Cathedral of Notre-Dame

The Cathédrale de Papeete Notre-Dame de L'Immaculée Conception sits on the rue du Général de Gaulle a block back from the waterfront. Twin-towered, painted yellow and white, it is the prettiest colonial building in the city — though "pretty" is a low bar in Papeete — and the cathedral of the Catholic Archdiocese of Papeete.

The interior is light, breezy, and surprisingly Polynesian, with tropical wood ceilings and stained-glass windows showing scenes set against the Tahitian landscape. Mass on Sunday morning includes hymns sung in Tahitian harmonies — an experience worth showing up early for. Open daily, no admission charge.

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A story
Construction took 30 years — from 1856 to 1886 — because the small Catholic congregation had to import most of the building materials from France. The site was a gift from Queen Pōmare IV, who tolerated rather than welcomed the French Catholic mission; her preference, like that of most Tahitians at the time, was the older London Missionary Society Protestants.