Shopping in Manihi - authentic goods, best outlets, malls and boutiques

Manihi is not the perfect place for those who are intended to buy some clothes or shoes by famous brands during their vacations. French Polynesia generally provides a poor choice of brand items in comparison to other countries, plus, prices here are not lower than in any other place on Earth. In addition, the local population is quite small, so there are just literally a couple of large stores as well. So, if you have a strong will to do nice shopping, choose a day or two and go to Tahiti, as a variety of options is better there. Actually, there is a decent number of shops where you can buy peculiar souvenirs, that is why you’ll definitely buy something for your relatives and friends.

One of the most interesting mementos you can bring home from the island is pretty expensive, but you definitely won’t be sorry to spend money on it. This memento is a local unique black pearl. Native have been collecting eat for centuries. Black pearls were extremely valued among Europeans who were the first ones coming to the island. Today, thanks to modern technologies, even an average tourist can purchase it. One pearl would cost about 200$. You won’t find it anywhere else in the world. The reason for it is – the black lip oyster inhabits exceptionally the territory of French Polynesia and the Manihi water area. Of course, there were attempts to try to produce it in Australia and New Zealand, but eventually, it was found out that these capricious creatures are only able to fully function in their home waters. In the present days, tourists buy not exactly the same pearls which were collected by local manually just half a century ago. There is an oyster farm on the island, and its workers leave nothing to chance – whether a sand grain gets into a shell or not.

If you’d like to learn more about how oysters are grown here and how they produce pearls, you definitely have to go for an excursion to the farm. There you’ll learn to define the real quality of pearls and see how to distinguish true ones from fakes. You can buy a pearl that you’ve like in particular as well. There is also a jeweller who works on the island and can create a piece of unique jewellery with your pearl. You can also buy one of the already made ones there, with or without pearls – all the jewellery is highly qualitative on Manihi. Copyright www.orangesmile.com

A pareo – which is not just an accessory for a beach but a part of national clothes here – would be another marvellous present. High-quality pieces of fabric in absolutely diverse colours are also sold here. Bright colours are also highlighted by flower, animal or geometric designs. Moreover, you can also buy a men shirt made of this kind of fabric.

Local music instruments, like ukulele or drums, are also can be bought here.

You can also buy French perfume for a very good price here on the island, as there are no duties.

One more thing that everybody should purchase is a unique Monoi body oil. Its recipe is already several centuries old, adult women of the island have no problems with their skin thanks to this oil. Monoi is made from coconuts, Tiare flower and crab claws. Even if you personally don’t need the oil, you will always find the one who would be happy to get it as a souvenir from the island. You can find more natural cosmetic here on Manihi too, as it’s highly popular among local women.

Talking about exotic fruits, the best way to buy it is on the local market in the morning.

Remember that working hours on Manihi are from 7 a.m. to 4-5 p.m., so it’s better to do shopping in the first part of a day. Locals don’t expect that people will bargain with them. They can a little bit low a price only if it’s on a market. So, be ready to purchase all those woven boxes and mates, carved figures of people and animals, masks of spirits and gods, and many many other items for their original price. However, locals are intended to cash in on tourists, so all the local souvenirs are sold here for a normal price. One more nice present would be a coconut, mango or papaya fruit liquor.