Emmanuel Macron is welcomed with garlands of flowers and seashells on Manihi Island

French President Emmanuel Macron continued his tour of French Polynesia on Tuesday with a visit to Manihi Island.

He was garlanded with flowers and seashells as he stepped off a boat to be greeted by local officials.

Macron was on the island to visit the site of an anti-tsunami shelter that's being built.

He told islanders that France was co-financing the construction of 17 shelters in the Tuamotu and Gambier Islands.

Climate change is a key issue in Macron's tour.

"We are talking about your lives when we speak about the consequences of global warming and how these changes impact your lives and the lives of your children," he said.

John Drollet, Manihi mayor, said local residents didn't want to be "the first French eco-refugees" and said the shelter plans were of the "greatest importance to us".