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Tahiti... The New Cythere

 The Papeete Market : a must

covering nearly 7,000 m2, the market includes a section reserved to the sale of flowers and another one for fruits and vegetables. All around the outside walls, is the domain of merchants who sell fabric and pareo, as well as flower leis and hats. At the main entrance: the fish and meat market. The second floor is exclusively dedicated to handicrafts.

The Papeete Market, remains certainly one of the last places where you can find the authentic Polynesia. People here, have always lived at the pace of the langourous years, a time when Tahitian people were opening up to the world, with pride in their customs, rich with a unique hospitality and just simply enjoying life... This is where we invite you to spend a half day unlike any other...

The market remains the city's true focal point, with its irreplaceable soul and its history. Buzzing activity never stops. The atmosphere is at its peak every day, from 4:00 AM to 6:00 PM. This lively place, high in colors and rich in emotions, remains the historical, cultural and social center of Papeete. Every morning, the entire cast of Market characters comes from remote districts around the island. While the Market has been renovated a decade ago, its new architecture was successful in preserving the atmosphere and charm of the old days, with colorful booths and many handicraft shops. Spread over 7,000 m2, it offers a full range of the authentic Polynesian life to its visitors. Here, see the fruit and vegetable merchants. Near the local products (uru, taro, sweet potatoes, pota, ginger roots, fei bananas, sweet hamoa bananas, oranges, pineapples, limes, mangoes, grapefruits and watermelons), we find tempting typical fruits: guavas, corossols, grenadillas, star apples, quenettes, ramboutans, tamarinds or ginger apples offering an extraordinary range of diversified and new fragrances. Many items are sold by the unit. Do not forget to bring bank notes and small change, which are more appreciated than suspicious checks. As to bank cards, don't even think about it... This is the Market!

A little further, you see the fish stands: tunas, bonitos, mahi mahi and swordfish seem to look down to their smaller friends: paihere, ature, iihi, vete, oiri, parai, tarao, moi, etc. There are so many varieties that it would be pointless to mention them all. The price of fish is posted each day according to strict rules and could double in function of fishing seasons. The best time to buy fish is when fishermen come back from sea, early in the morning or late in the afternoon, right before closing time. Big fishes are displayed on metal tripods. Lagoon fishes are spread on large tables. The living colors of the parrot fish (uhu, pahoro) and red snappers (iihi) bring a pretty touch of color in the middle of the stands. Discover also the Polynesian shellfish: lobsters, shrimps, chevrettes (fresh water shrimps) or crabs, and the lesser known such as the vana, sea urchins sold in small jars, or the pahua, the famous big clams. The market's butchers make you discover the extraordinary roasted piglet with caramelized skin, which is part of the top of Polynesia's culinary tradition, already appreciated and mentioned in the 17th century explorers' reports.

On the other side, toward the waterfront, you find a flower paradise:   Tiare Tahiti, taina, plumerias and other pitate a local (jasmine) set up the tone. Here is the kingdom of fragrance. If you close your eyes, you'd think you are deep in a heavenly valley. The opui with bright red color, the hibiscus with various shades and the bright yellow monettes, framed by fragrant ferns (maire), are displayed in wonderful arragements. The flower merchants' art consists in creating those colorful arrangements. Do not miss the orchids, whose local varieties are among the rarest and most beautiful in the world.

You must absolutely go up to THE SECOND FLOOR...
to discover the craftmen's booths who come from all the  islands to offer their many treasures: woven hats from the Austral Islands, Marquesan stone or wood carvings. The tikis, representing ma’ohi god are in full display next to the finely decorated tapa (traditional drawings on pounded tree bark). Further, skillfully chiseled adses and spears bring back the warriors' past... In the back of a booth, you may be lucky enough to find a ceremonial pahu (big drum) from the Austral islands. You will also find some peue, those wooven mats made of vegetal fibers (essentially niau or pandanus), which highlight the extraordinary skills of these old women who are weaving experts. As to baskets, you will find o’hini, used to store fruit or vegetable at home, pau’a to carry the taro or the uru, taporo, for fish and, of course, more usual baskets with two handles, to go shopping. Do not miss the wonderful tifaifai, those amazing patchworks with dreamlike or naive patterns, which inspired the master painter Matisse, when he was in Polynesia in the 30's, and of course Gauguin, who based part of his work on the amazing combination of colors on these traditional bed covers. You will also find tapa, skillfully painted with ancestral geometric motifs, without forgetting the wide range of monoi oil.

The Market still hides many treasures, but you will quickly understand that the main treasure is the contact between you and the colorful local population. Fully enjoy this relaxing moment while letting yourself be lead by your senses. Do not rush, take the time to browse around for  a half-day.

 See our article about « A book dedicated to the Papeete Market »