French Polynesia Itinerary 7 Days: Tahiti, Moorea and Bora Bora

Twenty minutes, free. Faa’a airport is 5 km from the centre by taxi or bus. After check-in, start at the yellow 1875 cathedral, from which the kilometres of the round-island road are counted.

One hour, free. It is two blocks north of the cathedral and closes in the late afternoon; on Sunday it only opens early in the morning. Downstairs, fruit, fish and tiare flower crowns; upstairs, pareos, monoi oil and crafts at better prices than in the resorts.

An hour and a half, from 6 pm. Head to the waterfront next to the ferry terminal. Roulottes are food trucks that set out open-air tables every night: grilled fish, poisson cru, chow mein and crêpes, at half the price of a restaurant. Bring CFP franc cash; not all take cards.

An hour and a half, free. Rent a car for the day: there is only one coast road and it is well signposted. Point Venus is 10 km east of Papeete in Mahina. James Cook observed the transit of Venus from here in 1769, and the lighthouse dates from 1867.

The black volcanic sand beach is good for a morning swim in the calm water of Matavai Bay.

Twenty minutes, free, right by the road, 12 km past Point Venus. In rough seas the waves rush under the lava and shoot out through the hole in the rock. Stay behind the wall: the rock is slippery.

An hour and a quarter, free, 1 km further on, up the Tiarei valley. A 5 minute path leads to Vaimahuta, the tallest of the three; the other two are another 20 minutes on foot. Bring insect repellent: it is dense, damp forest.

On the way back, stop at one of the roadside fruit stands.

Two and a half hours, free. The ferry leaves the Papeete terminal next to Place Vai’ete and reaches Vai’are in Moorea in 30 to 45 minutes; Aremiti charges 2,350 CFP francs one way for visitors. Rent a car or scooter at the port: the island loop is 60 km.

Temae is 3 km north of the port. It is Moorea’s most beautiful public beach, with a shallow lagoon and Tahiti on the horizon. Bring a mask: there are fish by the rocks.

Half an hour, free, after check-in. The road wraps around Paopao Bay, named after Cook, where volcanic peaks drop straight into the water. Pull over at the head of the bay for the photo and carry on along the shore to Maharepa.

Four hours, 8,000 to 13,000 CFP francs with a local operator, booked the day before. Boats leave from Hauru in the northwest and stop at a waist-deep sandbank where stingrays glide up to your legs and blacktip reef sharks, harmless to people, circle around.

Then comes the coral garden and lunch on a motu, a sandy islet. Do not touch the animals, and use reef-safe sunscreen.

One hour, free. Drive up the Opunohu valley road past pineapple fields and the stone marae of Titiroa. From the top, Mount Rotui divides Cook’s and Opunohu bays. The light is best in the late afternoon.

For sunset, head down to Ta’ahiamanu public beach on Opunohu Bay.

Half an hour. Take the first ferry back to Papeete and the 50 minute Air Tahiti flight to Bora Bora. The airport sits on an islet: a free boat takes passengers to the quay at Vaitape, the main village, with grocery stores and black pearl shops.

Two and a half hours, free, 7 km south of Vaitape by bike, scooter or bus. It is the only public beach on the main island: white sand, a clear shallow lagoon and coconut palm shade. You can snorkel with fish a few metres from the sand.

Stay for sunset at Matira Point.

Four hours, 8,000 to 15,000 CFP francs depending on the boat and lunch. This is the tour that makes the trip: the boat circles the island inside the lagoon, stops off Motu Piti A’au to swim with rays and sharks and then at a coral garden, always with Mount Otemanu behind.

The best operators go out in the morning, when the water is calmest. Book a day ahead.

One hour, free, up a short trail in Faanui in the north of the island. In 1942 the United States turned Bora Bora into a supply base and mounted naval guns on the hilltops. From there you see the lagoon and the Teavanui pass.

Forty-five minutes. Fly back to Papeete in the morning, pick up a car at the airport and drive 20 km down the west coast to Paea. A marae is an ancient Polynesian temple; this one is restored, with its stone platforms at the foot of the valley.

Heading south, the Maraa grottoes hold freshwater pools under the rock, with a roadside stop.

One hour, free, in Mataiea, 25 km further on. A short trail winds between ponds, springs and a waterfall. Drive back to Faa’a airport, 45 km away, with time to spare for the night flight.