Pape'ete
Pa-pe-e-te
Papeete
Usage
Capital city of Tahiti (French Polynesia). Signs and tickets write the French form Papeete
Grammar Note
Means "basket of water" in Tahitian
Mo'orea
Mo-o-re-a
Moorea
Usage
A beautiful island just west of Tahiti. Signs and tickets write the French form Moorea
Grammar Note
Said to mean "yellow lizard" in Tahitian
Bora Bora
Bo-ra Bo-ra
Usage
The most famous lagoon island in French Polynesia
Grammar Note
Said to mean "first born (created)" island
Huahine
Hua-hi-ne
Usage
Island in the Society Islands, known for traditional Polynesian culture
Grammar Note
Means "woman island", known for lush nature and tradition
Rangiroa
Ran-gi-ro-a
Usage
One of the largest atolls in the world
Grammar Note
Means "vast sky" in Tahitian; famous for scuba diving
Tahiti Nui
Ta-hi-ti Nu-i
Tahiti Nui (Great Tahiti)
Usage
The larger northwestern peninsula of Tahiti island
Grammar Note
nui means big or great in Tahitian
Fa'a'ā
Fa-a-a
Faa'a
Usage
Town where Tahiti's international airport is located. Signs, tickets and the town hall itself write Faa'a; the official French name (Journal officiel, geographic code) is Faaa
Grammar Note
fa'a (valley) + 'ā (alight, blazing) = "valley of fire". The standard orthography always writes the glottal stop and vowel length, hence Fa'a'ā. Signs and French-language documents write it Faa'a (the customary spelling)
Maupiti
Mau-pi-ti
Usage
A small hidden gem in the Society Islands with a beautiful lagoon
Grammar Note
Said to mean "many springs" in Tahitian
Tahiti Iti
Ta-hi-ti I-ti
Tahiti Iti (Little Tahiti)
Usage
The smaller southeastern peninsula of Tahiti island, rich in nature
Grammar Note
iti means small or little in Tahitian
Tautira
Tau-ti-ra
Usage
A scenic village at the eastern tip of Tahiti Iti; visited by explorer Bougainville
Grammar Note
A place name related to fishing in old Tahitian
Tōtaiete mā
Totaiete ma Iles de la Societe
Society Islands
Usage
The main archipelago, holding Tahiti, Mo'orea and Bora Bora, where most of French Polynesia's population and tourism is concentrated. Signs and tickets use the French Îles de la Société
Raromata'i
Raromatai Iles Sous-le-Vent
Leeward Islands
Usage
The western half of the Society Islands: Ra'iātea, Taha'a, Bora Bora, Huahine and Maupiti, 40 minutes to an hour by air from Tahiti. Written Îles Sous-le-Vent in French
Tuāmotu
Tuamotu Paumotu
Tuamotu Archipelago
Usage
Some 80 low coral atolls strung over 1,500 km northeast of Tahiti. No mountains, only a few metres above sea level; the diving and pearl-farming region. French: Archipel des Tuamotu, formerly Paumotu
Te Henua 'Enana
Te Henua Enana Iles Marquises
Marquesas Islands
Usage
Archipelago about 1,400 km northeast of Tahiti, roughly 3.5 hours by air. No lagoons; sheer mountains dropping into bays. The local name means "the land of people". French: Îles Marquises
Tuha'a Pae
Tuhaa Pae Iles Australes
Austral Islands
Usage
Islands about 600 km south of Tahiti, five in all including Rurutu and Tubuai; the name means "the fifth part". Cooler than the other archipelagos, with humpback whales from July to October. French: Îles Australes
Mangareva
Mangareva Iles Gambier
Mangareva (Gambier Islands)
Usage
Main island of the Gambier group, about 1,650 km southeast of Tahiti; only a few flights a week, roughly 4 hours. Black pearl country, centred on Rikitea village. French: Îles Gambier
Aéroport international de Tahiti Faa'a
PPT Tahiti Faaa airport
Tahiti Faa'a International Airport
Usage
The territory's only international airport, code PPT, 5 km west of Pape'ete in the commune of Fa'a'ā. Every international and domestic flight starts here. Signs and tickets write Faa'a
Aéroport de Moorea Temae
MOZ Moorea Temae airport
Moorea Temae Airport
Usage
Mo'orea's airport at Temae on the northeast corner, code MOZ. The hop from Tahiti takes about 10 minutes, though the ferry is cheaper and far more frequent. Signs read Moorea
Aéroport de Bora Bora Motu Mute
BOB Bora Bora airport Motu Mute
Bora Bora Airport (Motu Mute)
Usage
Bora Bora's airport, code BOB, built not on the main island but on Motu Mute, an islet on the north rim of the atoll; a free shuttle boat runs to Vaitape. About 50 minutes from Tahiti
Aéroport de Raiatea
RFP Raiatea Uturoa airport
Raiatea Airport
Usage
Airport near Uturoa on Ra'iātea, code RFP. Neighbouring Taha'a has no airport, so travellers bound for Taha'a also land here and continue by boat. Signs read Raiatea
Aéroport de Huahine
HUH Huahine Fare airport
Huahine Airport
Usage
Huahine's airport, code HUH, about 3 km north of the main village of Fare. Around 40 minutes from Tahiti
Aéroport de Maupiti
MAU Maupiti airport
Maupiti Airport
Usage
Maupiti's airport, code MAU. The runway sits on a motu on the reef and a boat carries arrivals to the village. Flights are few, so book early
Aéroport de Rangiroa
RGI Rangiroa Avatoru airport
Rangiroa Airport
Usage
Airport on the Avatoru side of Rangiroa atoll, code RGI. About an hour from Tahiti and the gateway to the Tuamotus
Aéroport de Fakarava
FAV Fakarava airport
Fakarava Airport
Usage
Fakarava's airport, code FAV, near Rotoava village at the north end; about 1 hour 20 from Tahiti. Reaching the southern dive base takes several more hours by boat inside the lagoon
Aéroport de Nuku Hiva
NHV Nuku Hiva Nuku Ataha airport
Nuku Hiva Airport
Usage
Airport on Nuku Hiva in the Marquesas, code NHV, about 3.5 hours from Tahiti. It sits on the dry Nuku Ataha plateau in the northwest, and the mountain road to the main village of Taioha'e takes about 90 minutes
Aéroport de Hiva Oa
AUQ Hiva Oa Atuona airport
Hiva Oa Airport
Usage
Hiva Oa's airport in the Marquesas, code AUQ, about 20 minutes by road along the ridge from Atuona village. Inter-island flights to Nuku Hiva also leave from here
Aéroport de Rurutu
RUR Rurutu airport
Rurutu Airport
Usage
Airport on Rurutu in the Austral Islands, code RUR, about 90 minutes from Tahiti. Flights fill up during the whale season from July to October
Aéroport de Tubuai
TUB Tubuai Mataura airport
Tubuai Airport
Usage
Airport on Tubuai, the administrative centre of the Austral Islands, code TUB, about 2 hours from Tahiti; some flights route via Rurutu
Aéroport de Totegegie
GMR Totegegie Gambier Mangareva airport
Totegegie Airport (Gambier)
Usage
The Gambier Islands' airport, code GMR. The runway is not on Mangareva itself but on the motu of Totegegie, about 45 minutes by shuttle boat from Rikitea. Only a few flights a week from Tahiti
Gare maritime de Papeete
Gare maritime Papeete Moorea ferry
Papeete Ferry Terminal
Usage
The terminal on the Pape'ete waterfront for the Mo'orea ferry: 30 to 45 minutes, a dozen or more sailings a day, and the main way to reach Mo'orea. Foot passengers and vehicles board separately. Signs read Gare maritime
Vaiare
Vaiare Moorea ferry quay
Usage
The ferry quay on the east coast of Mo'orea. Every sailing from Pape'ete lands here, where the island bus and the rental car counters wait. Mo'orea's point of entry
Motu Uta
Motu Uta Papeete port goelettes
Motu Uta (Papeete port)
Usage
The cargo and inter-island wharf of Pape'ete harbour. The freight-and-passenger ships (goélettes) for the Tuamotus and the Marquesas sail from here — the route for islands with no airstrip and for travellers avoiding airfares
Route de ceinture
Route de ceinture PK point kilometrique
Ring road (PK markers)
Usage
The main road circling Tahiti. Addresses and landmarks are given as a distance from Pape'ete — "PK 18" — and that is how you tell a taxi or a guesthouse where to go. The PK count runs separately along the west and east sides
Tahiti
Usage
The largest island of French Polynesia and home to about 70% of its people, with the capital Pape'ete and the only international airport. Every other island is reached from here by plane or boat. Spelled Tahiti in both Tahitian and French
Ra'iātea
Raiatea
Usage
The largest of the Leeward Islands, regarded as the cradle of Polynesian culture and home to the World Heritage marae of Taputapuātea. Also the region's yacht-charter base. Signs and tickets write Raiatea without diacritics
Taha'a
Tahaa vanilla island
Usage
Island sharing a lagoon with Ra'iātea, known as the vanilla island for its plantations. It has no airport, so you land at Ra'iātea and cross by boat. Signs read Tahaa
Teti'aroa
Tetiaroa
Usage
Atoll about 50 km north of Tahiti, once a retreat of the royal family and now protected as a seabird breeding site. There is no scheduled boat; access is by light aircraft or a limited number of tours. Signs read Tetiaroa
Fakarava
Usage
The second-largest Tuamotu atoll and a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve. The Garuae pass in the north and the Tumakohua pass in the south are famous dive sites for their shark schools. The atoll is some 60 km long, so moving between north and south takes hours by boat
Tikehau
Usage
Atoll just west of Rangiroa, known for its pink-tinged sand and fish-rich lagoon; about an hour by air from Tahiti, with island-hop flights to Rangiroa
Nuku Hiva
Usage
The largest island of the Marquesas and its administrative centre, a landscape of sharp ridges and deep bays with long unsealed stretches of road. It lies about 1,400 km and 3.5 flying hours from Tahiti — not a day trip
Hiva Oa
Usage
Main island of the southern Marquesas, where the painter Gauguin and the singer Jacques Brel spent their last years; both are buried in the cemetery at Atuona. The island also holds archaeological sites with large stone tiki
Ua Pou
Ua Pou Hakahau
Usage
Marquesan island recognised by the basalt spires rising along its skyline; the main village is Hakahau. About 20 minutes by air from Nuku Hiva, or by boat
Ua Huka
Ua Huka Vaipaee
Usage
Dry Marquesan island known for its wild horses and woodcarving, centred on Vaipae'e village. Reached from Nuku Hiva by light aircraft or boat
Tahuata
Tahuata Vaitahu
Usage
Small island just south of Hiva Oa with no airport, reached by boat across the channel. Known for its bone and wood carving; the main village is Vaitahu
Fatu Hiva
Fatu Hiva Hanavave Omoa
Usage
The southernmost Marquesan island, with no airport and reachable only by supply ship or boat. Famous for the rock spires of Hanavave Bay, called Baie des Vierges in French. Its villages are Omoa and Hanavave
Rurutu
Usage
Austral island known for the humpback whales that gather to breed from July to October and can be watched close to shore. Also riddled with caves in its uplifted coral limestone
Tupua'i
Tubuai Tupuai Mataura
Tubuai
Usage
Administrative centre of the Austral Islands, centred on Mataura village: a low island ringed by a green lagoon with active farming. The airport and official signage use the French spelling Tubuai
Raivavae
Usage
Austral island known for its clear lagoon, white-sand motu and surviving stone tiki. Accommodation is mostly family guesthouses, and both flights and beds are limited
Rapa
Rapa Iti
Rapa (Rapa Iti)
Usage
The southernmost inhabited island of French Polynesia, about 1,250 km from Tahiti, with no airport and served only by a supply ship a few times a year. Notably cool, with the remains of old hill forts along its ridges
Puna'auia
Punaauia
Punaauia
Usage
Populous town on Tahiti's west coast just south of the airport, lined with beaches and restaurants and home to the Museum of Tahiti. Directions here are given by PK number, around PK 15. Signs read Punaauia
Pīra'e
Pirae
Pirae
Usage
Town immediately east of Pape'ete, holding government offices, schools and the stadium in a continuous built-up strip. Signs read Pirae without diacritics
'Ārue
Arue
Arue
Usage
Town east of Pape'ete beyond Pirae, facing Matavai Bay and holding the tomb of King Pōmare V, with hillside views over the city and the sea. Signs read Arue
Mahina
Mahina Pointe Venus
Usage
Town on Tahiti's north coast with black-sand beaches and Pointe Vénus, about 20 minutes by car from Pape'ete. Written Mahina in both Tahitian and French
Papeno'o
Papenoo
Papenoo
Usage
Village on Tahiti's northeast coast at the mouth of the island's largest valley. The valley runs back into an old volcanic caldera, entered on four-wheel-drive tours past waterfalls and gorges. Also a known surf spot. Signs read Papenoo
Taravao
Taravao isthmus
Usage
Town on the isthmus joining Tahiti Nui to Tahiti Iti. Both sides of the ring road meet here, making it the fuel and shopping stop for the peninsula. About 60 km from Pape'ete
Teahupo'o
Teahupoo
Teahupoo
Usage
Village on the south coast of Tahiti Iti, known for one of the heaviest surf breaks in the world and used as the surfing venue of the 2024 Olympics. The road ends here; beyond it you continue by boat or on foot. Signs read Teahupoo
Vaitape
Vaitape Bora Bora
Usage
Main village of Bora Bora, where the airport shuttle boat lands and where the bank, shops and tour desks are. Everything on the island starts from here
Uturoa
Uturoa Raiatea
Usage
Main town of Ra'iātea and the largest in the Leeward Islands, with a market and a harbour used by cruise ships and by the boats across to Taha'a
Fare
Fare Huahine
Usage
Main village of Huahine, a small waterfront town of shops and eating places along the quay, and the island's transport hub. The Tahitian word fare means house
Papeto'ai
Papetoai Moorea
Papetoai
Usage
Village on the northwest side of Mo'orea, known for its octagonal church, one of the oldest in the Pacific. It sits on the western side of 'Ōpūnohu Bay. Signs read Papetoai
Paopao
Paopao Cooks Bay Baie de Cook
Paopao (Cook's Bay)
Usage
Village and bay on the north coast of Mo'orea. The bay is signed in French as Baie de Cook; the village has a morning market and grocery stores, with Mount Rotui rising behind it
Avatoru
Avatoru Rangiroa
Usage
The main village of Rangiroa and the name of one of its passes. The airport and most guesthouses are on this side, and the pass itself is a dive entry point
Tiputa
Tiputa Rangiroa pass
Usage
Rangiroa's other village and pass, reached from Avatoru by small boat. The pass is a celebrated drift dive where dolphins and sharks ride the current
Rotoava
Rotoava Fakarava
Usage
Main village at the northern end of Fakarava, where the airport, shops and guesthouses are, and the departure point for dives on the northern Garuae pass
Taioha'e
Taiohae Nuku Hiva
Taiohae
Usage
Main settlement on the south coast of Nuku Hiva and the administrative centre of the Marquesas, set on a bay with the bank, hospital and shops. About 90 minutes from the airport over the mountains. Signs read Taiohae
Atuona
Atuona Hiva Oa
Usage
Main village of Hiva Oa. The Calvaire cemetery on the hill above it holds the graves of Gauguin and Jacques Brel, and the island's shops and offices are here
Rikitea
Rikitea Mangareva Gambier
Usage
Main village of Mangareva in the Gambier Islands, with its 19th-century St Michael's cathedral and an economy built on black pearl farming. About 45 minutes by shuttle boat from the airport motu
Mapuru a Paraita
Mapuru a Paraita Marche de Papeete
Papeete Market
Usage
The Tahitian name of the municipal market in central Pape'ete: fish, fruit and flowers on the ground floor, crafts and souvenirs upstairs. Busiest early in the morning, and busiest of all on Sunday. Signs and taxi drivers know it as the Marché de Papeete
Vai'ete
Vaiete Place Vaiete Papeete roulottes
Place Vaiete
Usage
Waterfront square in Pape'ete where the roulottes — meal vans — gather in the evening to form an open-air dining place. Right beside the ferry terminal. Signs read Place Vaiete
Boulevard Pomare
Boulevard Pomare Papeete waterfront
Usage
Pape'ete's main waterfront avenue. The yacht harbour, the ferry terminal and the way into the market all front onto it, which makes it the landmark for meeting points and taxis. Named for the Pōmare dynasty
Te Fare Manaha
Te Fare Manaha Musee de Tahiti et des Iles
Museum of Tahiti and Her Islands
Usage
Tahitian name of the museum on the shore at Puna'auia, covering Polynesian navigation, carving and history — the one place to grasp how the five archipelagos fit together. Signed as the Musée de Tahiti et des Îles
Pointe Vénus
Pointe Venus Mahina lighthouse
Point Venus
Usage
Cape at the northern tip of Tahiti in Mahina, where Cook observed the transit of Venus. A white lighthouse, a black-sand beach and the view over Matavai Bay, about 20 minutes by car from Pape'ete. Signed Pointe Vénus
'Orohena
Orohena Mont Orohena
Mount Orohena
Usage
The 2,241 m peak at the centre of Tahiti and the highest point in all of French Polynesia. Climbing it is a serious guided undertaking, and from the coast it is usually hidden in cloud. Signed Mont Orohena
Fautaua
Fautaua valley waterfall Papeete
Fautaua Valley
Usage
Valley immediately behind central Pape'ete, with a walking route to a tall waterfall and an entry fee collected at the trailhead. The closest hiking country to the city
Mara'a
Maraa grottes de Maraa Paea
Maraa Grottoes
Usage
Water-filled grottoes beside the road in the Paea district on Tahiti's west coast, free to enter and a few minutes' walk from the car park on the ring road. Signed Grottes de Maraa
Marae Arahurahu
Marae Arahurahu Paea
Usage
Restored stone temple platform in Paea on Tahiti's west coast, the best-presented marae on the island, where ceremonies are re-enacted around the July Heiva festival. Marae is the Tahitian word for such a sacred precinct
'Ōpūnohu
Opunohu bay Moorea
'Ōpūnohu Bay
Usage
Deep bay on the north coast of Mo'orea. Its valley holds a group of marae and an agricultural school, and the Belvédère lookout above takes in both this bay and Cook's Bay. Signed Baie d'Opunohu
Rotui
Rotui Mont Rotui Moorea
Mount Rotui
Usage
The 899 m mountain dividing Mo'orea's two great bays, the landmark in every photograph of the island and, in tradition, the peak from which the spirits of the dead departed. Signed Mont Rotui
Otemanu
Otemanu Mont Otemanu Bora Bora
Mount Otemanu
Usage
The 727 m rock peak at the centre of Bora Bora, visible from everywhere on the island and the backdrop to every lagoon photograph. The rock is too friable for the summit to be climbed. Signed Mont Otemanu
Matira
Matira Pointe Matira Bora Bora beach
Matira Point
Usage
Cape and beach at the southern tip of Bora Bora — one of the island's few public beaches, a long shallow stretch of white sand free to swim from, reachable from Vaitape by bus or bicycle. Signed Pointe Matira
Taputapuātea
Taputapuatea marae Raiatea Opoa
Usage
The great marae at 'Ōpō'a in southeast Ra'iātea, the sacred centre from which voyages across Polynesia are said to have set out; inscribed as a World Heritage site in 2017. About 40 minutes by car from Uturoa. Signs read Taputapuatea
Maeva
Maeva Huahine marae fish traps
Usage
Village in northern Huahine with the densest concentration of marae in French Polynesia, and stone fish traps at the lake mouth that are still in use. About 15 minutes by car from Fare
Puama'u
Puamau Iipona Hiva Oa tiki
Puamau
Usage
Village in the east of Hiva Oa and site of I'ipona, where the largest stone tiki in the Marquesas stand. About two hours from Atuona on an unsealed mountain road. Signs read Puamau
Taipivai
Taipivai Nuku Hiva Typee
Usage
Valley and village in eastern Nuku Hiva, the valley Melville wrote of as Typee, with stone ceremonial platforms and tiki still standing. About an hour by car from Taioha'e
Hatiheu
Hatiheu Nuku Hiva Kamuihei
Usage
Village on a bay on the north coast of Nuku Hiva, ringed by rock spires, with the Kamuihei and Hikokua sites nearby where huge banyans stand over old ceremonial grounds. About an hour over the mountains from Taioha'e
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