About Us
Tracey Thomas
About me
I started travelling at 18 when I took “a year off” between studies to see the world. That year slipped into the following year and then I’d got the bug! The bug turned into a career in the travel industry. I initially worked for a British airline which led to a career in the UK Hospitality and Tourist Industry, taking me to Spain and finally bring me here to French Polynesia. Once settled on Tahiti, I specialised in creating adapted private tour programs for individual and small groups around the islands. My local knowledge a useful element in rarely explored part of the Pacific British born with dual British/French nationality I am trilingual (English, French and Spanish) Married to a Polynesian from the Austral Islands for many years, I am now firmly rooted on the islands. It is on Tahiti where our three (now adult) children grew up and live. Tahiti has become my island home
How did end up in Tahiti?
At 12 I was given a copy of THE MUTINY ON THE BOUNTY, the first book I read from cover to cover and the beginning of my love affair with Polynesia and the Pacific. At 30 while working in a bar in Barcelona I met a Polynesian serving in the French PARACHUTIST regiment. We had 3 children. Over 20 years ago we moved to Tahiti so the children could embrace their Polynesian roots and multicultural identity
How the Unique Tahiti came about
While working in Tahiti's travel tour industry I quickly became aware of how valuable my insight and local expertise were to visitors. My local connections and close relationship with the population gave me privileged access to many aspects of daily life, the mindset, the values and vision of Polynesians from all social backgrounds. As an independent tour leader, guide and program creator, finding quality, up market tour service's which catered to my individual and small groups was a challenge! The service I was looking for didn’t exist. So, I decided to provide the service myself when in 2015 UNIQUE TAHITI opened for business.
Mission
Nearly 20 years ago, when I first arrived, Tahiti was an island that everyone had heard of but no one spent time on. The island largely ignored. Tahiti is the gateway to Bora Bora, to the Pacific tropical islands and overwater bungalows that are part of every visitor’s honeymoon or bucket list dream destination. As I worked with visitors it was clear that the majority of them seem to know not much else about French Polynesia apart from the famous luxury over water bungalows, grass skirts, palm trees!
Unique Tahiti’s mission is to demonstrate that Tahiti is so much more than luxury over the water lagoon bungalows! Our mission is to introduce the wonders of Tahiti to whoever has time to discover and explore it. We hope to set the scene and teach visitors about where they are in the world, how the tropical islands got here, and who the Polynesian, South Pacific people are. The diversity and wonders of Tahiti were so long unexplored and totally under the radar. Introducing Tahiti and bringing attention to this amazing island and part of the world is our mission.
Ambassadors maybe a bit over the top, “No1 fans” kind of says it all
It is an enormous pleasure for me to be part of making visitors traveling experience in Tahiti and French Polynesia one that exceeds all expectations. My greatest joy is to share all I have experienced and learnt here from the amazing local population and providing the bridge between visitors and Polynesians
My inspiration and motivation
My biggest inspiration has always been discovering new cultures and ways of living, it’s why I started travelling and why I believe many people continue to travel. The joy of learning and better understanding how other people live always interested me and has been a key motivation. The Pacific has always fascinated me, the islands their people its ocean
The islands have offered me an enormous amount of happiness and taught me so much. Tahiti has provided me with a lifestyle I could never have imagined, its people have been an inspiration – time to return the favour.
UNIQUE TAHITI exists to provide its guests with personalised, unique and authentic guided tours that exceed all expectations. If we send guests home with life time memories for them to share with others inspiring them in turn to come and experience Tahiti themselves our mission is complete
ARE YOU READY TO
Explore this beautiful
island?
ARE YOU READY TO
Explore this beautiful
island?
ARE YOU READY TO
Explore this beautiful
island?
Dominique Tehei
About me
I was born on Tahiti and am from the community of Mataiea on Tahitis South West Coast (Gauguin country). I live on my families land, in house that I built myself, with the two women of my life, my wife Ulga and beautiful 10 year old daughter Moetua
I am known as Dominique (it was once fashionable here on Tahiti to use names associated with the outside world) my Polynesian name is Terrimana (the force of the earth)
Working in tourism has provided a platform for me to share my passion for my culture and local identity. As a child, growing up on the island, my Grandfather and members of the local community were my teachers and inspiration. Learning from them their local knowledge and skills regarding our history culture and environment feed my desire to know more. It seems I am never satisfied my thirst to know more and learn never dies.
I am particularly interested in local flora and fauna and the ocean. I was Dive Master on a local cruise ship for many years before switching to a land based career with the birth of my daughter.
As an elected leader of the committee of Tourism of Teva Uta (three large local communities where I live) I am honoured to humbly present my people. I contribute as best I can to transmitting the legacy of our ancestors through local gatherings, festivals and seminars. My career as tour guide a natural extension of that.
My mission is to share all I know with you, our Guests.
I understand that your time on our islands is limited. For many of you it is the bucket list, once in a life time destination that you have been dreaming about getting to for many years. It’s essential for me to use the time we spend together to create an experience that you will never forget. I want to inspire and educated you about who we “the Polynesians “are in an exceptional, fun personalised day out together while visiting the incredibly scenic and breath taking sites of my island home.
OUR SOCIAL
Follow Us On Social Media
Follow to receive tips and tricks to travel and prepare to have a wonderful time here
Tripadvisor Ratings & Reviews
With an unwavering commitment to quality, we've left a trail of delighted customers eager to share their stories.
Delightful Day with Spectacular Scenery We booked this tour as a private excursion from a cruise ship.The red van was waiting for us outside of the ship's terminal. We toured with 3 other couples so it was a nice, small group.Our tour guide Dominic, is a wealth of information and has some wonderful stories about his life in Tahiti. Unfortunately, we visited on a Sunday, which was also their election day and the traffic was horrible in each direction. The delays, due to no fault of the tour provider, tainted the day. We arrived back to the ship about 2 hours past the time we had scheduled. Luckily, the ship was in port until midnight so we weren't concerned about missing the ship, just exhausted from the long day.All of the sites we were taken to were lovely, beautiful scenery along the way.We stopped at a restaurant a bit later than scheduled (again, due to traffic delays) and they were out of everything but the tuna and steak. We opted for the steak and it was fine. The restaurant is very cute, right on the beach. I wouldn't hesitate booking an excursion with Unique Tahiti again, just not on election day.BroncoFaninVA2023-05-18Great way to see Tahiti A great way to see Tahiti by road. Unfortunately on our day it was local elections so we did get stuck in a traffic jam early on in the day. This aside our guide Tracey was fun and knowledgeable and we visited some lovely locations. We stopped for lunch at a traditional Tahitian restaurant which was great too.A trip that I would firmly recommend.Finally I have to say a massive thank you to Tracey for the impromptu and unusual toilet stop on the way back to the ship! You saved my life lol.Nick B2023-05-15Unique and the BEST! Wow! What a great day in Tahiti! Dominique is an amazing tour guide..so knowledgeable and fun! We had a day to kill while waiting for our flight back home so we booked this tour. Such a good idea! Also, the red Mercedes van was super comfortable. Definitely Recommend!!!!!AlwaysLookUp2023-05-08Tahiti half day tour around island Great half day tour lots of historic sites and tour guide knew a lot of history about the islands Visited other side of island away from papeet and went to a beautiful waterful and small village where I bought a hand carved tiki statue and had the artist carve her name in it for meSaw huge fresh water eels and walking fishA blowhole and beautiful lookout spot over the islandHandmade textiles being printed It was greatSteph A2023-05-05Authentic Tahiti Tour Tracey has a great knowledge of the history and culture of the island and will take you places you would never think to go. You get to meet local people and animals and hear stories and get as much of a 'slice of life' experience as a tourist can. She also worked really hard to help us plan other activities on our trip, and she is flexible and responsive to client needs.Navigate366561180432023-05-01Tahiti Tour with Tracey was Terrific! Unique Tahiti Tour saved the day! I was looking for a port of call excursion after being disappointed with some of the cruise ship offerings the first few stops in Fiji and New Caledonia. I’m so glad I went with Tracey! She was fun and friendly from the very beginning. The conversation flowed naturally the whole time amongst our entire group and Tracey took us to all kinds of beautiful places that the main bus tours weren’t going to. I had heard it wasn’t worth staying in Tahiti, and that one’s time would be best spent going directly to Bora-Bora or Moorea, but the full day tour I took with Unique Tahiti Tours proved exactly why that’s not true! The island and the experience with Tracey were truly beautiful!Stuart L2023-04-24Beautiful tour of the real Tahiti Tracey was such an amazing tour guide and shows you a side to Tahiti you wouldn’t be able to witness yourself as a tourist She has so much insight, knowledge and wonderful things to share and made my experience at Tahiti so worthwhilePooja K2023-04-23Had a great time. Lots of good Info! We had a great time on the East Coast tour! We enjoyed Tracey's insight and perspective as she took us to various cultural and historic sites. She also took us to a couple of off-the-beaten-path locations that we would likely never known about, much less visited, and these were among the highlights of the tour. We booked the East Coast as well as West Coast tours and both times Tracey was engaging and making sure everyone was comfortable, could hear, was getting what they wanted out of the tour, etc. While we enjoyed both tours, we really liked the East Coast for the historical aspects, the waterfalls, and the tour of a local silk-screening factory!NC-HERITAGE2023-04-23Amazing Tahiti tour Wonderful tour. Tracey was great at replying to my emails. Easy pick up from ship.Our tour guide, Dominic, was amazing! He had wonderful knowledge of the whole island. Entertained us the whole 8hrs. And a visit to his amazing home to finish off the day. We really would recommend this tour group. Thank you for share your slice of heavenSerena P2023-04-20Unique! Abbiamo fatto il west coast tour di Tahiti di mezza giornata. La guida era la titolare la signora Tracy Thomas, veramente competente e coinvolgente. Ci siamo fermati più volte per vedere i posti più interessanti e affascinanti dell’isola. In pratica il tour è durato più di quattro ore. Sempre sotto la guida di Tracy ci siamo fermati più volte e abbiamo spesso conversato con i locali. Veramente “unique “!Saverio P2023-04-18