But Papeete, despite our initial euphoria at encountering a city, wasn't that flash. It's an intriguing combination of French culture, Polynesian flair and tropical weather, but it's a pretty smelly and filthy place. As a place to visit it's interesting, but only that, and the landscape around the city - Tahiti with its high mountains and Moorea, the neighboring island, with its jagged peaks - is picturesque but no great shakes after New Zealand, which has a similar ruggedness to it, but much more power.