The heart of French Polynesia
Tahiti is the largest island in French Polynesia and the arrival point for most visitors. Papeete, the capital, has a busy covered market selling pareos, pearls and tropical fruit, and the roulottes, food trucks, gather on the waterfront at night. Around the island are black-sand beaches such as Pointe Vénus, where Captain Cook observed the transit of Venus, and lush valleys full of waterfalls. On the southern peninsula, Teahupo'o is one of the heaviest surf waves in the world.