Suhani Gupta

Over the Thanksgiving break, I visited the islands of Tahiti and Mo’orea, my third venture into Polynesia after visiting Hawaii and New Zealand years prior.

Looking at a map of the world, it’s easy to overlook the tiny islands in the middle of the Pacific Ocean that make up French Polynesia. The closest country to these islands, New Zealand, is a six hour flight away. Despite its isolation from the rest of the world, French Polynesia holds a vibrant culture and environment.

Over the Thanksgiving break, I visited the islands of Tahiti and Mo’orea, my third venture into Polynesia after visiting Hawaii and New Zealand years prior. The other Polynesian islands I visited felt crowded with tourists, but Tahiti and Mo’orea lie so far from most other countries that they do not see many visitors. Only around 300,000 people travel to French Polynesia each year, while other Polynesian islands see millions of tourists.

Polynesian culture shines through in French Polynesia. Upon landing in the only airport in the archipelago—Tahiti’s Faa’a International Airport—we were greeted not only by a rush of humid air but also by a lively performance of ori Tahiti, the island’s traditional dance form.

After our arrival, we drove across the island to our hotel. In only an hour, we covered more than half of the island, driving around the massive long-dormant volcano in the middle.

Tahiti’s topography surprised me. From what I had heard beforehand, I thought it would be a beachy island paradise. While it did have some beaches, they were not the main attraction. Instead, Tahiti offered more waterfalls and lookout points, similar to areas of New Zealand. The island is perfect for a day trip; we were able to visit nearly every major attraction in this time.

If you are looking for beaches, I recommend starting your trip off with Mo’orea. It offers a diverse range of water activities, including snorkeling and jet skiing. Mo’orea’s ocean is so clear and blue that I could see every piece of coral and fish in the water looking from above. I had never snorkeled before this trip, yet the clear water made me feel perfectly safe at all times.

Not far off the coast, small sharks roam in the waters. While on the jet ski tour, we stopped at one of the shark-infested areas and had the surreal experience of seeing sharks swimming around mere feet away from us. Some of the more adventurous ventured into the ocean, but I just watched from above, still able to make out the sharks’ shapes through the clear water.

The ocean is not the only attraction on the island, as it offers many other thrilling activities. We took an ATV tour, visiting Mo’orea’s juice factory, pineapple plantation and Magic Mountain. Even though rain pelted down on us by the end of the tour, I could still feel the warm air as we drove right next to the ocean.

My experience doing the activities in Mo’orea differed from my experience in other countries. In the United States, you often have to go through an extensive safety program with the rules being reiterated to you many times before you embark on your adventure. However, in Mo’orea, they gave minimal instructions, letting you find your own path as the activity went on.

The benefits of a relatively unvisited territory manifested on this island as well. Even with a 10 person group, we were able to book all activities only one or two days in advance rather than having to plan excessively beforehand.

Tahiti and Mo’orea did not offer quite the island paradise which I expected, as we spent more time doing activities than relaxing on the beach. Still, the two islands made for a thrilling and active trip that I will never forget.