Moving to Punaauia (French Polynesia)

After a first month in Papeete, we found another Airbnb in Punaauia, and as luck would have it, it’s in the same complex as a colleague of JB’s. We thought we’d be close, but we ended up even closer: same complex, same building, and same floor!!! He’s just a few doors down from us. What a coincidence!

It’s a two-bedroom apartment, quite spacious (around 60m²). There’s no office, but JB turned the balcony table into a desk in the living room, and I work on the kitchen island. In Papeete we were on the top floor so it was very hot. But here, not only are we on the first floor, but there’s a garden in front, so the apartment stays cool with just a few fans.

A 10-minute walk away, there’s an Auchan, a great bakery, plenty of shops, and three buses that can take us to Papeete. The buses are infrequent and packed during rush hour, so we bought a scooter to be more independent. JB explained here how to buy one, how much it costs, and what insurance to get. What’s funny is that we both have Vietnamese motorcycle licenses, and it’s still accepted (only for one year).

Nearby, there are two types of beaches: white sand beaches (the only part of the island where the sand is white) and black sand beaches, mostly for surfers. I read the water quality reports, and luckily ours aren’t too bad. Not the best on the island, but swimmable. These beaches are near river mouths, so bacteria levels can be high.

Here are some photos of the beaches where JB goes snorkeling several times a week.

When it comes to public beaches, in general, there are chairs, some shade, showers, and toilets.

There’s no public beach for black sand nearby, and it’s hard for us to access because you have to go through private land. But there’s a spot where you can access it via the road, just 8 minutes from home. There’s no shower there, so for now, we’re not too keen to try it.

On Sundays, there’s a market next to the town hall. It’s smaller than the Papeete market, but at least I can buy fresh fruits and vegetables there. At the market, you notice quite a few vendors with coolers, but without any signage or anything, you have to ask them what they’re selling. The entrepreneurial spirit is there, but marketing is absent lol. We’ve been told that mainlanders coming here see many opportunities, either because a service exists in France but not here, or because locals aren’t used to dealing with paperwork. Opening a business seems very complicated to them, especially in a place with no income tax and therefore no annual declaration 😀 (nor vehicle inspections). I think it’s better this way; better to keep it simple and avoid any kind of greed. The small downside is that they are very consumerist; food trucks (called ‘roulottes’ here) are always busy at all hours of the day. They spend everything they earn and don’t save much.

JB and I brought a 32-inch monitor from France as checked luggage, and we’re super happy we paid the extra fees for it. Right now, we’re both getting into Claude Code and it’s much cooler with a big screen. A colleague of JB’s said not to ship any appliances or electronics by boat. He sent his furniture and appliances from France to Tahiti, but during the crossing, they absorbed moisture and everything broke down within a few months.

For now, what bothers me is:

1. the quality of products at my Auchan, far below other hypermarkets that are much farther away. The good news is I finally found ‘local chicken,’ very expensive (18€ for a poussin), they arrive every Wednesday at Auchan.
2. Vietnamese people have food stalls at the Papeete and Punaauia markets, but everything is chicken! They say Tahitians don’t eat much four-legged meat, so they make everything vegan or chicken 🙁 so there are plenty of spring rolls for sale, but I can’t eat them (they’re better with pork).
3. The dogs. The scourge of French Polynesia, it’s like the sandflies of the Seychelles, nobody talks about it. Stray dogs are numerous (on some islands, more numerous than the inhabitants), hungry, and there can be packs of dogs at the beach, and they’re not afraid to go in the water. Dogs are not leashed by their owners, and if you happen to pass in front of their house, they may bark, chase motorcycles, be aggressive. Owners are often passive and don’t train their dogs. Several sterilization campaigns have taken place across Polynesia, but it’s not enough; sterilization costs are high, and owners are on waiting lists. Once, we were leaving the beach when a leashed dog arrived. Five dogs barked. One of them couldn’t figure out why the others were barking, and this big dog barked at me, thinking I was the source. Luckily, the owners were there to calm their dogs, but it scared me and bothered me. When I was little, a dog bit me, and ever since, I’m not at ease when a dog barks or runs behind my scooter. Since we can’t change others, I’ll learn dog signals and work on my fear.