Papeete Market
Two floors of fruit, raw fish in coconut milk, monoï oil and flower crowns.
Duration
45 min – 1 hr 30 min
Best time
Sunday at dawn
Open
Every day
Entry price
Free
The Papeete market fills a two-storey hall in the middle of town and it is the heart of Tahiti's supply. The ground floor holds fruit, fish and flowers; upstairs, crafts, monoi oil and tifaifai, the appliqué quilts.
The dish to know is raw fish in coconut milk: tuna cut with a knife, briefly marinated in lime, drained, then mixed with coconut milk pressed that day and crisp vegetables. On Sunday morning the market opens at dawn and finishes around nine — the liveliest moment of the week.
Getting there
Rue du 22 Septembre 1914, in central Papeete, five minutes on foot from the waterfront.
Hours
Sunday morning, very early, is the big day
Rules on site
On Sunday the market closes around nine: arriving later means finding the stalls bare. Prices in Polynesia are high, since almost everything is imported — the market is the best place to eat without spending a fortune.