PAPEETE MARKET - MAPURU-A-PARAITA

We really recommend a visit to the market on Sunday, early in the morning (unless you go there to buy gifts and souvenirs): the atmosphere is like no other! In the heart of the city, on more than 7,100 m², the Papeete market is worth a visit for its rich colors and scents, and for the picturesque and joyful animation that can be found there every day of the week. If it is obviously magical for the visitor, it has kept its primary function as a place of exchange.

The Papeete market has existed since Governor Bruat drew up the plans in 1847. Destroyed by the cyclone of 1906, then by the German bombings of 1914, it has been rebuilt several times, the last one in 1987. The current building, whose metal structure is not really aesthetic, is organized in two levels.

It is very busy on Sunday mornings, when all the families living in the suburbs of Papeete come to get the supplies for the Sunday maa tahiti. All the local products are here, and they have even taken care to present them to you on panels explaining the history, the cooking and the Tahitian name of vanilla, coconut... The coconut, a primordial product, is proposed in several ways: you can open it with a cutter to drink the water through a straw, or you can be offered the bottled milk, the flesh, or all sorts of coconut cakes. But if there was only coconut! Bananas, mangoes, papayas, but also uru (fruit of the breadfruit tree), fei (plantain banana which is eaten cooked), taros (tuber), tamarinds, carambola, barbadines, and other soursops: the choice of fruits and vegetables is very varied. Fish are also numerous (red or white tuna, mahi mahi, parrots, red mullets), as well as seafood (goats, lobsters, crabs, sea urchins, clams, everything is there!) They are fished in the lagoon or offshore in the five archipelagos, and sent by plane, in defiance of any commercial logic (it is very expensive), but to the great benefit of freshness and taste. Do not miss the early morning arrival. Flowers of all kinds are on sale all the time, whether you need a tiare for the ear or a big crown. All compose a fascinating patchwork of scents. Monoi, vanilla, jams and pastries are also on offer.

The escalators that lead you to the second level give access to some good snacks and souvenir vendors of all kinds. A non-exhaustive concentration of local handicrafts is offered: various pareos, flowered shirts, carved objects, basketry, tikis of all sizes made of mother-of-pearl, stone or precious wood, dugout canoes, umete (hollow container), hairpins, bracelets... Everything is handmade, engraved with subtle patterns, and you will not find here any kind of made in Taiwan souvenirs. Most of the products in the market are authentic and the work is of high quality. But beware! The handicrafts are sometimes made to order in Indonesia and are almost indistinguishable. Look at the origin, the quality of the work, the material used, and always ask before buying, the sellers are generally honest. Finally, note that you won't be able to get the whole market at a very low price: prices remain high, as everywhere in the country.