Following our expedition to the Tuamoto Archipelago atolls and the Austral Islands, we returned to Papeete (population 27,000) to refuel and load food and supplies for our 13-day sailing journey across the pacific — 4,200 nautical miles — to Manta, Ecuador. It was nice to have time to explore a little more, as well as time to load up on fresh food at both the Papeete (Public) market and a Carrefours (French) grocery store. The local pineapples, mangoes, sweet potatoes, tomatoes, vegetables and fresh white tuna filets and pork were all excellent. We enjoyed many delicious lunches and dinners prepared in our apartment’s kitchen with the Tahitian ingredients.
“Queen of the Pacific — The heart and soul of the South Pacific, Tahiti is the largest in a chain of islands that make up French Polynesia. The name can either refer to the main island or the entire destination. Commonly referred to as The Islands of Tahiti, French Polynesia is a collection of 118 islands and atolls scattered across an impressive nautical surface area the size of Western Europe. Still, these tiny islands—many of which remain uninhabited—make up a total landmass of only 1,600 square miles (4,100 sq. km).
“You may be wondering, where is Tahiti? The islands are situated halfway between Los Angeles, California and Sydney, Australia. They are in the same time zone as Hawaii and located just as far south of the equator as Hawaii is north. Since the word often conjures up visions of a distant, unspoiled paradise, many assume them to be far away; but in all reality, Tahiti is only eight hours [by air] from Los Angeles.
“The island of Tahiti is divided into two parts: The larger portion to the northwest is known as Tahiti Nui, while the smaller, southeastern peninsula is known as Tahiti Iti. Tahiti Nui is dominated by three extinct volcanic mountains including Mount Orohena, the tallest in French Polynesia; Mount Aorai, known for its incredible views; and Le Diadème, which appears to crown the island as the rightful queen.
“Home to the capital city of Papeete, Tahiti is the economic center of French Polynesia. Since all flights arrive through Faa’a International Airport, your tailored Tahiti vacation will begin and end in Papeete. While you may be tempted to jet off immediately to the other islands, we recommend staying at least a day or two. Tahiti strikes an interesting contrast to some of the more quiet, secluded islands in the region; and with a selection of wonderful and convenient Tahiti Resorts available [see our previous blog post on Papeete], you will never regret staying.” — www.tahiti.com/island/tahiti
The memorial site for nuclear tests — conducted by France between 1966 and 1996 — was erected in 2006 in the Marina harboor area of Papeete. “The land and people of Māòhi Nui’s five archipelagos – symbolised by these … stones placed on a traditional paepae faced significant upheaval, as the nuclear tests were imposed on them. Hiroshima, Nagasaki, Bikini, Enewetak, Montebello, Emu Field, Maralinga, Malden, Kiritimati, Johnston, Moruroa, Fangataufa: the many locations around the Pacific [Ocean] chosen as nuclear test sites by the United States, the United Kingdom and France. The thousands of former test-site workers and the peoples of the Pacific live with the memory of these weapons, which today still continue to affect their health and environment.” – signage at the memorial site
Bougainville Park was named after Count Louis-Antoine de Bougainville (1729-1811) who was a great navigator, explorer and scientist, who commanded the first French expedition to circumnavigate the world. During that expedition in 1768, he made a brief stopover in Tahiti. The botanist on board the expedition was Philibert Commerson, who discovered a plant in Brazil and named it after Bougainville (Bougainvillea spectabilis). Commerson’s mistress Jeanne Baret had secretly joined the expedition disguised as a man and is now recognized as the first woman to have circumnavigated the world.
Covering an area of about one acre (0.5 hectare), Bougainville Park was named in 1934 “Albert Square” in honor of the king of the Belgians, who became a symbol of the struggle against Germany during World War I. In 1968, to celebrate the bicentennial anniversary of Bougainville’s arrival in Tahiti, a series of honorary celebrations took place. For this occasion, the City Council of Papeete decided to rename the square “Bougainville Park”. Long neglected, the park underwent renovations in 2003, at the initiative of the Mayor of Papeete. Nowadays, it is again a friendly, much-used leisure area in the center of the central district by the waterfront.
“The Assembly of French Polynesia (French: Assemblée de la Polynésie française, Tahitian: Te âpooraa rahi o te fenua Māòhi) is the unicameral legislature of French Polynesia, an averseas country of the French Republic. It is located at Place Tarahoi in Papeete, Tahiti. It was established in its current form in 1996 although a Tahitian Assembly was first created in 1824. It consists of 57 members who are elected by popular vote for five years; the electoral system is based upon proportional representation in six multi-seat constituencies. Every constituency is represented by at least three representatives. Since 2001, the parity bill binds that the number of women matches the number of men elected to the Assembly.” — Wikipedia
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