The Little Mail Carriers are still making their way across the Pacific with postcrossers Maret (aka Cerres) and Andry (aka andry1961)! After their stop in the Cook Islands, the next leg of the trip took them to French Polynesia — a place of blue lagoons, fragrant flowers, distant archipelagos… and, naturally, a few post offices to visit along the way.
From the Cook Islands, our journey continued to French Polynesia, which consists of 35 islands and 83 atolls. We landed on the largest island, Tahiti and our attention was immediately drawn to this map that illustrates how spread out the territory is, by superimposing it on a map of Europe:
Pretty impressive, right?
Although Tahiti was just as fragrant with flowers and surrounded by clear blue water, our first destination was, of course, the post office. We began at the Tahiti Philatelic Agency in Faa’a, near the airport. To our disappointment, it was closed for stocktaking that week.
Although we could not enter, Mauritua, a member of staff, brought out a special postmark for us, along with several stamps for us to buy. He also gave us a postcard featuring the local Father Christmas and sent his greetings to all postcrossers.
Fortunately, the regular post office next door was open, and from there we sent our postcards on their way.
With the most urgent postal duties taken care of, there was finally a little time to look around Tahiti. We saw the monument commemorating French Polynesia’s autonomy in Papeete, admired the blue lagoon views and palm-lined coast, and enjoyed the island’s mix of lush green hills, black volcanic rocks and bright tropical flowers. Everything felt so full of color!
.jpg "View in Tahiti")
While walking around Papeete, we also noticed some striking street art, with large murals bringing Polynesian symbols, flowers, birds and traditional motifs onto everyday city walls. The bright colors and bold figures felt very much at home among the mountains, tropical plants and busy streets, turning ordinary corners into surprise open-air galleries.
Flowers seemed to be everywhere in French Polynesia: on market stalls, in people’s hair, around their necks, and offered as a sign of welcome or celebration. Garlands and flower crowns are part of everyday life as much as special occasions, adding color and fragrance to arrivals, departures, gatherings and ordinary moments too. It was one of those details that made the islands feel especially warm and generous.
Our next stop was Moorea, which we reached by ferry from Papeete. Like many islands in this part of the world, Moorea is surrounded by crystal-clear water and coral reefs. Snorkelling is one of the recommended activities, so we tried it close to shore. The water was so clear that we even went along to see the fish — safely tucked inside a jar, of course!
After spending a few days on Tahiti, we boarded a flight that would take us closer to our next destination outside French Polynesia. To reach it, however, we first had to fly to the Gambier Archipelago, in a remote corner of French Polynesia.
Two hours into the flight, the crew announced that the plane had developed a technical problem and would have to return to Tahiti. Safety came first, of course, but a ship was waiting for us in the Gambier Islands and was supposed to depart that same day. Our replacement flight was scheduled for two days later. Can you imagine how disappointed we were?
Then a message arrived from the ship: they would wait for us. For two whole days! Can you imagine how happy that made us? It turned out that all 11 passengers on the flight were due to join the same ship.
While we waited patiently, we came across some impressive carved wooden tiki, or ti’i — stylised human figures that are part of Polynesian artistic and spiritual traditions. Traditionally, these figures could represent deified ancestors, protective beings or holders of “mana”, the spiritual power connected with people, places and objects. Their forms appear throughout the islands in carvings, tattoos, jewellery and public art, linking everyday life with ancestry, protection and cultural memory. Next to them, we felt even smaller than usual!
Two days later, our plane left Tahiti once again and landed safely at Totegegie Airport in the Gambier Islands. And yes, the ship really was waiting for us!
From the airport, a boat took us on the half-hour journey to Mangareva. We managed a short walk around the island and stopped by Saint-Michel Cathedral in Rikitea, one of the most striking buildings in the Gambier Islands. Built in the 19th century from coral stone, its white-and-red façade rises unexpectedly above the village, and inside it is famous for its mother-of-pearl decorations, especially around the altar.
And then it was time to complete our exit formalities with the gendarmerie before leaving French Polynesia.
That brought our time in French Polynesia to an end. We boarded a rubber dinghy and headed out to the ship that had waited two days to take us towards the island we had been trying to reach. The sea journey brought a few surprises of its own, but that is a story for next time.
.jpg "View in Tahiti")
Many thanks to Andry and Maret for taking the Little Mail Carriers along on yet another unforgettable Pacific adventure! Where were they headed next? Let’s just say it’s one of those places that makes us lean a little closer to the map to find it… stay tuned!