January 16, 2018 – Papeete, Tahiti

One of the world’s most visually stunning and romantic destinations and the cultural hub of French Polynesia, Tahiti is perhaps the archipelago’s most famous island, and Papeete is its cultural hub. It’s easy to imagine the astonishment of English captain Samuel Wallis when he came upon it in 1767, the first European to do so. But he certainly was not the last, as the island’s continental flavor will attest. Here, swaying palms skirt dramatic mountains, striking a breathtaking pose in shimmering Pacific waters.

Before I start I cannot help but mention two things that have happened in the last few days. First, the Vikings won in a stunning victory, so it is on to Philadelphia. Also, the other evening we were watching the sunset and go to see the green flash. This happens when the sun last rays go down in the water and you see a quick green flash. The conditions have to be right. The seas must be calm and there cannot be any clouds. We have often tried to see it in St. Croix, but finally saw it here. No pictures, but take our word for it.

We arrived in Tahiti yesterday evening about 5PM. The weather is beautiful, but we did not get off the ship. Here are some pictures of us getting there and the dock.

We started this morning with breakfast on the balcony. What a beautiful thing to do and what a way to start the day.

Here we had a walking tour of Papeete. The city has 30,000 residents during the evening and 140,000 during the day. There is one road that goes all around the island, so they do have traffic, but no horns.

Our first stop was City Hall. It was built in 1990 and is a replica of the Queen’s house in 1888. It was built to commemorate 100 years of the island under French rule.

Next we went to see the Papeete Market, where locals shop for all manner of produce and wares.

Then we walked to the Cathedral. In 1797 the first missionaries arrived to the island. It only took them 17 years to evangelize all of the islands. The Protestants arrived first and the first Protestant church was built here in 1816. It was at this time that the town was established. The Catholics were not allowed to send missionaries until the French took over the islands. They started this church in 1871 and it was completed in 1875.

Here are a few photos of the town as we walked through.

Next, we stopped at a monument called the Rose of Winds. It was to commemorate the winds that come to the islands, from different directions at different times of the year. Right behind this rose was the statue of Pouvanaa a oopa. They used to do nuclear test on the French Polynesian Islands and he was the person that led the opposition to this. The French set him up and then arrested him and put him in jail in France for 20 years. He was released when they stopped the testing. A year ago, his innocence was recognized.

Paul Gauguin also came to Tahiti to paint. The tree in this picture is called the Paul Gauguin Tree (Ficus). It was said that there was a bench up in the tree where he would drink with ladies he then painted. But, since he did not paint them as they saw themselves, no one ever bought the paintings.

We then went to the Bougainville Botanical Garden and the secret spring and bath of the ancient royal family. The Queen would bath in the beautiful pond every morning.

That was the end of the tour. We stayed in town as we wanted to see two more things, the Protestant Church, a War Memorial and the Presidential Palace.

Lastly, we went back to the market to do some shopping. Here are some additional pictures of the market taken from above.

Tomorrow we are in Bora Bora and do Le Truck tour.