Papeʻetē, The Capital of French Polynesia
The glow of the yellow-orange sun was beaming through the window by the time the sleep left my eyes. After a rough two days at sea, it was a bit strange not to be holding on to the furniture and walls. It seems impractical that a cruise ship can change ports, arrive either or early or late. The number of people who guide the ship into a berth and tie her down is a lot. There is also the issue of there even being a berth to tie up to. Most places have just a couple berths for cruise ships.
The low-pressure areas on either “side” of Tahiti have caused a significant amount of concern for marine traffic. The captain has done a good job, although not an easy one, to get us to the port before the center of the storms have hit. Looking out over the harbor it appears that several ships and larger sea going personal vessels have sought refuge here as well.
Another thing to notice is that this clearly isn’t the Papeʻetē we were at forty-one years ago. Forty-one years ago, Papeʻetē was still the main port and city in French Polynesia, but it was still a sleepy little village compared to the bustling city it appears to be today. In 1983 the population was just over 93,000 in the metropolitan area. As of 2017 it had a population of nearly 134,000, and during the period it had grown by an average of over 500 people a year.
What memory remains from forty-one years ago is undoubtedly tainted with rose colored glasses. There was one “European” like hotel in the city at the time. It was a multi floor tower not far from the harbor, and within walking distance to all of Papeʻetē. It was built in a very 1960’s cubist style. The first Tahitian hamburger was an interesting experience. At the time the burger consisted of 50% beef and 50% onion. Boy-oh-boy does the flavor of the first bit still vividly appear in the old memory.
Unfortunately, as I look out the glass door of our suite this morning, one of the first things to greet and sadden my eyes is a Burger King. Gone is the somewhat idyllic version of Tahiti. One of the travel sites had this to say: “Papeʻetē is not a tropical paradise. It is a typical government center and industrial port with small doses of French and Polynesian charm. It has shopping, eating, and drinking, but very little sightseeing for a capital city and even fewer top-class hotels.”
Clearly a lot has happened in forty-one years. Richard explained that French Polynesia has changed and grown less and less dependent from France. After World War II the Polynesians were granted French citizenship and the islands' status was changed to an overseas territory. The islands' name was changed in 1957 to Polynésie Française (French Polynesia). During the Cold War and the era of atomic testing there was a great deal of tension as France chose the Moruroa atoll in the Tuamotu Archipelago for testing. In 1977, French Polynesia was granted partial internal autonomy; in 1984, that autonomy was extended. French Polynesia became a full overseas collectivity of France in 2003.
Richard seemed very proud to be part of or so closely associated with France. The children of French Polynesia can go to university in France, for free. The medical system here is French, which means that if special or unique treatment is required that is not available in the islands, you will be flown to France for treatment. It was also pointed out that few islands are equipped with any advanced medical facilities. Clearly there is a division in the population concerning self governance and independence from France. In 2013 French Polynesia was relished in the United Nations list of non-self-governing territories. This made it eligible for an UN-backed independence referendum.
Having autonomy really sounds great. Local control is better than control for a city on France 16,000 kilometers away sounds good. However, having access to French medicine and medical system when you have only basic medical services sounds good. Access to French higher education is probably a good thing as well. Maybe someday French Polynesia will be an independent country.
Right now the Mariner has arrived about twelve hours early. Regent was able to secure a few additional tours for today and we were able to snag one of those. Today we will visit the Western side of Tahiti, and tomorrow the Eastern side, so long as we are back for the Super Bowl.
Tahiti is of very similar shape to Maui. Two volcanoes, now mountain tops, with a small plain joining them. Papeʻetē sits on the northwestern part of the island, almost on the center line of the windward and leeward sides of the island. The tour this morning takes is westward from the dock towards Fa’aa and the airport. We continue along the road along the western shore for about an hour or so. During this time, it is raining a little, and there is some wind.
The first stop was at the Fautaua Waterfall. Like so many others this is one of the tallest waterfalls in the world. It was quite spectacular. Statistically it falls 980 feet from the volcanic cliffs into a large pool below.
Next we visited Arahurahu Marae one of the best restored marae an ancient Polynesian temple or meeting place. This archeological site that was restored in 1953. The site is meant to reflect part of the maohi culture that thrived in French Polynesia before the arrival of the first Europeans. Typical of the ancient cultural centers, there is a tahua (sacred square), a patu (surrounding wall), un ahu (altar), red unu dedicated to the taura (wooden sculptures dedicated to the guardian spirits).
Araburahu Marae can be found in the valley of Tefa'aiti, a calm spot surrounded by pleasant countryside. At the inauguration of the renovated site in 1954, there was a reenactment of the consecration ceremony for an Arii (Supreme Chief). There is a reenactment performed each year during the Heiva festival in July. The guide was quick to point out it was destroyed by the Christian Europeans to keep the people from worshiping their traditional Gods. He was just as quick to point out that it wasn’t rebuilt where is originally was, which was further up the valley. The rain was beginning to pick up as we left the site.
We stopped at the Harrison W. Smith Botanical Garden on the way back to the ship. The garden was created by an American physics teacher in 1919. The rain was really beginning to come down. The guide was undeterred by the rain and pointed out the variety of flora and fauna. There were a variety of colorful ginger plants, a breadfruit tree, grapefruit, and so many others. There was a large pond with a number of different lilies.
Back on the bus just in time. The rain picked up. Now this is a hard rain, but unlike a New England rain it just feels comfortable. You don’t feel cold and wet. Perhaps that is because the humidity was already 90%, and it is 85 degrees. A couple ambulances make their way past us. A fire truck or two going in different directions. The road is covered with large puddles of water. Branches of trees and palm fronds block one lane or the other every so often. The guide continues his description of Tahiti all the way back to the pier.
The rain stopped just long enough to exit and bus and board the ship. Somehow the Gods above knew when we got back on board, because the wind and rains pickup back up almost immediately once we were on board. We got some lunch and played some canasta and recovered for the bus ride.
As the night closed in on the ship, you could see the effects of the wind and rain on the other vessels in the harbor. The smaller ones were bouncing up and down, weaving back and forth. Good to be in a protective harbor.
Dinner was in Sette Mare. It was Polynesian night. They had pot stickers! A request was made for hot chili oil. The meal was almost finished when the waiter returned with a small bowl of hot, physically hot, vegetable oil. No, not vegetable oil chili oil. Oh, sorry. Another ten minutes passed, and a waitress arrived with a small bowl of hot, not spicy hot, but physically hot, chili paste mixed with vegetable oil. Spice just isn’t in the vocabulary of the kitchen staff, although I would suspect they all come from countries where the food tends to be on the spicy side.
Since it was announced Thursday that we would go around the Africa, and not through the Suez Canal, we have been working out the logistics of how we were going to manage our return to California. The cruise has been extended to June 4th. There is an option to disembark in Lisbon on May 21st. That is going to be our option so we can get to Kansas City for Oliver’s 8th grade graduation ceremony.
Buonanotte e Ciao, Enrico
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