Buying quality gems through certified dealers is essential. Transportation Inter-island travel can be accomplished variously, depending on destination. Air Tahiti offers more than 30 flights out of Tahiti to other islands. Boats and ferries connect some points. On shore, varying from one island to another, vehicles are available for rent.
Larger islands offer cars, scooters and bicycles.
The MS Paul Gauguin, launched in December 1997, bears the name of the artist most often associated with Tahiti. The French ship sails weekly, departing Saturdays, from Tahiti. It features three restaurants, one of them open air. For recreation, island tours and water excursions, as well as an on-deck swimming pool, are offered. His thick black hair still dripped from an underwater excursion where our canoe of adventurers had watched him feed raw fish to sharks.