Tahiti
The Society Islands took their name from the Royal Society. They sent
Captain Cook here to build an observatory (at Venus point) to observe
Venus as it transited across the Sun. HMS Bounty spent 6 months here
collecting breadfruit before the famous mutiny. Tahiti holds claim to the
birth place of surfing, the wave at Teahupoo is one of the world's most
powerful and called "Jaws of Water"
3rd July
From the remoteness of a deserted atoll we found ourselves in the
middle of a busy town! We moored by the waterfront in one of the main
streets of Papeete. It was a bit of a shock, after 3 months of nice
secluded bays to be next to a funfair, busy roads and neon lights. We
arrived at almost midnight and still managed to tidy up the boat and give
it a good clean. First time since Bonaire we had shore power and water!
4th July
No rest for us, lots to do as we are so close to shops for once. By
chance we found the Marche de Papeete. Colourful, chaotic and oh-so
Polynesian, it's bursting with exotic flowers, arts and souvenirs. As the
Bastille day is approaching the celebrations are full on with dance
competitions, canoe races, singing contests. In the evening we went over
to To'ata Square to watch this amazing dance competition. The man are
fantastic with the tribal war dance and the woman are very sensual , how
can they wiggle their bums so fast is quite a mystery. The dance
tells a story and it is surrounded by an orchestra with drums. By the end
of the spectacle we were dazzled!
05th July
Very busy day, shopping for food, spares for the boat, cleaning. We had
the chance to relax in the evening and sit on the boat watching the world
go by from the waterfront. Tahitians are so friendly and cheerful.
We noticed that there is a mixture of different races: lots of Chinese, Polynesians
and Europeans seems to be living together sharing the same values. Homosexuality
seems to be part of a normal life. Also there are lots of
"Mahu" , males who are raised as girls and live their lives as
women. Graham got greeted by a couple of them while I was downstairs
cooking meal.
06th July
Even though we loved the city life we had to move on as it is very expensive
to stay on the waterfront. We left the harbour in the afternoon and
motored straight into a canoe competition. These canoes came flying from
all directions escorted by motor boats, a bit hairy! There is a channel
inside the reefs to Maeva Beach , 4 miles away, which is were we were
heading. Very busy, about 200 boats anchored and another 300 in the
marina. This is a setting for some of the luxurious hotels scattered
around the Societies, with bungalows suspended over the water, glass floor
and the likes. No wonder, to our left we have the view of Tahiti and to
our right is Mo'orea, just 10 miles away.
10th July
The last few
days we did absolutely nothing. We were due a bit of rest, both were so
tired that we didn't even leave Nomad Life. Food got us out of the
boat yesterday, we had a look around the local supermarket and we never
seen such a variety of food in our lives! Hundred of variety of
pates, cheeses, hams, pastries, etc...All imported and a high prices
attached to them.
14th of July
This is the date to be in the Societies, due to the Bastille Day
celebrations. Although the day itself was a bit of letdown, the only
celebration was the Ancient Games. We went with Nancy and Steve from Toboggan. There were no buses and we couldn't hitch a ride so we walked
over 2 km to get there. Javelin throwing, stone lifting and running with
fruit, all
competitors were dressed in typical Polynesian outfits and wearing their
flower tiaras.
18th of July
Graham decided to get a tattoo. We took the Le Truck( an
alternative public truck!) to the Market in Papeete. Simeon, the tattooist
was a strange guy, didn't say much or smiled either, but he did a great
job. He draw the manta ray by free hand on Graham's shoulder and it
took one hour to finish it. It is a small tattoo for Polynesian standards.
20th
July
Our third attempt to get to the Maraa caves. Public transport here
is quite precarious after rush hour. We got there early in the
morning, two of the three caves were closed due to rock falls. Quite disappointing!
Then we walked to Marae Arahurahu, a traditional Polynesian temple. After
walking 6 km, we finally got there exhausted. Catching a bus back was
also difficult.
24th July
Again the time has come to go, we
were getting more and more settled in Maeva. Nadezhda arrived a few days
ago, so drinking parties were on schedule almost every day and our livers couldn't
take it any more. Not to mention that beer here costs a fortune, more than
2 pounds for a small can! We headed to Papeete by boat in the morning to
sign out and to get our duty free fuel papers. We were lucky enough to be
in town for that evening, another night of dance competition! We missed
half of the presentation while waiting for a pizza in one of the food
stands but we got there on time to see the kids dancing. They were aged
between 6 to 10 years, all of them were mix descendent either
of Philippines, Hawaiians, Chinese, Tongans. The little girls were
superb, the boys not so good. The Japanese girls (dancing Polynesian)
finished the show, were not as good as the kids!
