE TIARE FLOWER

PARKS & BOTANICAL GARDENS

Marvel at Tahiti's botanical wonders as you wander through one of Tahiti's parks or botanical gardens.

Breathe in the fragrant scents as you experience some of the amazing diversity of tropical foliage unique to the French Polynesian islands. Tahiti has the worlds most diverse and numerous species of cultivated orchids on the planet, among many other fascinating plants and flowers.  
  
It is no myth: The Tahitians love their flowers!

 


MAHANA PARK
(TERRITORIAL PARK OF PAPEHUE)

PK 18, 5, Paea, buside lagoon.
PO. Box 330 011 Paea- TAHITI
Telephone- (689) 48.19.99, Fax- (689) 48.24.31
Contact: Mrs. Tiare PATACCONI
This seaside park includes a white sand beach where you can rent paddleboats, surfbikes, and kayaks. "La Mangue Verte" is an open air restaurant/ snack-bar. Public bathrooms are available.
Free Admission

HARRISON W. SMITH BOTANICAL GARDEN
PK 51, 2 Papeari, adjacent the Paul Gauguin Museum
PO. Box 330 011 Paea- TAHITI
Telephone- (689) 57.11.07
340 acre tropical garden park containing a tremendous diversity of trees, shrubs, plants and flowers.
Open daily 9 am to 5 pm.
Free Admission
MATAOA GARDENS
PK 34, 5 Papara, PO. Box 12 500 Papara- TAHITI, Contact: Mr. Alain MENARD, Telephone- (689) 57.37.24, Fax- (689) 57.36.49
Garden and greenhouse of tropical flowers including the colorful Bird of Paradise, Anthuriums, Orchids, and Vanilla plants. Also on the grounds is a pineapple plantation and various other plants. Visits to the gardens will include a welcome with flowers, a guided tour of the grounds, fruit tasting, free brochures, and a leis.
 


MUSEUMS

Tahiti has some fine musuems on the island outside of Papeete. All ages will appreciate spending some time in these wonderful places.  (There's a few cool museums in the city of Papeete too! Check out our PAPEETE SIGHTSEEING page for the details.)

PAUL GAUGUIN MUSEUM
PK 51, 2 Papeari, PO. Box 7029 Taravao- TAHITI, Telephone- (689) 57.10.58, Fax- (689) 57.10.42
A memorial to the late French artist, with original works and reproductions. Open daily from 9am- 5pm. FREE ADMISSION

SEASHELL MUSEUM
PK 36 Papara- Tahiti, Telephone- (689) 57.45.22
Shells and fish from Polynesian lagoons.
Open Monday- Friday- 8am - 4:30 pm, Weekends- 9:00 am- 12:00 noon, then 1:00 pm- 4:30 pm.
ADMISSION FEE


MUSEUM OF TAHITI AND HER ISLANDS

PK 15, Punaauia, PO. Box 380 354 Tamanu- TAHITI
Telephone- (689) 58.34.76, Fax- (689) 58.43.00
Polynesian history, culture, environment, and ethnology. Open Tuesday - Sunday- 9:30am- 5:30 pm.
Closed Monday, ADMISSION FEE

TST Recommendation:
We normally stay away from making specific recommendations within our pages, but in certain cases, we can't resist...

Heres one: DON'T MISS THE MUSEUM OF TAHITI AND HER ISLANDS! (See notes below for details) It's a great museum for all ages! Fascinating, simply fascinating...


CATHEDRALS & CHURCHES


This cute lil' guy is on Tahiti-Nui
There are a quite a few interesting cathedrals and churches to visit for those interested in religious arts and places of worship on Tahiti. Below, you will find the locations and listings for some interesting churches on the island, outside the city limits of Papeete.

The church plays an important role in Polynesian society, as a good percentage of all Tahitians are quite religious. (Read more about the religions and culture of Tahiti in our "ABOUT" Section- Society and Culture).



SAINT- ETIENNE CHURCH OF PUNAAUIA
PK 12, 1 Punaauiak, on the sea side

SAINT MICHEL CHURCH OF PAPARA
PK 35, 6 Papara, on the sea side


(For more interesting CHURCHES and CATHEDRALS WITHIN PAPEETE CITY LIMITS, see our complimentary city section.)


ANCIENT MARAES & ARCHEOLOGICAL SIGHTS       
Details and information coming soon...


WATCH THE SURFERS
Details and information coming soon...


"CIRCLE ISLAND" TOURING


Among the most common general sightseeing spots on Tahiti are the sights along the road circumnavigating the island and going onto the Tahiti-Nui Peninsula. The tour buses hit most of these pretty heavy...

If you're into this kind of touring, these sights make for a great day, but, quite frankly, (not to make waves with the Tahiti Tourism Bureau), TST thinks that you could live without some of them. What? Did we really say that? Yes, but we won't say which ones, because every person is different, and who are we to say what's interesting and what's a hype...

Having said that, we also say that, undoubtedly, a lot of "tourists" DO experience these places and enjoy them immensely. Since they are all free to explore, (no, we're not including the money you spent on your tour bus or rental car...) why not see them?

The "standard list" of Tahiti sights is as follows:

Faarumai Waterfalls, The Blowhole, Fern Grottos, Lookout Point, Point Venus and the Lighthouse, Kings Tomb- (Listings and details on these sights coming soon...)

Until we actually give you the details on the above sights, you can of course, see them for yourself. Undoubtably, the best way to go is to rent a car or take a tour bus. You can see them all in a day, skip certain ones, or add some of your own depending on your interests (see our TO SEE pages for ideas), to make a custom day of sightseeing all your own.


TAHITI SUN TRAVEL RECOMMENDS:


CARL'S TRANSPORTS & TOURS
Based out of Papeete, Tahiti   
Telephone-(689) 77.13.69, Contact: Mr.Carl EMERY
Accept most credit cards,           E-MAIL & Reservations

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Because of his extensive knowledge of the islands and sense of humour and larger than life personality, Carl's Circle Island Tour of Tahiti should be on everyone's shortlist of things to do.

Living and working in Tahiti and Moorea for over 20 years, Carl has become somewhat of a local legend due to these fantasticly entertaining circle island tours.

Carl's Transport services also offers DEPENDABLE TAXI SERVICE covering the island of Tahiti and also gives great circle island tours on the island of Moorea!

Need a place to stay on Moorea? Carl's Place offers 2 of the best bungalow values on the island. See the website for details.
Package special offer: Get a FREE TOUR of Moorea to any customers who rent the bungalows for a week at a time. (not a hard thing to do, considering how awesome Moorea is!)

SEE OUR DIRECT LINKING WEBSITE FOR MORE DETAILS ABOUT CARL'S BUSINESSES!


SIGHTSEEING ON THE OTHER ISLANDS
Check out the GENERAL SIGHTSEEING & POINTS OF INTEREST on the other islands of
See the sights of Polynesia!
An Internetwork of Travel and Tourism Guides for the Main Islands of Tahiti Polynesia.






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