Thebosn1 Posted August 22, 2014 #1 Share Posted August 22, 2014 (edited) I was going to take an organized ship tour in this port but I cancelled it. Can anyone give me a little advice on a way to take an "informal" tour around papeete and the surrounding area? I want to see Pt. Venus, etc. Are there cabs that can just drive you around? Are they trustworthy, english speaking at all, expensive? If anyone has done their own thing in and around Papeete, I would appreciate any tips or ideas. THANKS!! Edited August 22, 2014 by Thebosn1 Spelling Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twin123185 Posted August 23, 2014 #2 Share Posted August 23, 2014 Any cab driver will offer a tour. I have no idea though what you should pay. Sent from my iPhone using Forums mobile app Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare Fletcher Posted August 23, 2014 #3 Share Posted August 23, 2014 (edited) Renting a car here is easy if you book in advance with Avis or Hertz etc. Expensive but everything is in Tahiti. The area around Papeete is fairly busy but once outside the city limits, as it were, the island is a real joy to drive around - take in the beach and Point Venus at Matavai Bay, then go all the way up to Tautira, then across to the Belvedere viewpoint and back the other side, perhaps visiting the botanical gardens near the Gauguin museum which isn't worth the bother. Or go the other way around. It will take you about 5-6 hours with stops - you can swim at a few places, including Point Venus, but don't expect pristine white sand beaches and there are rip tides all over the place as there isn't a protective reef. The scenery is staggeringly beautiful. The only thing you can't do in a rental car is take the road across the mountains. Strictly 4WD territory. Edited August 23, 2014 by Fletcher Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Skai Posted August 23, 2014 #4 Share Posted August 23, 2014 I would 2nd the "rent-a-car" advice suggested above. If costs are a factor, considering the prices for a private tour(for more than one person), it really balances out to be roughly the same to go on one's own. Hiring a private driver for the entire day would likely be cost-prohibitive for some. Having the freedom to set one's own schedule/stops versus being confined to that of a potentially larger tour group, IMO is absolutely the way to go....And (as also suggested above), while the traffic in Papeete is somewhat hustle&bustle with lots of round-a-bouts, once one gets out of town, there is only one main coastal rim road and it's very easy to navigate and locate points of interest with a basic map. There are also a couple of (short distance off of the main road) waterfalls on the Eastern side of Tahiti Nui to view as well, and the drive along both accessible sides of Tahiti Iti (beyond the isthmus) provide for some unique vistas as well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
J-D Posted August 23, 2014 #5 Share Posted August 23, 2014 Concur that renting a car is the best option for most people. We used Avis's downtown Papeete location. Be sure to get a map showing the Papeete streets. Once outside Papeete, driving is easy as others have said. At Pt. Venus, check out the Capt Cook, Bligh, and missionary statues as well as the black sand beach and the views along the coast and into the interior. Despite the modern developments, much of the landscape remains very reminiscent of that depicted in the famous Wm. Hodge's paintings of the area from his visits during Capt. Cook's 2nd circumnavigation in the mid-1770s, e.g., http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Hodges,_Resolution_and_Adventure_in_Matavai_Bay.jpg John John Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thebosn1 Posted August 26, 2014 Author #6 Share Posted August 26, 2014 Thanks All, great information. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cotton93 Posted August 26, 2014 #7 Share Posted August 26, 2014 Hi we personally used Carl's Tours back in 2012 with a group of 8 people from our cruise and had a fabulous day with him. He speaks perfect English http://www.papeete.com/carlstours/index.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twin123185 Posted August 26, 2014 #8 Share Posted August 26, 2014 Carl is good. Used him a couple of times to pick me up at dock getting off Moorea ferry Sent from my iPhone using Forums mobile app Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare Kristal Blade Posted September 6, 2014 #9 Share Posted September 6, 2014 We used Carl in 2013 in both Papeete and Moorea. Great fun in both locations. We were able to swim, have a nice lunch, although expensive! and buy souvenirs as well as drink the local beer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dcoy Posted September 13, 2014 #10 Share Posted September 13, 2014 I walked off the ship and booked an island tour at the dock. It was a 7 person van and was a very good trip, other than the van being pulled over for speeding. :eek: That was a first. I think since the driver had tourist, he did not receive a ticket. There were lots of tours offered at the dock Don Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iflyrc5 Posted September 28, 2014 #11 Share Posted September 28, 2014 I walked off the ship and booked an island tour at the dock. It was a 7 person van and was a very good trip, other than the van being pulled over for speeding. :eek: That was a first. I think since the driver had tourist, he did not receive a ticket. There were lots of tours offered at the dock Don Do you remember what you paid for your island tour for 7 people and how long was the tour? Thanks, Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Emdee Posted October 7, 2014 #12 Share Posted October 7, 2014 We did the Day tour with Patrick Adventure to the Papenoo valley. It was excellent. He takes you to a cheap bakery to buy a baguette sandwich if you need it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dcoy Posted October 8, 2014 #13 Share Posted October 8, 2014 Do you remember what you paid for your island tour for 7 people and how long was the tour? Thanks, The tour was around 4 hours and I thought around $40. My notes said it was about 1/2 of what the ship charged for the same tour. I don't remember the tour company's name as they were one of many tours at the pier. They were also selling larger bus tours but had the 7 person van almost full so I took it. We did see more sights than a big bus tour would see as he could easily get the van into places a bus could not go. Don Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
annenic Posted October 11, 2014 #14 Share Posted October 11, 2014 We were in Papeete just 2 weeks ago and because we had been there before and done tours we thought we'd simply wing it this time. Just off the dock street side, we noticed a stall offering walking tours and this tour I can absolutely recommend!!! It was a 1.5 - 2 hour walking tour taking in all the main sites around the city. Tracey is English (married to a Polynesian). She also speaks perfect French. Her information was very interesting and we asked many questions on life in Polynesia etc which she answered with candour. This is a new tour that has just started - we were her first tour :D. The cost of tour was $12US per person - and we walked to places that I doubt we would have found on our own and if we had we wouldn't have had a clue about it's significance. She also took us in to the Pearl Museum (Wans) which we probably would not have done on our own and explained the pearling industry. We were blown away by the HUGE pearls. One single pearl valued at $90,000.00 US!! A strand $450,000.00!! She also does personalised tours on demand. She can be contacted by email: tracey.gabriel@gmail.com. I definitely recommend :D:D:D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twin123185 Posted October 11, 2014 #15 Share Posted October 11, 2014 That's one long walk to the pearl museum!! Stop at McDonald's for lunch? Ha ha. Most people don't even know there is one downtown. Sent from my iPhone using Forums mobile app Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
annenic Posted October 13, 2014 #16 Share Posted October 13, 2014 That's one long walk to the pearl museum!! Stop at McDonald's for lunch? Ha ha. Most people don't even know there is one downtown. Sent from my iPhone using Forums mobile app Nope. No stopping at MacDonalds for lunch - it was totally filled with cruise pax trying to get on the internet!!!:D The Pearl Museum was definitely worth a look and we were the only ones there! Anyhow without Tracey we probably would not have ventured inside - sometimes it is a bit intimidating going into places like that when language could be an issue. We loved it. And the staff we're so glad to see us, but they didn't pounce on us and were just lovely. We saw lots of things on our tour - the town hall, Presidential Palace, War Memorial, Gauguin's Banyan Tree, French Polynesian Assembly etc etc - which without Tracey's commentary wouldn't have been as anywhere as interesting as they were. Her stories and sharing made for fascinating listening. I really loved this tour. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
poppyhill23 Posted October 30, 2014 #17 Share Posted October 30, 2014 I would second the suggestion to contact Tracey for a tour of Papeete! She is very knowledgable and speaks perfect English (as well as other languages too) We contacted her from the pier and she was able to walk down an pick us up! She loves what she does and it shows. Wonderful person to spend a couple of hours with and learn about the ins and outs of Papeete. She is a wealth of knowledge on who to contact on other islands as well. I cannot recommend her enough! Thank you Tracey for your amazing hospitality! Her contact info is: tracey.gabriel@gmail.com and she also has a Facebook Page! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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