Tahiti is the largest and most populous of the Society Islands. French
is spoken by all, and both Tahitian and French are spoken by the Tahitians.
The main city of Papeete is a very busy tropical port and is a main stopping point for entrance
into the Society Islands. Tahiti consists of one large island (Tahiti Nui) connected
a smaller island (Tahiti Iti) by a narrow isthmus. Volcanic in origin,
Tahiti's tallest peak (Orohena) reaches up to 2241m. Numerous clear cool
rivers drain out from the waterfalls of the lush green mountains.
If you go as far as you can from Papeete to the south east, you reach my favorite little
village called Tautira. The river Vaitepiha flows year round by the side of
the village and the river valley was memorialized by Robert Lous Stevenson in 1888.
This village is literally "at the end of the road" and the local bus, "le truck" only
goes into Papeete in the morning bringing villagers to work with thier
flowers, vegetables, pigs, chickens and miscellaneous. And it returns in
the afternoon to take villagers home for the day.
I took the bus out in the afternoon and was stuck, with no return for the day.
This turned out to be my introduction to polynesian hospitality, because
I was invited to join a group of Tahitians enjoying Hinano, (the local beer)
and was subsequently treated like royalty by my new friends Gabriel Teiva and Tetu. They offered to
share with me everything they owned and even took me home to be an honorary
member of the Teiva family. While they would accept no money or compensation for
their kindness they insisted I move in for a week and learn the Tahitian way
of life. They have a saying "aita pe'ape'a" which means "no problems"...
similar to the Australian expression "no worries mate". This phrase
exemlifies the casual tropical attitude toward life: If something doesn't happen
right away, or the bus doesn't come, or something breaks down....It isn't the
end of life and everything will work its way out in the end. Life is something
to enjoy and celebrate and appreciate instead of worrying about and getting upset about
because it doesn't alway go your way. Upon leaving I was covered with the
traditional shell necklaces used for relatives going on a journey, and left
knowing I had a place thousands of miles from home that I was always welcome.
Moorea
Moorea is just 16 km Northwest of Tahiti and easily accessible by ferry or plane.
Life is much calmer on Moorea and the two large bays of Opunohu and Cooks provide a beautiful
foreground to the jagged peaks of Tohevia at 1212m altitude. This island has numerous
beautiful churches and ancient maraes for visiting.I hiked up to the marae
Titiroa through lush tropical rainforests with banyan trees and ferns everywhere.
The view from the marae overlooked both bays and is a must for any visitor.
As I started to walk down I saw a beautiful rainbow to the south and felt as
if the polynesian gods had smiled on me as I tried to treat the marae with respect as
I explored about.
Huahine
Huahine is a little further to the North West, about 176km NW from
Tahiti.This island is divided in two main parts that are joined by a bridge, much like Tahiti. The main
part is Huahine Nui (Great Huahine) and the little part is Huahine Iti (Little Huahine).
Life is much slower is Huahine and the main town of Fare usually only bustles
when the ferry comes arrives. When I took the ferry from Tahiti, a large group
of local women dressed in their finest flowered dresses from Huahine were returning home
from a show that they participated in at Tahiti, and as the boat pulled
away from the dock at Motu Uta in Papeete, they began to sing traditional
songs about Huahine and returning home. It was a great introduction to
the culture and songs of the people of Huahine. I met many friendly people
on the ferry and was invited to stay at the homes of a few people. I recommend
that anyone going to the Windward Islands should take the ferry instead of
the plane because you will mix with the local people and learn a lot more
about their local customs, and you might even be adopted by a family and make
friends for life.
Bora Bora
Bora bora was my final destination on the ferry from Tahiti, and
is 264 km from Tahiti. Bora bora is a beautiful atoll-like island surrrounded
by a fringing reef that encircles the island and only has one major passage through
the reef. This island and Aitutaki in the Cook Islands are the two most
beautiful islands that I have visited in the South Pacific. The high rugged volcanic peaks
of Mt. Pahia and Mt. Temanu look down on the moutus (islets) and surrounding reef.
The beauty of this place is inspiring with the deep blue lagoon and white sandy
motus. I took a bike ride around the island and hiked up to numerous maraes and
some of the old cannons left over from the American occupation during the World War II.
I ended up camping in a small campground on the beach and everytime I looked
out my tent, I was awed by the beauty of the lagoon. The color of this lagoon ranges
from dark blue in the deeper parts to a turquoise-light blue in the shallow er
parts. In Tahitian the word for good is maita'i but this place was
maita'i roa, which means VERY good.
My journeys continued on to other parts of the South Pacific, and perhaps
some day I will have time to include those journeys and digitalize personal
photos.
One way to say goodbye in Tahitian is ..................nana!
Maururu (thank you) to all the Tahitians who helped me learn something
about their little corner of the world and taught me to look at life from a
different perspective.
Here are a few links for more exploration of Tahiti
