Faʻaʻā

• Francis Sanford (1965–1977)
• Alfred Helme (1977–1983)
• Oscar Temaru (1983–present)

Faa'a International Airport is located in the north of Faʻaʻā commune, some 5 km (3.1 mi) southwest of the center of Papeʻete. The airport is the only international airport in French Polynesia. Travellers from other islands must come to this airport for international flights. Some of the international flights from the airport go to Los Angeles, California; Tokyo, Japan; and Auckland, New Zealand. The airport is easily accessible from downtown Faʻaʻā. Airport shuttles and Tahiti buses come to the parking lot. There are coconut trees and a Tiki in the parking lot. Flowers from local farms are sent to the airport to be given to arriving passengers.

Tahiti's West Coast freeway runs through the commune from Papeʻete to Teahupoʻo. There are many other roads in Faʻaʻā. The Tahiti transportation bus runs around the Papeʻete area. There is little road traffic in Faʻaʻā. There are bridges over the many canals and small rivers that flow through Faʻaʻā. Many of the residents of Faʻaʻā have Ford or Toyota trucks. Vehicles are available in the town center of Papeʻete. There are few car dealers in Faʻaʻā. Residents who have cars for sale often park on the street with a for-sale sign showing the price and a contact number. Most of the streets are paved.

Moʻorea-Maiao on Moʻorea is located just across the Pacific Ocean 15 km (9.3 mi) away. Vaitape, Bora Bora is 218 km (135 mi) away and is the largest commune of Bora Bora. Uturoa is a closer commune on Raiatea. Papeʻete borders Faʻaʻā on the north and Paperā borders Faʻaʻā on the south.

Faʻaʻā was first settled by travelers from Asia who arrived in canoes in the year 700. At that time, the settlers from Asia made small houses from grass and wood. Faʻaʻā had only 400 residents. They fished from the beach and from their canoes. The settlers made spears from the charcoal on the beach. Soon, many more settlers came from Asia, swelling the population to 700 by the year 1220. Some of the people fed on breadfruit and bananas from banana trees. The settlers kept moving inland from the beach. They looked across the ocean and saw Moʻorea, which had also been settled. Some of the settlers on Tahiti paddled their canoes to visit Moʻorea. By 1300, Faʻaʻā had about 1,000 residents. Faʻaʻā had many grass houses along the beach, many close to one another. Some of the residents left open spaces to let their kids play. Some of the early Tahitians made small fires from leaves to stay warm during winter. By the 1330s, 1,300 residents had settled in Faʻaʻā. Most of the settlers moved their houses inland as the beachfront was flooded during cyclones and high tides. The Tahitians moved into the small valleys close to Mount Orohena. Many of the early Polynesians had canoed to Moʻorea and back many times. They had been careful of the many stonefish in the water.

European settlers came during the 1500s. Captain James Cook was the first European visitor. He first came to Moʻorea but then sailed to Tahiti. The Tahitians were all wondering who he was and why he was here. Then he left Tahiti and went exploring other islands in the Pacific Ocean. He later reached New Zealand and the eastern coast of Australia. Then Charles Darwin came on his expedition to Tahiti. During the late 1800s, Faʻaʻā had a population of 2,000 residents. Some of the residents went to California to go to the California Gold Rush to search for a new life. Faʻaʻā was part of the Kingdom of Tahiti until the annexation of 1880. Many buildings made from wood were along the coast of Faʻaʻā. Some small markets selling bananas and other fruits were busy. Residents from Moʻorea came to get fruits from the markets. Farms could be found in the mountains of Faʻaʻā.

During the early 1900s, Faʻaʻā's population had grown to 5,000. Many markets had more choices and even some toys for kids. Some bigger boats were made for the new Faʻaʻā Port. The boats sailed from Faʻaʻā onward to other communes on Tahiti such as Arue and Teahupoʻo. Downtown Faʻaʻā was very busy and public beaches were formed on the waterfront of Faʻaʻā. There was a big field in the north of Faʻaʻā and Faʻaʻā International Airport was built here in 1962. One of the first airplanes was Air Tahiti, which first went to other islands in French Polynesia. The international airlines such as Air Tahiti Nui were incorporated in the late 1990s. Air Moʻorea runs several flights daily between Tahiti and Moʻorea. In 2007 one flight crashed into the lagoon and 20 people died. Don the Beachcomber lived here part of his life. The Moʻorea ferry was also created after the flight and still sails to Moʻorea each day. Today, Faʻaʻā has a population of nearly 30,000 inhabitants.

700

The area of Faʻaʻā is first settled by early Polynesians

900

Faʻaʻā has many grass houses along the beach and inland

1600

Faʻaʻā's population grows to 1,500

1777

Captain James Cook is the first European to land on Tahiti

1855

Many Faʻaʻā residents leave for the California Gold Rush

1910

Faʻaʻā has more than 5,000 residents

1962

Faʻaʻā International Airport opened

1998

Air Tahiti Nui is founded

2007

Air Moʻorea crashes while going to Moʻorea

Farms in Faʻaʻā are usually found in the mountains to the east. The farms are all more than 300 m (1,000 ft) above mean sea level far from the coastline. The farms in the mountains have Tahitian flowers growing in the fields. The flowers get picked and are usually sent to Faʻaʻā International Airport to greet the passengers that have just arrived. There are many tractors on the fields that plow the dirt. Banana trees are plentiful throughout Faʻaʻā and also a major export to other islands. The main islands that get imported from Faʻaʻā are Moʻorea, Huahine, and Raiatea. Many strawberries are also found in the farms. Potatoes, apples, and raspberries are all other major fruits grown at the farms of Faʻaʻā. School lunches usually contain fruits from these farms. The Moʻorea juice factory is a major juice factory on Moʻorea that exports its juice to Faʻaʻā.

Ace is a major hardware store in Faʻaʻā. It is made up of more than one building. There are 3 of these buildings. One of the buildings is for supplies and objects needed in houses. Another one of the 3 buildings is for Wood supplies and Wood Glue. The third building is for cement mixers and screws. Other major hardware stores are the Faʻaʻā Supply Store. It is made up of one building for mainly supplies and cement mixers and another for wood. Other hardware stores of Faʻaʻā are Polymat, Polywood, and Polybuild. Ace delivery trucks are found throughout the neighborhoods of Faʻaʻā.

Faʻaʻā is full of cell phones. Faʻaʻā has major industrial valleys far inland. These areas have hardware industries as well. Ace is close to a store a lot like Circuit City. Dishwashers and refrigerators are the main goods found inside the store.

The surfing world champions of Teahupoʻo have been to Faʻaʻā. Teahupoʻo is a reef break, making big waves. The swells usually break to the left but sometimes break to the right. The big swells cause Teahupoʻo to become a major place for the World Championship Tour (WCT). People such as Mike Stewart and Ben Severson are the boogieboarding champions of Teahupoʻo. The first surfing champion of Teahupoʻo to win an award was in 1999.

Soccer games (in Faʻaʻā, it's called football) is a major sport played at the school parks. The parks have chairs set in a field and people can easily see the game. The soccer fields are relatively small.

Other major sports played in Faʻaʻā are tennis and basketball.