TAHITI

September 2025

“Well, you can always hitchhike!” Fred proffered me this less than encouraging advice with a classic Gallic shrug. It was the second time I had been made aware that hitchhiking was actually still a thing in French Polynesia. More about that later…

I had wanted to visit exotic Tahiti for decades, influenced by The Kon-Tiki Expedition, Mutiny on the Bounty and an account of Captain Cook’s three month stay in 1769 when he was ensconced there to witness the Transit of Venus. Plus those plethora of cheesy South Pacific movies I had viewed on Saturday afternoons as a kid. However, one of its major appeals to me as an adventurer, its relative isolation from the rest of the world, is also one of its drawbacks, as it’s both expensive and time-consuming to get there. It’s 4,400 km. from Hawaii, 5,700 km. from Australia and almost 8,000 km. off the coast of Chile. It’s far from anywhere!

After reaching an earlier goal of visiting 100 countries, there were still several outstanding places on my global travel bucket list and Tahiti was near the top. I have learned that the best way to visit a bunch of far-flung islands is to do it on a cruise and I’d had my eye on a South Pacific cruise for several years, so when the price dropped during a seasonal sale, I pulled the trigger. I would depart from Fiji in September, visit Samoa, the Cook Islands and finally the famous islands of French Polynesia including Bora Bora, Raiatea and Moorea, with a final destination of Tahiti, where I would stay on for a few days before heading on to SE Asia.

We arrived in Papeete, the capital and largest city of French Polynesia, just before sunrise, which was spectacular. After two weeks at sea, it was a shock to be back in civilization, Papeete being a very prosperous and busy city with a population approaching 150,000. Trying to keep costs down (and French Polynesia has a well-deserved reputation for being expensive), I had booked a highly rated pension for 5 days, about 20 km. down the coast just across from one of the best beaches on the island, Plage Vaiava. Taxis and car rentals were expensive so I decided to try my luck with the local buses. I heard it was also a good way to meet the locals. If that didn’t pan out, one of the guidebooks mentioned hitchiking as a viable alternative arrangement.

The only problem was that it was a bit of a cluster trying to figure out the bus system - because there didn’t appear to be any reliable schedule and no one really knew where the right bus stops for the right buses were. At one point someone told me not to pay attention to the posted times as the bus never followed them and came when it came. Someone else told me helpfully that the bus stop I had been standing at for the past 30 minutes because it had the number of the bus I was supposed to take - was no longer in use but they weren’t sure (at all) where it had been moved to. “Bonne chance!” Finally, I noted that I was the only foreigner trying to figure out the bus system and over the course of 5 days, I was usually the only foreigner on the bus. That and the fact the electronic ticket I bought never worked one single time, to the best of my knowledge meant that I was the subject of intense scrutiny which created all sorts of contact with the friendly locals, like it or not. Every time I stepped into a bus and scanned the QR code, it beeped in rejection while flashing red, instead of the desired green. People stifled a laugh and said, “entrez, s’il vous plait, entrez-s’il vous plait!” with a smile. It didn’t seem to matter to the bus driver either as he would motion for me to get on with a smile after the usual Gallic shrug (my father used to say the French were all anarchists at heart - that’s another post) and I always ended up where I needed to be in the end, proper fare be damned!

So it was that I eventually found the right bus at the right bus stop (pretty much blind luck) - well actually I saw the bus with the right number and it was in the middle of the street and not looking like it was going to stop at my stop - so I ran out out into the street with my luggage and kind of hijacked it - and clutching my luggage, made my way to the back of the bus, to a few spontanous cheers. Did someone yell out “Pirate” approvingly?! In any event, the $2 bus fare certainly beat the $100 taxi fare! The driver started blaring reggae, people were laughing and greeting aquaintances and friends they recognized at each stop, and my mood started to lighten considerably. As we rolled past the stunning coastline on one side, with lush green mountains and jungle valleys on the other, my mood lightened considerably more! I was in TAHITI, and it was gorgeous, with a very relaxing, friendly vibe. What a lucky man I was!

After a lovely 30 minute drive we arrived at my stop. I scanned my qr code again, it beeped a loud rejection with a red light for added emphasis, the driver shrugged and smiled, I hopped off, waved back at a few of the passengers (I kid you not - they waved goodbye) and took a quick looky-loo at the beach on my way to the pension. My mood improved even more! Crystal clear, pristine, calm water, protected by a barrier reef, full of marine life, a snorkeler’s paradise. I would swim here every morning over the next 5 days (before the blazing sun had a chance to turn me into a lobster) and it was pure and simply, heaven on earth.

I stumbled into the pension grounds after running the usual gauntlet of roosters (what is it with roosters and the tropics?!) and quickly ran into Fred, the genial proprietor. Over the next few days I had many great conversations with him and my fellow guests and this quickly became one of the highlights of my entire trip. You can pay $365 a night to stay at the Hilton - or $36 a night including breakfast at Pension Ti Miti. I say skip the Hilton, Fred and his revolving cast of interesting guests from around the world are far more bang for the buck! There were a couple of giggling French girls, a stereotype-busting German couple whom I engaged in intense philosophical discussions late into the night under the tropical moon, a couple of Americans who could have been plucked straight off the set of The White Lotus. One of the greatest things was sleeping at night by an open window (there are no mosquitos or bugs of any kind here - quite rare) and falling asleep to the sound of the waves crashing on the barrier reef. It cooled off to 18 degrees with no humidity and other than the comforting ocean waves, there was no sound or light at all. Perfect!

For five days I lived in this paradise. Have breakfast with the fellow guests and linger over coffee and swap travel tales for an hour or two. Then heading down to the beach to snorkel for an hour. Back to the pension. Take a nap. Read some books strewn all over the place. Hike down to the local grocery store and pick up some freshly baked french baguettes, cheese, cold cuts and wine. Stroll over to the beach to enjoy a picnic. Go for another swim. Back to the pension and chat with whoever is around. Watch the stunning sunsets over the lagoon. Rinse and repeat. I will never forget the great vibe in this stunning part of the world. Anyways, the last day soon approached so I asked Fred the best way to get to the airport, since the buses didn’t run on Sunday, my departure day. “Well, you can always hitchhike!”

So it was that at 4 am on a Sunday when the buses didn’t run, I quietly departed the pension and started walking down the dark, deserted coastal highway towards the airport, almost 15 km away. I figured it would take me around 3-4 hours but I was up for it as I walk that far somedays anyways. It was quite dark along the highway and while Tahiti is perfectly safe I was a little worried about my visibility beside the unlit road. Anyways, I had hardly walked 500 meters before an SUV passed me, slowed down and then pulled off onto the shoulder a short distance ahead. Serial killer? Qu’est-ce que c’est? When I got closer the driver rolled down his window and asked me where I was going. To the airport, I replied and he motioned for me to get in. I hesitated and told him I wasn’t looking for a taxi but he just kept motioning for me to get in with a smile. It was a nice SUV and he looked not at all like a serial killer - so with Fred’s reassuring (at this point) words in the back of my head I decided that I would be hitchhiking to the airport. The driver could only speak a little English, and me a little French, but the good vibes of Tahiti were still in the air and I knew it would be all good.

We chatted about our families, our countries, our jobs and before I knew it (probably because he drove like a maniac at well over 130 km/h on a pitch black highway - notice my hair - the window was open!) we arrived near the airport. However, it was only 5 am so he dropped me off at a local supermarket which was opening soon. He explained to the security guard there that I was just waiting for my flight and to keep an eye on me and he nodded with a smile in my direction. I tried to give him some money for the ride but he looked offended so I quickly rescinded the offer and thanked him profusely for his kindness. He left but 5 minutes later he returned to check on me. Seriously fantastic hospitality and typical for Tahiti. Made my whole trip just that much better! So in the end, Tahiti was not as expensive as I had imagined and at the same time, the physical gorgeousness was even better - especially the pristine ocean - and the peoples’ hospitality made it a perfect visit. So, would I recommend Tahiti? - in a HEARTBEAT!!! I will definitely return someday.