Papeete ....

.... on the island of Tahiti was primarily for our relaxation. The trip on the ARANUI 5 will remain unforgettable for us, but it was also very exhausting: Early around 6:00 AM, we began marveling at sunrises, harbor entrances, and such, before breakfasting at 7:45 AM before the excursions started, we had excursions, lunch either onboard or on land, briefings for the next day, happy hours, and dinner .... the regular program rarely ended before 9:00 PM. How stressful vacation can be 😂 All is well, it was a wonderful and unique cruise 🌸

Papeete itself and its surroundings are very different from the much more unspoiled Marquesas Islands: Densely populated, a lot of traffic (logical with basically only one road around the island) and correspondingly loud. However, in the south of Tahiti, it becomes significantly quieter.

We mainly explored Papeete itself: the marina, promenade, parks and gardens, market hall, pearl museum, some shops and bars. The food trucks that appear on the promenade in the evening and offer very delicious food are always fantastic 🌸 Equally beautiful is the view over the harbor and marina of Papeete towards Moorea, which shines in the sunset 🌸 Not to forget are the many friendly people who welcomed us warmly and helped us despite our limited knowledge of the French language 🌸