The last time we visited Tahiti was in December 2010 - our first foray in house-swapping and what a huge success it was too. We swapped apartments with a lovely Parisian Doctor and his wife - they left us an apartment on a small private marina, a BMW and a Citroen, we left them our apartment with views over the city of Sydney and our kitty cat Tasha. We all had an outstanding time. We spent the month in Tahiti diving, cruising around the island's main road (AKA the racetrack) and even took the car ferry over to Moorea for 3 nights in order to dive with lemon sharks and swim with rays. We pretty much thought we'd seen Tahiti. We were wrong.

So much has changed in 13 years and a huge amount of work has gone in to highlighting the islands natural attractions. We walked off the ship on our first day just 1000% grateful not to have to go through the tendering palaver and immediately we were in town. Fabulously located cruise port. We had a look aound the stalls set up outside the tourist information centre and that gave us baseline prices for the lower end of the black pearls, shell jewellery and so forth type purchases. We then headed to the Papeete Market. It has not changed a bit. They had an islander band pumping out the music non stop which made it a headache inducing experience and almost impossible to speak to shop keepers - certainly produced the desired tropical island atmosphere. We had a look around and settled on a pearl pendant for James and a ring for me (for starters). Aso sorted out a couple of badges for the bags. Funny story. We love our badge buying and the bags are looking more and more impressive every day, but we're frugal to the max and refuse to pay stupid money for anything - let alone embroidered fabric patches. The first badge was not too bad - $10 at the first shop and eventually $8 from the final shop. The second badge was also $10 - but let's not be kidding ourselves - happy price is 'less than A$5'. We took a look in the ancient window display of one tourist shop and saw the same badge - albeit a slightly older model - for 270 francs vs. 790 francs in the shop. We said we want that one - pointing… so they walked us through the shop to the 'new models' - we insisted and succeeded - so A$3.70 for badge number 2. Never ever pay retail, that's us.

We enjoyed our shopping outing immensely on Day 1 and the show in the evening was an absolute stand out performance by a local band/song and dance troupe. We could not have felt more immersed in the tropical vibe if we tried. We hadn't planned ahead to any great degree, but we did see a local couple organising taxi tours of the island, just on the pier near the ship. Five stops, four hours, mini-van/people mover type taxi. Anything (and it bears repeating) anything is better than a ship excursion with 60 to a coach and the crazy money pricing. We booked in for Day 2 and figured it would be a nice drive around the racetrack and… oddly… had no clear recollection of any of the destinations. For the simple reason as it turns out that they were never signposted or featured on maps 13 years ago. Amazing.

Well, we turned up early the following day and had a quiet laugh as people rolled up and demanded taxis and drivers to take them to assorted places. The concept that islands are small, taxis and drivers are limited and spots book out (like, by people like us who booked yesterday), are truly beyond the denizens of the ship. A lot of people missed out. Sigh… too bad, how sad, never mind. We were off! And blessings, the other 5 people spoke French. So we didn't have to put up with endless yakking, questions and bull from the back seat. Us? Next to the driver - after all, unless you are the lead dogs, the view never changes. Our driver spoke English (as it was an English speaking tour) and was a man of few words (even better). The commentary amounted to 'Blowhole - 15 minutes' or the equivalent. Fabulous! So we started at the Maraa Cave/Grotto with its three grottos and crystalline aqua waters (and the little craft market), continued to the Vaipahi Botanic Gardens (used to be private, now open to the public - and a little craft market), the Three Waterfalls (small overpriced fruit stall, no craft market), the blowhole on the black sand beach (very posh pearl shop - lookies only) and finally Point Venus and it's lighthouse erected in 1867 (and the little craft market). Wow! what an outing. It even did a spot of torrential pouring down, but only while we were on the road. The lushness of the jungle was just so green and the amount of rain just during our half day trip explains the growth. We even managed to use the last francs we had on us to buy another one of a kind/carved from a shell ring to go with a necklace and earrings from Easter Island and a polished oyster shell with a mabe pearl on it. Fabulous finds. Lucky all those little craft markets were there. We made it back to the start point running only 15 minutes behind schedule, zoomed onto the ship for lunch and headed back out again for a few final hours in Tahiti.

As it turns out, we ended up getting a few more francs out of the ATM when we returned to town - helped in no small part by there being no fee to withdraw cash - and spent the remainder of the afternoon perusing and purchasing some treasures that had escaped us on Day 1. Thankfully there was no longer a band at the market and the cruise ship hordes had died down. A black pearl bracelet/bangle for James and a statement 'chest piece' pendant with multiple black pearls for me - phenomenal bang for buck as it wasn't silver and it was from the same bloke we bought James's pendant from yesterday. Negotiable - that's what he was. And on the outside of the market (cheaper). There's a food chain to the pearls in Tahiti. Farms? Fabulous but on the offshore islands and not generally feasible. Retail shops, using high end platinum, gold and and at a pinch, silver - brrr - good to enjoy the air conditioning and see the pretty, pretty things, but with prices designed to make credit cards shiver. Then the town market, our old friend the market. Inside shops and stalls - good range and some 'better' items in silver. Not too pricey and lots of nice things. Stalls outside the market but under the eaves. Now we're talking! That's where I bought my earrings 13 years ago and they are still going strong. All told - with the show on board, town market and the tour - a superb port visit. In fact, we could definitely return to Tahiti - keeping an eye out for housesits as we speak.