Time difference

Polynesia is GMT - 10 which means 10 hours behind the Greenwich Meridian time. But don't forget that Gambier islands are 1 hour ahead of Tahiti and Marquesas islands 30 minutes.

USA Pacific Time : when it is noon at Los Angeles, it is 10:00 am in Papeete
USA Eastern Time : when it is noon at NYC, it is 7:00 am in Papeete
France : when it is noon at Paris, it is midnight in Papeete
Japan : when it is noon at Tokyo on Tuesday, it is 05:00 pm in Papeete on Monday
New Zealand : when it is noon at Auckland on Tuesday, it is 02:00 pm in Papeete on Monday.

Power voltage used in French Polynesia is 220 Volts (60 Hz). Be sure to double-check your appliances compatibility before plugging them in. Converters / adaptors are usually available upon request at your hotel front desk.

“PK” & geographical addresses (back to top)

Even in Papeete (Tahiti), very few businesses or individuals have a well defined geographical address with a street number and name. Polynesians use some major points of interest as a referral and then spot the address.

In larger islands like Tahiti, Moorea, locals use 3 parameters to indicate an address

• PK that stands for Point kilometer + a number
• Seaside or mountainside compared with the road
• West or East coast

ex : PK 18.5 / mountain side – West coast
This address would be located on the west coast at 15 kilometers away from downtown Papeete on the mountain side.

Business hours (back to top)

Stores are open weekdays from 7.30 am. to 11.30 am. and from 1.30 pm. to 5 or 6 pm. Downtown Papeete, most of the shops also open on Saturday mornings.

But many services are still not available on Sundays. Always check with your hotels or your host before. For instance, banks are always closed on Saturdays & Sundays.

Laundry (back to top)

All the first-class hotels in Tahiti and Her Islands have laundry service and there is a dry-cleaning service in Papeete and Faa'a.

Camera & Film processing (back to top)

Because of salt water causing definitive damage to your camera, we would advise you not to bring highly sophisticated cameras on all sea excursions. One simple way to handle this is to buy a small disposable camera when you wish to take pictures on the lagoon. Some of these cameras can go underwater.

Remember that the lagoon becomes a mirror on sunny days. Pay great attention to the excess luminosity and exposure.

In Tahiti, a 24-hour film processing service is available in some shops. In other islands, it can be much longer. As for the rates, they are often much more expensive than at home.

Books and newspapers (back to top)

If you want to sell your favorite newspaper, try at Le Kiosque in Centre Vaima, and La Maison de la presse on the Papeete seafront.
You will find in Papeete the two main bookshops :

• Librairie du Vaima - situated in Centre Vaima, downtown Papeete
• Archipels - 68, rue des Rempart

Tips (back to top)

Although not forbidden ;-) tipping is not usual in French Polynesia and consequently it is not expected. But of course, if you feel that you were well attended, your tip will always be appreciated.

Post Office (back to top)

Polynesian post offices offer the same kinds of services as you would find in your home country and are generally open Monday to Friday from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. Mail sent to Europe and the U.S.A. will reach its destination  within 8 to 15 days.

Note that apart from Papeete, the mail is not individually distributed in French Polynesia. We use the P.O. boxes of our neighbouring post office.

Telephone (back to top)

Direct dialing for local and international phone calls is available everywhere in French Polynesia.
The unit is worth 33 CFP. Local phone numbers are composed of 6 digits and there is no area code applicable.

You can either call from your hotel or from a public phone with calling cards that are available for purchase at any post offices, newspapers stores or shops with phone booths nearby.

You will also be able to call with your GSM cel phone using the local network VINI. Click here for more details.

• To call your country from any local phone (*), please dial the following numbers :

00 + International code + Area code
+ phone number

(*) some exceptions may apply if you are calling from your hotel room. Please check with the reception desk.

• To make a call to French Polynesia, please dial the following numbers :

  International Access Code + 689
  + 6 digits phone number

  From the US : 010 + 689 + 12.34.56 (6 digits)
  From France : 00 + 689 + 12.34.56
  

There is only one ISP with headquarters located in Tahiti called MANA that charges a rate of 33 CFP per minute (ie : 0,25$ / mn) without subscription.
It is possible to retrieve your emails while on vacations since several Internet cafes are now available in Tahiti, Moorea and Bora Bora. Unfortunatly, very few hotels have a modem plugs directly available in the rooms and they may charge an extra-fee, so please check with your hotel.

If you have a notebook and want to access to the Internet with it, you can use the following account information in your remote access parameters :

• Server phone number : 36 88 88
• Login : anonymous
• Password : anonymous

Language (back to top)

The official language of French Polynesia is French but many locals still speak reo ma'ohi, that is to say one of the local languages (reo means language). Besides, many Polynesians speak English.

--> see also reo mao'hi language basics

In Polynesia, people drive on the right side of the road. Rules, signals, priorities are the same as in Europe.

There is only one essential precaution : drive slowly. Actually, the roads are often narrow and not always well maintained and may present some holes especially after heavy rains. and hairpin curves are often not indicated. Finally, pedestrians and even the two-wheel vehicles are carefree. You will meet on a daily basis people alone or within a group jogging in the middle of the road or kids crossing highways.

Don’t be in a hurry. Remain calm. You would not want to waste your holidays to save a couple of minutes !

Good news ! Polynesia is one of safest places on earth.

Tourists don't need to be concerned with safety. Actually, delinquency, thefts and aggressions are practically non-existent on most islands. Tahiti is surely the worst regarding this issue but remains very quiet compared with most Europeans or US cities.

Consulates in Tahiti (back to top)

Country Tel (689) + 6 digits Fax (689) + 6 digits E-mail Austria, Switzerland, Liechtenstein 43 91 14 43 91 14 paulmaetztahiti@mail.pf Belgium 47 14 00 83 75 09   Chile 43 89 19 43 61 62 c.chilepapeete@mail.pf Denmark 54 04 54 54 04 55 girard@groupavocats.pf Finland 54 24 54 43 35 26   Germany 42 99 94 42 96 89   Italy 43 45 01 43 45 07 mario_lucia@hotmail.com Japan 45 45 45 43 12 60   Korea 43 64 75 45 45 74 baudry@mail.pf Nederland 42 49 37 43 56 92 htt@mail.pf New Zealand 54 07 40 42 45 44 www.airnewzealand.com Norway 42 63 93 42 06 17 taporo@mail.pf Sweden 47 54 75 47 54 00 jacques.solaris@sopadep.pf UK 41 98 41 41 27 00 withers@mail.pf