The island of Taha'a

[CLOU]

Has anyone toured the island of Taha'a or do people just go to the motu? The RSSC tours don't sound that appealing, but I would really like to see each island. I was thinking of just hiring a taxi for the morning and then going to the motu? Does anyone know if taxis are readily available and, if so, will I need to exchange money or do they accept US dollars? (I had read somewhere that US dollars were widely accepted). I leave on Thursday and sail on the 29th. I can't wait.

[gdlamberth]

We really enjoyed the Ta'haa "Vanilla" tour (I don't remember the real name. But it goes to an island view (a "saddle" up high), a (what I presume is a "standard") Pearl Farm tour, and a Vanilla Farm tour. The Australian lady that runs it (married a Tahitian and immigrated 13 years ago) is really great. By the time we got back to the ship and to the Motu it was about 1 PM but we had time to eat, drink one Pina Colada and three Mai Tais, and for Gretchen to attend a Pareo tieing class.

 

We were however doing a BTB so we knew we'd be back the next week.

Greg

 

USNA72

[Kathy Z]

Greg - we will be doing a BTB in August. Did you buy any vanilla beans on your tour of the Tahaa vanilla farm? If so, what was the cost and what form of payment will they accept?

[gdlamberth]

AS I recall the cost was about $10 for a bag of 7-9 beans. They accepted USD and CPF as I had to use a mix of both to cover our purchase. No credit cards. If memory serves we bought 8 bags and the lady "through in" a ninth (quantity discount ). Kathy, if y'all are doing a BTB I would really recommend this trip one week and all day Motu the other (keeping in mind that we like to see a bit about how the locals live when we travel...not necessarily in evrybody's "to do" list).

Greg

 

USNA72

[splish]

the PG does not dock at a town in Taha'a. to my knowledge, your only choices are to go to the motu or the excursions offered from the ship (they leave from the ship or motu).

 

for me this motu is one of the highlights of the cruise. in fact, last year i went B2B 'cause of the fear that it might rain on my Motu Mahana day!

 

happy travels! ~ Splish

[CLOU]

Thanks for the replies. I leave tomorrow and I am still torn. Everyone seems to love th motu, but I hate missing the island. I am leaning toward just doing the motu. can't wait.

[Dreps]

We think the motu and luncheon on it are not to be missed. Also, we found excellent buys in black pearls from one of the vendors. The quality and value were confirmed by one of the finest jewelers here in DC. We did have the luxury of a back-to-back, so we had learned a lot about shopping for them.

 

Dreps

[Dolebludger]

Ah, the Motu on Taha'a! one of my favorite places in the world. Been there three times. Wish I were there now.

 

I don't think there is much in the way of a town on Taha'a, or much of anything else. It is pretty close to unspoiled South Pacific.The Motu is definitely the activity of choice for that day. Great beach and water activities. Great food. Great scenery. And did I mention open bar all day?

 

Thanks,

Richard