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Rental car in Papeete


sgk2000
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We will be on Transpacific cruise this September. Will be in Papeete on a Sunday and are thinking of renting a car for the day. Has anyone done this before? Just wondering how easy the drive is around the island. I know Avis rents there. There is a location in town but with limited Sunday hours so we would have to pickup at the airport. Not sure how far from port that is.

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  • 1 month later...

Just back from our Transpacific on Solstice. We did rent a car in Papeete. We were picked up from the ship by an Avis shuttle bus and taken to the city office to do the paperwork and pick up the car (a reasonably new 4 door fiat). We returned the car to the same place and it was a short walk back to the ship. Getting out of Papeete was the hardest part of driving, there was some traffic and it was our first time driving on the other side of the road. The worst bit was a couple of roudabouts (it took lots of concentration to go around the opposite way than we were used to). Once out of the city, we did an island circle, it was very easy, all roads were tar with good surface. The places we stopped were beautiful and the locals friendly. Apart from lots of places to take photos, because the views were divine, we stopped and spent time at: Grotte de Maraa, Vaipahi Water Gardens, Faarumi Cascades, Arahoho blowhole, black sand beach, Venus Point. After we returned the car we walked to the market (Marche du Papeete) in town before going back to the ship. It was a great day and we saw a lot more than we would have if we'd done a ship tour. Most of the ship tours went to either the east or west side of the island, we got to see both.

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Thank you for coming back and posting your experience with renting a car. After reading your post, I think we will probably rent a car.

 

No worries. Something else I just thought of that really helped us driving around - before you leave home, download an app called maps dot me. Then download the maps for the places you are going (you need to download each country/region separately). Once you’ve downloaded the maps you can then use the app on your phone or tablet the same as you would google maps but it works without data. You can even search the app and map routes from your current location all without having wifi access, it saved us several times!

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It is indeed easy to drive around, we did it counterclockwise. Another option would be to take the ferry over to Moorea, pick up a rental car there (must pre-order!) and circumnavigate Moorea including the very marvelous Belvedere view point above the two deep bays.

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No worries. Something else I just thought of that really helped us driving around - before you leave home, download an app called maps dot me. Then download the maps for the places you are going (you need to download each country/region separately). Once you’ve downloaded the maps you can then use the app on your phone or tablet the same as you would google maps but it works without data. You can even search the app and map routes from your current location all without having wifi access, it saved us several times!

Thank you. How long was the drive? We are there on a Sunday. Avis in town is only open 800am- 1100 am. Airport Avis is open until 8 00 pm. Hopefully we can pick up car in town and drop it off at airport.

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It is indeed easy to drive around, we did it counterclockwise. Another option would be to take the ferry over to Moorea, pick up a rental car there (must pre-order!) and circumnavigate Moorea including the very marvelous Belvedere view point above the two deep bays.

We are in Moorea the next day and are thinking we might rent a car there also. Thank you for the information.

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Thank you. How long was the drive? We are there on a Sunday. Avis in town is only open 800am- 1100 am. Airport Avis is open until 8 00 pm. Hopefully we can pick up car in town and drop it off at airport.

 

It would depend on how many times you stop. I think we got the car at about 8-9am and got back on the ship about 3-4pm.

 

We also hired a car in Moorea too, it’s much easier there as you don’t have Papeete town to deal with. They shuttled (only the driver) to the Intercontinental to pick up the car, then he drove back to the wharf to pick us up. Mount Belvedere was beautiful (go up there in the morning, as the sun block the view in the afternoon).

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  • 2 months later...
It would depend on how many times you stop. I think we got the car at about 8-9am and got back on the ship about 3-4pm.

 

We also hired a car in Moorea too, it’s much easier there as you don’t have Papeete town to deal with. They shuttled (only the driver) to the Intercontinental to pick up the car, then he drove back to the wharf to pick us up. Mount Belvedere was beautiful (go up there in the morning, as the sun block the view in the afternoon).

 

May I ask you how you booked with Avis? Did you do it online, by phone, . . . Thanks!

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  • 2 weeks later...

We also hired a car in Moorea too, it’s much easier there as you don’t have Papeete town to deal with. They shuttled (only the driver) to the Intercontinental to pick up the car, then he drove back to the wharf to pick us up. Mount Belvedere was beautiful (go up there in the morning, as the sun block the view in the afternoon).

Did you rent a 4x4 for the drive up Mount Belvedere? Was it needed and what was the road like? Thanks for any information!

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Did you rent a 4x4 for the drive up Mount Belvedere? Was it needed and what was the road like? Thanks for any information!

 

It was a small sedan. The road up was narrow and windy but tarred and in good condition (for a remote island). A standard car is fine to go up the main tourist road. Buses cannot go up to the top lookout (it’s too narrow/windy), so on a bus tour you won’t get to the main viewing platform.

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It was a small sedan. The road up was narrow and windy but tarred and in good condition (for a remote island). A standard car is fine to go up the main tourist road. Buses cannot go up to the top lookout (it’s too narrow/windy), so on a bus tour you won’t get to the main viewing platform.

Great, thank you!

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