Why French Polynesia
The hundred and eighteen islands are spread across five archipelagos and an ocean expanse equivalent to that of Europe: from end to end there is more than two thousand kilometres. The total land area, on the other hand, fits into a small French department.
Two kinds of island coexist. The high islands — Tahiti, Moorea, Bora Bora — are eroded volcanoes with vertical relief, ringed by a lagoon. The atolls of the Tuamotus are no more than coral crowns a few metres above the water, around an enclosed lagoon. They are not the same trips.
Getting around
Flying is the only link between archipelagos, and it is expensive: domestic flights are often the first budget item after accommodation. Multi-island passes are worth calculating before booking.
The ferry links Tahiti to Moorea in thirty minutes, several times a day, and it is the cheapest journey in Polynesia. On the islands, the circuit of the island is done by rental car, by bicycle or by truck — the local bus, where it still exists.
Money
The Pacific franc is at a fixed parity with the euro, which avoids any exchange surprise. The prices are those of a territory where almost everything arrives by boat: imported food costs two to three times the mainland price.
Fish, fruit and local vegetables, bought at the Papeete market or at the roadside, are the only way to hold a budget. The roulottes — food trucks — serve dinner for a fraction of the price of a restaurant.
Before you go
The lagoon is not dangerous but it has its rules: coral cuts, water shoes avoid most injuries, and conventional sunscreens bleach the reef — a mineral filter is asked for everywhere.
The flight from Paris takes twenty-two hours with a stopover and twelve hours of time difference: this is not a short-stay destination. Two weeks is a minimum for the journey to make sense.
On Sunday, Polynesia goes to church, and the harmony singing of the Protestant temples is open to all. It is free, it is not a show, and it is one of the most memorable moments of a stay.