Kris and I left our hotel in Jacksonville, FL, at 5:30 AM on Monday, 2/26. Three flights, five time zones, and twenty-four hours later, we were in Papeete, Tahiti. That’s a marathon of time zones and airplane food.
Why Tahiti, you ask? Besides the obvious – it’s Tahiti – Papeete marks the starting line of a three-week odyssey across the South Pacific, ending in Sydney, Australia. You’ll have to follow along to find out where we stop along the way! I hope to provide you with some insight and pictures of each island we visit.
Tahiti is the heart of French Polynesia, a collection of over 100 islands scattered over an area as large as Europe. It lies in the middle of the Polynesian Triangle (Hawaii to New Zealand to Easter Island). Polynesians are believed to have migrated from Southeast Asia, spreading across the islands of this vast triangle over thousands of years. Tahiti is the largest (approximately 400 square miles) and the most populated (180,000) island in French Polynesia.
Europeans first visited Tahiti in the 18th century, notably by Captain James Cook in 1769. The HMS Bounty anchored in in Tahiti in 1788. The ship’s captain, William Bligh, and his crew were tasked with bringing breadfruit trees to the Antilles to feed slaves. While leaving Tahiti, the crew orchestrated a mutiny. Many of the mutineers settled in Tahiti. Their juicy story became a book, Mutiny on the Bounty. In 1962, a movie of the same name starring Marlon Brando, was filmed.
Paddling is the favorite sport in Tahiti. One of the popular vessels to paddle is a Va’a, an eight-foot canoe with a stabilizing arm. They are typically handled by a single paddle and sometimes feature a large sail. Brave souls will tackle the open ocean solo, fishing overnight, probably pondering life’s mysteries of just where the heck they are.
Surfing is the second favorite sport. One of the world’s most famous big wave surf spots, Teahapoo, is just off the coast of Tahiti. The 2024 Olympics are being held in Paris, but the surfing competition will be held at Teahapoo.
Third favorite “sport”? Hula dancing. And the fourth? Drinking beer. At this point, I’m fairly convinced I was a Tahitian in a past life – and not because of my paddling, surfing, or hula dancing skills!!
We spent three days in Tahiti and explored much of the coastline and interior of the island. The highest point on the island is 7.352 feet above sea level. Tahiti gets lots of rain during their rainy season (Nov – Apr). All that rainwater eventually falls to the coast, making for lots of waterfalls.
The island abounds with bananas, mangos, papaya, guava, pineapple, and other fruits I had never heard of. The vegetation on the island isn’t just green; it’s an explosion of color that even Crayola folks haven’t dreamed of.
Now, we say ta ta Tahiti and hello to our home for the next three weeks, the Nautica. I’ll talk to you again at our next stop!
Just Pete Hiking 