Lautoka: Fiji’s second-largest city is still small enough to walk around, and it’s genteel citizens normally won’t hassle you to “come in, take a look” at their shops. The town was laid out by the British, with broad streets, shady sidewalks, and pleasant parks.

Sigatoka: The riverfront town of Sigatoka, on the Coral Coast, isn’t as pleasing to the eye as Lautoka, but it still makes its living not from tourists but from trading with the farmers in the picturesque Sigatoka River Valley.

Kadavu: The long, skinny island of Kadavu, some 100km (60 miles) south of Viti Levu, has a road on one end, but you must take a boat to reach all its best spots. That’s one bit of evidence of how little Kadavu has changed. Unlike Fiji’s other large islands, it has no sugar-cane farms, no mongooses, no iguanas, no myna birds, and few if any Fiji Indians. The result: It’s like the rest of Fiji used to be.

Suva: The British are long gone, and Suva today is the largest, most vibrant city in the South Pacific islands. But among its new high-rise office towers are grand colonial buildings, orderly parks, and a mixed population that dates back to the days of the Raj.

Rakiraki: On the northern tip of Viti Levu, the Fijian village of Rakiraki and its surrounding countryside seem caught in a time warp, provided you don’t notice the few small real-estate developments creeping into the hills (will we Westerners ever stop wanting to buy our own piece of paradise?).

Levuka (Ovalau Island): No other town has remained the same after a century as much as has Levuka, Fiji’s first European-style town and its original colonial capital in the 1870s. The dramatic cliffs of Ovalau Island hemmed in the town and prevented growth, so the government moved to Suva in 1882. Levuka looks very much as it did then, with a row of clapboard general stores along picturesque Beach Street.

Savusavu: You’re apt to see more Americans strolling the streets of picturesque Savusavu than anywhere else in Fiji, since so many of them have purchased land near there, but the town still has the feel of the days when schooners would pick up cargo at places like the Copra Shed.

Taveuni: Fiji’s lush “Garden Island” has changed little since Europeans bought land holdings and started coconut plantations in the 19th century. You can stay with descendants of one of those early planters at Vatuwiri Farm Resort. With a large population of indigenous plants and animals, Taveuni is a nature lover’s delight and the best place to go hiking in Fiji.

source: Frommer’s 2012

Taravao Plateau
If you have to choose one of three roads on Tahiti Iti, take the one by the school and stadium. It dead-ends high up into the rolling pastures of the Taravao Plateau. It begins at the traffic signal on the north-coast road to Tautira and runs up through cool pastures reminiscent of rural France, with huge trees lining the narrow paved road. At more than 360m (1,200 ft.) high, the plateau is blessed with a refreshing, perpetually springlike climate. Near the end of the road, you’ll come to the Taravao Plateau Overlook, where you’ll have a spectacular view of the entire isthmus and down both sides of Tahiti Nui.

The North Coast to Tautira
The road on the north coast of Tahiti Iti goes for 18km (11 miles) to the sizable village of Tautira, which sits on its own little peninsula. Captain Cook anchored in the bay off Tautira on his second visit to Tahiti in 1773. His ships ran aground on the reef while the crews were partying one night. He managed to get them off, but lost several anchors in the process. One of them was found in 1978 and is now on display at the Museum of Tahiti and Her Islands, which you will come to on the west side of the island.

A year after Cook landed at Tautira, a Spanish ship from Peru named the Aguila landed here, and its captain claimed the island for Spain. It was the third time Tahiti had been claimed for a European power. He also put ashore two Franciscan priests. The Aguila returned a year later, but the priests had had enough of Tahiti and sailed back to Peru.

When you enter the village, bear left and drive along the scenic coast road as far as the general store, where you can buy a cold soft drink and snack. If you can hold out longer, wait to take a break at La Plage de Maui snack bar on Tahiti Iti’s south coast.

The South Coast to Teahupoo
The picturesque road along the south coast of Tahiti Iti skirts the lagoon, passing through small settlements. Novelist Zane Grey had a deep-sea-fishing camp at PK 7.3, near the village of Toahotu, from 1928 to 1930. He caught a silver marlin that was about 4m (14 ft.) long and weighed more than 454 kilograms (1,000 lb.) — even after the sharks had had a meal on it while Grey was trying to get it aboard his boat. He wrote about his adventures in Tales of Tahitian Waters.

According to Tahitian legends, the demigod Maui once made a rope from his sister Hina’s hair and used it to slow down the sun long enough for Tahitians to finish cooking their food in their earth ovens (a lengthy process). He accomplished this feat while standing on the reef at a point 8.5km (5 miles) along the south-coast road. Beyond Maui’s alleged footprints, now under the road, the Bay of Tapueraha provides the widest pass and deepest natural harbor on Tahiti. It was used as a base by a large contingent of the French navy during the aboveground nuclear tests at Moruroa atoll in the 1960s and 1970s. Some of the old mooring pilings still stand just offshore.

Reminiscent of the great Matira Beach on Bora Bora, La Plage de Maui (Maui Beach) borders the bay and is the best strip of white sand on Tahiti. Get out of the car and take a break at the lagoonside snack bar here. A cave, known as the Caverne de Maui, is a short walk inland.

Near Vairao village, you’ll pass the modern IFREMER: Le Centre Océanologique du Pacifique (Pacific Oceanographic Center), which conducts research into black-pearl oysters, shrimp farming, and other means of extracting money from seawater. The buildings were formerly used for France’s nuclear testing program.

The south-coast road ends at Teahupoo, the famous village de surf (surfing village) whose beachside park overlooks the big waves curling around Havaa Pass. World-class boarders compete in the Billabong Pro tournament here every May. A footbridge crosses the Tirahi River, where a trail begins along Tahiti Iti’s rugged eastern shoreline. It’s a strenuous and sometimes dangerous hike done only with a guide.

Where to Stop for Lunch / Dinner
Shoehorned between the road and the sands of Maui Beach, La Plage de Maui Restaurant is a great place to stop for refreshment while taking in the gorgeous scenery. Owners Rose Wilkinson and Alain Corre, both veterans of the Sofitel Moorea Beach Resort on Moorea, offer burgers, steaks, poisson cru (marinated fish), ice cream, and other temptations. Burgers cost about 800CFP (US$10/£5), while main courses range from 1,900CFP to 2,800CFP (US$24-US$35/£12-£18). No credit cards, however. Open daily 10am to 6pm.

The Musée Gauguin has its own restaurant, but most circle island tour buses deposit their passengers for lunch at the lagoonside Restaurant du Musée Gauguin, at PK 50.5 which is worth a stop just for its phenomenal view of Tahiti Iti. The lunch buffet costs about 2,800CFP (US$35/£18) per person Monday through Saturday, 3,700CFP (US$46/£24) on Sunday; sandwiches are also available. Open daily from noon to 3pm.

A less expensive option is Beach Burger, at PK 39, west of the golf course at Atimaono. In addition to burgers, it serves salads, steaks, Chinese fare, and pizzas. Open Sunday through Thursday from 6am to 8pm, Friday and Saturday from 6am to 9:30pm.

Driving around Tahiti Iti is a great way to spend a day sightseeing during your trip.  Check out our vacation packages and contact one of our specialists so you can spend the day in beautiful Tahiti Iti.