First of all, you do not necessarily need to pay a bond. Try e-mailing Francesco at general {CHANGE TO AT} tya {DOT} com , he is an agent and may, for a cost of approx $110, act as guarantor for you, thus you will not have to pay the bond. It’s worth asking. He is based at Marina Taina.

To hail Marina Taina use channel 09. They have some mooring buoys, but frankly you may as well just anchor, it’s cheaper and you can use the marina facilities. Speaking of Marina Facilities, they have 3 restaurants and bars, Casa Bianca is the liveliest bar with happy hour between 5 and 6pm when beers are buy one get one free. But the food there is mediocre to say the least. If you want a really good meal (for the same price as Casa Bianca) try Les Iles des Quais (could be the Quais des Iles???) it’s right next to all the big motor yachts. If you are on a budget then you could always use the Roulotte at the bus stop opposite Carrefour. We had a great chow mein (a Polynesian popular dish) and instead of letting us buy 2 (at a price of 1000 Xpf’s each) the lady advised us that one would be big enough to share and she was right.

They also have a public laundry, the machines take a 9kg load and cost 800xpf’s (8 x 100 xpf pieces only). There are 4 machines and the demand is high, but it is open 24/7. The driers are expensive and inefficient.

Trash and water facilities are available, the water is free and good quality,  but you should go to the office to pay for disposing of trash. The Fuel dock has both diesel and gasoline which is excellent quality and very clean. There are plenty of places to tie up your dinghy for the whole day of you wish.

There is a Carrefour hypermarket just 5 mins from the marina (turn left out of the gate). Also at the Carrefour you can buy a local pay as you go phone if you need one or just a sim card, but take your passport if you do want to buy one. There are plenty of nice shops in the little mall and the food selection in Carrefour is brilliant, but the fresh fruit and veg is better at the Market in town.

If you need to renew any vaccinations, then you simply go to the pharmacy in the Carrefour shopping mall (turn left out of the marina and walk for 10 mins, you can’t miss it) tell them which vaccination you need (there is one assistant who speaks excellent English) pay for it, then pop next door to the doctors and ask if he would inject it. Our Typhoid Vaccines cost 30000Xpf’s (about $30) each and he doctor injected both of us for 1000 xpf’s. Both pharmacy and doctor are open until 8pm.

If you need a chandler, Michel has a little shop next to Tahiti Yacht Agents, in the marina. He has a certain way about him, but he knows his stuff. There is also another shop next to the dive shop behind Casa Bianca. If you can’t find what you need there, try Nautisport in town.  Take the bus (130xpf’s from the bus stop opposite Carrefour, just past the walk over bridge). Get off opposite the tourist board on the boulevard in the town and then walk straight down the boulevard, crossing one roundabout and at the next roundabout you will see Nautisport to the left. A word of warning, if you need to order any parts, they order them from France and they take ages.

Now here is the best kept secret in Papeete. You can buy duty free alcohol! Yes, we all know you can buy duty free fuel, but no one mentions the booze. When you clear in at customs and get your duty free fuel supply form, also get a duty free alcohol form.

 Here’s how it works. When you clear out (which you can do from Papeete and list all the islands you intend to visit before leaving Polynesia and the date you intend to leave) you then take all of your paperwork, including your clearing in docs and duty free booze supply paper, down to Kim Fa. It’s the same directions as for Nautisport, but at the second roundabout turn right (you’ll see Intersport on your left hand side) cross the road and take the first left (there is a baby shop on the corner). You will think you have gone down the wrong street, but keep walking until you see the green wagons of the Heineken depot and the Kim Fa shop is at the end of the depot. There hours are Mon to Fri 7am to 11 then 1 until 4pm. Saturday they are open in the morning.  There you can buy wines at prices from $3.30 upwards, liqueurs, Brandy, Cognac, Armenac, Whiskey etc etc. They also sell 5litre mini kegs of Heineken and bottles. The prices are a fraction of what you would pay retail.

You must give them at least 24hours notice before you are due to leave.  So, you go and select your goods and pay for them. They will take a copy of all your documents and passports and you will pay. You tell them when you are leaving Papeete and they will deliver to your boat the day of departure.  The alcohol is bonded, which means technically you can’t drink it until you leave French Polynesia.  Customs regularly board boats, so drink it at your peril.

If you can’t make it during opening hours if you call 545600 and ask to speak to Jo Ann or Laurent, they will make an appointment for you to shop while the shop is closed.