Papeete is not the Tahiti of the posters, and that is rather its charm. It is a busy, slightly shabby, humid Pacific capital of some twenty-six thousand people, with another few hundred thousand in the sprawl around it on the north-west coast of the island, and it works hard at being a normal French town. Scooters weave through the traffic, bakeries sell baguettes at dawn, and the harbour is full of ferries heading for Moorea, which lies like a jagged green wall on the horizon.
The market is the heart of it. The Marché de Papeete, a large covered hall in the centre, sells flowers, fruit, vanilla, monoi oil, pearls and woven goods, and on Sunday mornings it opens before dawn and fills with people. At night the waterfront comes alive with the roulottes, food trucks that serve grilled fish, steak frites, chow mein and crepes at plastic tables. It is cheap, friendly and the best dinner in town. Tahitian pearls are the local luxury, and the shops along the front sell them at every price.
A short way east, at Pointe Vénus, the captain James Cook observed the transit of Venus in 1769, and the mutineers of the Bounty first landed here a couple of decades later. The black sand beach and the white lighthouse are worth a stop. Paul Gauguin lived on the island and the French connection is everywhere, in the language, the cuisine and the Paris-style prices, which are high.
For riding, the coastal road around Tahiti Nui is a good outing of about a hundred and fifteen kilometres, with the sea on one side and steep green hills on the other. Traffic in and around Papeete is dreadful at rush hour, so leave early. Beyond the city the road quietens, with waterfalls, black sand beaches and little villages, and the bends are easy but often wet. Rain showers are frequent, particularly from November to April, and the surface can be slick.
Fuel and services are plentiful around Papeete, and you should fill up before leaving, since stations thin out away from the capital. Eat at the roulottes at least once, wear a light waterproof, and enjoy the heat.
The cooler dry season, roughly May to October, is best for riding.