I had heard, read and been advised to pass through Papeete, as a city of little interest and not particularly pretty, and to go on to seeing the rest of the island which is decidedly beautiful. I chose to stay a few days and get to know Papeete. It only took a couple of days of walking about and chatting with friendly strangers to discover Papeete's charm.
Among Papeete's many assets are street names like Rue Gauguin, Bougainvillea Park, Pofai gardens a long winding harbour front garden, a seedy bar called Corto, with a neon proudly lighting the face of Corto Maltese*! It also has bookstores, one of which, Odyssee, is part bookstore, part art supply store. My kind of shop, in other words!
Possibly Papeete's greatest charm are the friendly locals, always ready with advice, directions and explanations.
On a darker note, the signs of a financial crisis are present, as are the small, but very annoying aggressions by young, and perhaps less young, people out of work, or school, or ambition.
What struck me most in Papeete, and all of the islands I visited was that Tahitian was the language of the street. The locals speak both Tahitian and French with ease, and that, added infinitely to the charm of Papeete.
*Corto Maltese is the hero of the comic book works of Hugo Pratt.
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