Papeete, best beaches...

Coming off a cruise ship, would love to spend the day at a beach. Tried to get a day pass at InterContinental Resort. They do not give out passes on weekends! Are all beaches open to the public?

Depending on where your cruise went, you may be underwhelmed by the beaches on Tahiti. They are mostly black sand beaches and have a fair amount of waves. There is nothing on the island of Tahiti that compares to the beaches on the other islands. Matira beach on Bora Bora is one of the finest beaches in the world and if you are looking for a beach day and your cruise stops there, I'd plan to go there instead.

I've attached a picture of the typical beach on the island of Tahiti

dns65 is partially right. The beaches on Tahiti are not in the same class as the best on Moorea or Bora Bora. They are black sand which I find extremely exotic - they glisten like gold dust in the sun. The best beaches on Tahiti are north and west of Papeete, around the Matavai Bay/Point Venus area. Matavai is a historic sweep of black sand - Captains Cook and Bligh landed here. On weekends it's busy but on weekdays it's very quiet and the views at all times are breathtakingly beautiful. The nearby Tahiti Pearl Resort has the best beach of any hotel on the island and enjoys a lovely view of Moorea. Here's a photo I took of Matavai Bay -

Matavai Bay, Tahiti by UltraPanavision, on Flickr

I usually stay three or four days on Tahiti. It's a spectacular island to drive around, the scenery is amazing and Papeete has lively, slightly raffish vibe. You can also do Moorea as an easy day trip.

dns65 is partially right. The beaches on Tahiti are not in the same class as the best on Moorea or Bora Bora. They are black sand which I find extremely exotic - they glisten like gold dust in the sun. The best beaches on Tahiti are north and west of Papeete, around the Matavai Bay/Point Venus area. Matavai is a historic sweep of black sand - Captains Cook and Bligh landed here. On weekends it's busy but on weekdays it's very quiet and the views at all times are breathtakingly beautiful. The nearby Tahiti Pearl Resort has the best beach of any hotel on the island and enjoys a lovely view of Moorea. Here's a photo I took of Matavai Bay -

 

Matavai Bay, Tahiti by UltraPanavision, on Flickr

 

I usually stay three or four days on Tahiti. It's a spectacular island to drive around, the scenery is amazing and Papeete has lively, slightly raffish vibe. You can also do Moorea as an easy day trip.

Thank you and Dns65 for the information and great photos!