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French Polynesia Warnings or Dangers

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Popular Warnings or Dangers | Miscellaneous Warnings or Dangers Tips | All Tips (28)
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Cautions in the lagoon
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  • Leave your bright jewelry at your hotel when you go swimming, snorkeling or scuba diving, as it can reflect the sun, and attract the attention of moray eels and sharks; and wear protective footgear when you're swimming in the lagoons and walking on the reef.

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    Biting turtles!
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  • A bite mark left by a turtle - French Polynesia
    A bite mark left by a
    turtle
    by easyoar
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    If you go swimming with Turtles, you will probably think they are very friendly as they come right up to you and will almost swim into you. However they do have pretty strong beaks, and they like to try and bite bits off you as this picture shows! When we were leaving the Lagoonarium where we saw these Turtles, we spoke to one of the keepers and asked if the Sharks bit people, and he dodged the question a bit, but when I mentioned the Turtles his response was: "Paaaah - Turtle?!" He then showed us his legs and arms that were covered in scar tissue all in the shape of turtle bite marks. His attitude was that this was nothing to even be concerned about. You may choose to disagree! The good news is that the Turtles aren't that quick, so you can either move out the way or just turn them around a bit (do this gently please...).

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    Petty theft
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  • Never leave anything unattended in a parked car - French Polynesia
    Never leave anything
    unattended in a parked car
    by easyoar
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    Petty theft is an ever present danger in French Polynesia. I am not aware of any violence associated with it, but don't leave anything unattended ever. If something isn't bolted down, it will walk away. This includes items left in locked cars, bags, valuables on beaches and the like. Part of the problem probably stems from the French closing their Nuclear testing station in French Polynesia, and with it no longer spending as much money in the region, so people look for an easy option to maintain their standard of living, but the problem seems to be rife. I suspect that it also has a lot to do with the vastly over inflated prices in French Polynesia, but petty theft is a real problem. Never leave a car alone with anything in it. We had to carry our stuff with us on our last day, and made sure we never left the car unattended, even if it meant one of us staying back with the car at all times. Sad but true. My own attitude when I have had things stolen from cars whilst on holiday is that it p's me off so badly that I would rather take preventitive action than let it happen.

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    Nono
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  • On some of the islands you will encounter the "nono". This is a minuscule "no-see-um" sand fly with a nasty sting. They are most common at daybreak and late in the afternoon, when they come to chew on your ankles. You might not even know you've been bitten until hours later, when the itching starts. Do not scratch it, however, as that will only aggrevate the pain and cause an infected sore. The only way to keep these little buggers away is to slather yourself in oil.

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    The Mosquitos
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  • French Polynesia is famous for the size and quantity of its biting insects. Whilst most of them come out at night time, there are also plenty that will happily bite you during the day as I found out to my cost (in bright sunlight!) The only solution is to cover up as much as possible and to wear plenty of insect repellent, even during daylight hours. Some of the flies in French Polynesia are known to carry some pretty nasty illnesses so make sure you take care. Note:- To the best of my knowledge however Malaria is NOT a problem.

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    Beware of the floral leis
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  • the dreaded floral lei - French Polynesia
    the dreaded floral lei
    by b1bob
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    Leis are as common in Tahiti and other tropical Pacific Islands as pickup trucks are in Virgilina. However, with some folks, myself included, they cause violent nasal allergies. If you're allergic to ragweed and pollen in the temperate zones, keep these leis at arm's length. Many countries are deathly afraid of the introduction of blights and parasites to their agriculture, so you probably won't be able to take your lei with you back home or to the next stop on your tour.

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    ALTHOUGH THE NIGHTLIFE IN...
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  • ALTHOUGH THE NIGHTLIFE IN PAPEETE IS VERY GOOD IT DOES PAY TO GET DRUNK AS SOME BARS WILL CHARGE TWICE AS MUCH FOR A SOFT DRINK AS THEY WOULD FOR A BEER. WATCH OUT THOUGH IF YOU DO GET DRUNK AS THE WOMANS BOTTOM YOU ARE BUSY GROPING ON THE DANCE FLOOR QUITE OFTEN TURNS OUT TO BE A MAN! Pic:The palm trees just go on and on in Bora Bora

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    Coconuts
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  • Watch out for falling coconuts. On any islands beware to do not pass/stay to close to coco trees.

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    Update 2002- I have heard that...
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  • Update 2002- I have heard that since visiting CLub Med Moorea- it is or has closed down. I stayed in Papeete then flew out to Club Med Moorea, which was Ok but very hot and humid (no air conditioning) but lots of water to swim in ! The rooms are so-so, but no fridge to cool anything in was a bummer. Have to say that after the great treatment at the park royal the french attitude was a little hard to take in time of need. Where I come from it costs nothing to be polite, so was a little alarmed at the club med staffs attitudes. Some made it pretty obvious that they would rather be partying. Word of warning... the food is put out at set times during the day, go early as the food is left sitting uncovered and unchilled for the whole meal time and I got awfully sick- as did at least 10 other people we met. Cramps, vomiting and diarrhoea were pretty rife and I ended up having to fly home early as I was so ill. (Some of the club med staff told me NOT to get admitted to the local hospital!)On 2 occasions our milk curdled as we poured it into our morning coffee and the polynesian waitress was not impressed when people asked for more milk! Worse of all though was the lack of interest and help by the staff. They did nothing to help us alter travel arrangements and seemed disinterested in anything to do with customer relations. I have now been informed that there is a protocol they are supposed to follow when customers are sick. I work in the medical profession and took all the prophylatic meds needed, but still got caught out unfortunately. Not being prepared and having no idea of airline phone numbers etc, made it pretty stressful and expensive to get out of there, espeically in the weekend - they said everything closes there on Sat. & Sunday. So not to put anyone off their holiday, but be prepared for the french attitude and just put a little forethought into what to do if you need to get off the island in case of illness. If you stay in Papeete itself, it would be much easier to get home as you dont have to wait for buses and planes to fly over to the main island.

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    The 3 S's: sunscreen, sea anemones and sandals
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  • 1. Bring sunscreen. 2. At the beach, mind the sea anemones. 3. On Venus Beach, there is black sand. Wear sandals because... a. Dark colours absorb heat which is bad for bare feet. b. White tennis shoes will turn black straightaway.

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    More French Polynesia Tips
    Overview
     
    General Tips
    Tips: 97 - Photos: 80
    Restaurants
    Tips: 47 - Photos: 26
    Hotels and Accommodations
    Tips: 77 - Photos: 54
    Things To Do
    Tips: 120 - Photos: 109
    Nightlife
    Tips: 18 - Photos: 14
    Off the Beaten Path
    Tips: 39 - Photos: 31
    Tourist Traps
    Tips: 17 - Photos: 8
    Warnings or Dangers
    Tips: 28 - Photos: 16
    Transportation
    Tips: 60 - Photos: 47
    Local Customs
    Tips: 41 - Photos: 24
    Packing Lists
    Tips: 27 - Photos: 16
    Shopping
    Tips: 17 - Photos: 13
    Sports Travel
    Tips: 9 - Photos: 9

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