Punaauia is located approximately 15 kilometres south of Papeete, the largest city on Tahiti and the capital of French Polynesia. Punaauia is part of the continuous suburban conurbation that spreads along the west coast of the island, and has a population of approximately 25,000 residents. This residential township lies along the flat coastal strip which stands between the turquoise blue waters of the South Pacific Ocean and the awesome volcanic peaks of the Tahitian hinterland, and enjoys fantastic views towards Mo’orea Island.
Notable features in Punaauia include Le Meridien Hotel, which is recognised as one of better hotels in Tahiti. The hotel has been constructed on the west coast of Tahiti overlooking the island of Mo’orea and provides direct access to the ocean and its reefs. The town is also the location for the famous Lagoonarium, which is part of the Captain Bligh Restaurant and Bar. The Lagoonarium is a combination fish-park and aquarium, and enables visitors to enjoy its marine life from an underwater perspective. It contains a myriad of different species of fish and marine animals, including sharks, moray eels, turtles, sea anemones, rock fish, plus all of the tropical fish who live in the waters around Tahiti. At Fisher Point can be found the Tahiti and Her Islands Museum which stands on an historic site where an ancient ‘marae’, or sacred place, was once located. The museum’s collections cover the archeological and cultural history of the Polynesian People before the arrival of the first European explorers and missionaries.
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