71 Best Sights in French Polynesia

Aloe. Aloe, a popular Internet café in Vaitape, has four PCs and printers, scanners, a webcam, and choice of French or English keyboards. Half-hour Internet use costs around 1,000 CFP. 67–78–88.

The village of Anaho, with it's small thatched-roofed Catholic church, is located at the head of the bay. It's backed by jagged green mountains—this has to rank among the most beautiful places on earth—and has the only coral shelf in the Marquesas. There's also an expansive white sand beach.

Anau is almost directly opposite Vaitape on the east coast, although you have to go around the island to get there. Here you'll get a glimpse of authentic Polynesian life. There's one small church with a steeple and a few shops. The lagoon is very narrow at this section, as Motu Piti Anau is only a mile away. There's a great view of Mt. Otemanu from the town.

AO Api New World. AO Api New World is located above the Tourism Bureau. It costs 15 CFP for one minute (and 10 CFP per minute if a whole hour is booked) —which is cheap for French Polynesia— and 1500 CFP for the whole day. The connection is quite fast, although the keyboard is French. 68–70–99.

This is both the name of the motu and a great surfing beach at the southern tip of Huahine Iti. It's about 2 km (1 mi) south of the hotel Relais Mahana. Slow down when you see a sign for the archeological site of Marae Anini. Follow the road to the marae and there's the beach. It's a fantastic place for photos—the black basalt of the marae against the azure blue lagoon. The sand is coral and rocky. The surf is good here and you may see a few surfers out towards the reef. It's a quiet spot, which you just may have to yourself.

If you'd like to see a number of the Marquesas islands, jump aboard the Aranui 3, a cargo boat that leaves Pape'ete for the outlying islands—Nuku Hiva, Hiva Oa, Fatu Hiva, and Ua Huka, plus several others—about 16 times per year; the journey takes about 15 days. The boat holds a maximum of 200 passengers with varying degrees of accommodation, meals are served, and there's a nursery, swimming pool, library, and a restaurant-bar. Nights are spent on board and shore visits are half or whole days with a guide from the ship. Pape'ete, Tahiti, Windward Islands. 42–62–42. www.aranui.com.

Hiva Oa's main settlement is Atuona, which lies at the head of the Bay of Traitors. The main attractions are those associated with artist Paul Gauguin—the museum and his grave.

Rangiroa's capital is a small village on Avatoru Pass with two churches (Catholic and Mormon) fashioned from coral, a town hall, post office, banks, and a couple of general stores. It has an ideal location with access to the lagoon, the ocean's surf beach, and the pass's good diving spot. To experience a true slice of island life, turn up at 10 am on Sunday for one of the church services.

This "lagoon with a lagoon" is a popular excursion. The water is sensationally blue and fringed by white sandy beaches and coconut trees. After an hour's boat ride from Avatoru, the captain anchors off a small island and guests walk across a seabed strewn with coral (reef shoes required), past a few harmless black-tipped reef sharks, and over the island itself to reach the blue lagoon. The seabed is soft and sandy and the views are magical, but the snorkeling, unfortunately, is nothing special.

This natural aquarium and water park is located on a private island near the Motu Piti Anau, not far from Le Meridien Resort. The family owners run half-day and full-day visits that include swimming with marine animals, ray and shark feeding demonstrations, circle-island tours in an outrigger canoe, and snorkel visits to the famed coral gardens at the southeast end of the main island. Alternatively, visitors can spend half a day just swimming, exploring, and learning about marine life. The owners also run a small guesthouse, called Pension Lagoonarium, on the main island's east coast.

If you'd like to see Gauguin's final resting place, pay a visit to the Calvaire Cemetery, which is behind Atuona's gendarmerie (police station); there should be a signpost. A stone engraved "paul gauguin, 1903" marks the spot. On the tombstone is a replica of a statue of an oviri (savage) that is said to symbolize the values for which the artist searched in the Marquesas. Jacques Brel is also buried here.

If Fare is sleepy, then Faaie—on the east coast about 2 mi south of Maeva—is in a coma. It only wakes when a tour group or individuals stop to the see the blue-eye eels that live in the river. The eels' favorite dish is tinned mackerel and the constant feeding over the years has turned them into little pets—most tour operators include this on a round-island tour. Beyond the eels, there's a small church and corner store and once you go over the Belvedere hill towards the bridge, there's a town hall and primary school (both painted apricot).

This village, perched on Faanui Bay, is about 5 km (3 mi) north of Vaitape. It has a lovely pastel pink church in the shadow of a mountain. This area was once the stronghold of the former ruling family, the Pomare, which explains the presence of several marae not too far away. There are a few shops and stalls with brightly colored pareos (sarongs) fluttering in the breeze. Nearby are the remains of the former U.S. naval base, built in 1942.

This little town fits the stereotype of a sleepy South Seas port with market stalls lining the road, men fishing from the wharf at sunset, and a few shops and restaurants here and there. However, expect a bit of a traffic jam outside the Fare Super Nui, the island's only supermarket, and a big one at that. There are two parts to Fare: the busy quay or port, which is reached by turning off the main island road, and other businesses, such as the post office, bank, Europcar, pharmacy, restaurant, and Catholic church, which are strung out along the main road for half a mile or so. The quay is the place to watch brilliant sunsets over the distant isles of Tahaa and Bora Bora and pull up a stool to dine at the roulottes (food trucks) that open around 6 pm.

Just a few hundred yards north of Fare quay is a popular beach for locals and the few tourists who discover it. When driving along the main road (from the airport to Fare) turn off to the right near the Europcar rental agency and drive along an unpaved road for 100 yards. There's a stall selling drinks during the day, lots of yachts in the bay, kids playing, people snorkeling, and a distant view of Bora Bora.

The farm is an easy walk from the airport on the edge of the lagoon. A guide, who explains the long and laborious process of cultivating Tahitian black pearls, shows around small groups. Tours take 30 minutes and are fascinating; you'll learn about the Pinctada margaritifera or black-lipped oyster, and watch technicians insert a nucleus (a small shell bead) into the oyster and attach it with a graft of oyster muscle tissue to begin the pearling process. There's a jewelry boutique but it's not a hard-sell experience: a single top-grade pearl can cost 41,000 CFP (about US$530).

In the tiny village of Hokatu about 2 mi east of Hane look for the Geology and Petroglyphe Museum, which is tiny but interesting.

The village of Hane, protected on the east by Motu Hane, also has a little museum dedicated to the sea, with a display of canoes through the ages, paddles, and many other objects. The oldest archeological site so far discovered in the Marquesas, Haíatuatua, is also here. It has been dated to between AD 250 and 300.

Scottish author Robert Louis Stevenson favored Hatiheu Bay, which is on the northern coast. Nearly a thousand feet above the bay, a statue of the Virgin looks down; in the valley is the Naniuhi tohua meeting place used by pre-Christian Marquesans, which includes a dance platform, ceremonial stones, and petroglyphs carved in boulders.

Based at the Hibiscus Hotel, this sanctuary rescues sea turtles that have been caught in commercial fishnets—most get sold on the lucrative black market. More than 1,300 turtles have been nursed back to heath at the sanctuary which tags the healthy turtles before releasing them into open waters. For US$100 you can sponsor and name a turtle and receive updates on its progress in the wild.

If you've had your fill of pearl farms, this—the only one in Huahine—may change your mind. Both the farm and a separate pottery studio (owned by ex-Californian Peter Owen and his Tahitian-born wife Ghislaine) are located on an island in the middle of the lagoon and a boat will whisk you to one, then the other, from the town of Faaie. You'll learn about the long processes involved before a cultivated pearl is hatched, watch technicians at work, and browse the small boutique where you can check out the couple's pottery: Peter makes the vases and urns and his wife and son paint them with Polynesian designs.

This island in the middle of the lagoon is a haven for thousands of boobies (birds, people!), sooties, noddies, and terns. It's a noisy day out, to say the least, but the birds are amazing and there's usually a picnic included in the trip. Day trips take off from Tikehau Pearl Beach Resort.

The "isle of reefs" is considered the best lagoon excursion of all. Located about an hour due south of Avatoru, it's an area dotted with raised feo (coral outcrops), some 16 to 19 feet (5 to 6 meters) above the lagoon. These amazing formations are on the ocean side so you'll have to put on your reef shoes to explore them. They stretch about 300 feet (9 meters) and between them are pools perfect for swimming and excellent snorkeling. Picnics are usually held on one of the larger motus.

The Jacques Brel Cultural Centre is adjacent to the Paul Gauguin Centre and they share a ticket office. The center honors the life of Brel (1929–1978), a Belgian singer and actor that lived in Atuona for several years at the end of his life. Brel's Beachcraft Bonanza plane—which he named Jojo, after a good friend, and one of his most famous songs—is on permanent display. A souvenir market now stands next to the museum.

Le Relais de la Maroto. Almost miraculously you'll come across the only accommodation in the interior, Le Relais de la Maroto. The pension, with three bungalows, 26 rooms, and a good restaurant, gets heavily booked, so call ahead if you're planning to stay here. It was progressively upgraded throughout 2011. 57–90–29. [email protected].

This pink sand beach is in the southeast corner of Rangiroa, reached by a two-hour boat trip. The sands contain eroded coral and foraminiferal deposits (the pulverized red shells of tiny sea creatures) which sparkle in the sunlight. Getting here is one of the most expensive lagoon excursions (11,500 to 12,000 CFP for a day trip with picnic), but what you'll get is complete isolation, deserted beaches, and crystal clear water. You could rent a boat and come here on your own, but why would you want to pass up the BBQ and picnic most operators provide?

The historic and cultural heart of Huahine is on the southeast shore of Lake Fauna Nui. Here you can stroll through an open museum of ancient marae or walk a mile-long trail on the hillside that's strewn with archeological sites. The town's other significant attraction is several old fish traps located in the eastern corner of the lake. Fish swim into these triangular structures at high tide and are trapped when the tide runs out. There's also a pleasant little church, a school and playgrounds; at 3 pm you may get caught behind the colorful school bus as it drops kids off at their homes along the main road.

Near Mahu on the south coast is the home and grave of parliamentary speaker Noel Ilari, who was jailed by the French government in the 1950s on false charges. Details of the saga are on his gravestone. His home is now a modest guesthouse.

Tubuai has a number of marae—Polynesian meeting grounds or temples—along with ahu (platforms for the dead). They are generally poorly maintained in the Christian environment.

These ancient stone temples were religious and social gathering places, as well as the scene of human and animal sacrifices. One or two have been restored and some are adorned with turtle petroglyphs (images cut in stone); the turtle was considered sacred as it was a major source of food. Look for Taharuu Marae at Point Haamaire on the east coast, Aehautai near the former (and now closed) Club Med resort on the southeast coast (not far from Paoaoa Point) nd the beautifully restored 164-foot-long(50-meter) Marotetini Marae near the wharf at Faanui Bay on the west coast. The Fare Opu Marae is a little north of Faanui and partially buried under the road. As some are tucked away in the jungle, it is advisable to take a 4WD or Circle Island tour, or ask the tourist office for exact locations.