Port 14 Papeete, Tahiti-nui, French Polynesia

Io orana!

Mid-morning on Jan 28th, 2022, we head in to Papeete, Tahiti-nui, in French Polynesia. From our veranda on the back of the ship we know we are close when we could see the island of Moorea on our starboard side.

Entering the port of Tahiti-nui the first thing we notice is the traffic jam on the road heading in to Papeete! This was unheard of the last two times we were here! The outbound lane is wide open.

Looking forward we see there are now two piers and a beautiful new building for the ferry dock (on the far left). A lot of changes have been made to the harbor since we were here last. In 2003 our ship, the Tahitian Princess, just docked sideways about where the trees are on the right of this photo. The Paul Gauguin is already in port ahead of us. What you can’t see is another pier to the right at which we are docking.

A beautiful park and new marina have been added. We believe this is a yacht club. Later I’ll show you a picture of the floating bar on the right.

This part of the marina looks about the same as it did last time, freshened up. Where the tall dark-hulled ketch is on the left is about where the Tahitian Princess’s bow rested at dock in 2003.

On dock we are greeted by a group playing beautiful Tahitian music for us, and handing out the traditional “tiare” flower that we wear over our ears. Wear it over the right ear to signify your heart is available and you are looking for a mate, or wear it over your left ear (above your heart) to signify your heart is taken.

We have an excursion on this first of two days in Papeete. We’re going to “Discover Tahiti’s West Coast”. Lydia is our tour guide.

Our first stop is Marae Arahurahu. A “marae” is a temple, a sacred worship site, and at one time the site of human sacrifices to appease the gods. (The site points out pens for pigs that were used for sacrifices when human sacrifices were stopped.) A marae is typically a flat stoned area with an obvious entrance and a raised alter at the back. A marae may have one or more sacred stones that are found locally or brought from other islands. The three red boards are “unu” representing the greatest warriors they captured or killed in battles with other islands.

Tiki statues embued with sacred power are usually found in the area as well. Here is one of the two tikis guarding this marae. We learned a few stories about tikis. At one temple site the keeper was concerned that a coming storm might tip the tiki over. To protect it he encased the tiki’s base in concrete. But almost  immediately the keeper became paralyzed from the waist down. Realizing his mistake he had the concrete removed from the tiki’s base, and he regained use of his legs. In another example, Marquesans who moved to Tahiti took the tikis from this marae (perhaps even the one in this photo?) to move them to their church on the south side of the island. They were disrepectful in their handling, and within a year every person involved in the move was dead. The tikis were returned, respectfully, to their home. Truth? Coincidence? This is why I always thank the tiki and ask for permission to respectfully take its photo. I’m not sure what, if anything has happened (yet) to our fellow travelers who just ran up and hugged the tiki for a photo op.

We are told Paul Gauguin often used a nut from a tree that has bristles as his paintbrush. True? Dunno, but it is plausible and interesting!

Here starts some of my photos of Tahiti’s flowers. This is a plumeria. It is sometimes mistaken for the tiare worn on the ear. Plumeria grow on spindly trees with long shiny leaves, and Tiare grow on very full bushes with small leaves.

Our next stop is Vaipahi Gardens, a water park with a waterfall, and a botanical garden. We have a few paths to wander, and there are beautiful ponds with various life. It is sweet to see the baby ducks following mom! And the coi fish are large and happy! A small waterfall feeds the water features.

And here are some more of Tahiti’s flowers!

 

 

 

 

 

 

The stream in the park is home to several sacred eels. These are accustomed to being fed, but not by tourists!

Our final stop on the tour is Grottos De Maraa park. The primary features of this park are the grottos. These are the openings of lava tubes that are filled with water. The moisture makes these natural garden spots for hanging ferns, like we saw in Kauai. There are three grottos in this park – Grotto de Mara, Grotto Mata Va’a, and Grotto Teanateatea.

On our return to the ship I realize the Mobil gas station did not have any prices on the sign. This is because gas prices are fixed by the government. Stations don’t have to advertise prices because everyone already knows what they’ll be paying per liter.

In the evening the harbor waterfront is pleasantly lit, but the island is dark.

On Day 2 in Papeete we do not have an excursion booked. On Day 1 we learned that, starting in 2014, Tahiti hosts an annual street art event to encourage the street graffiti artists to come to town to do good art that will be preserved.  Lydia, our tour guide on the first day, pointed out a few examples of the artwork and explained that one of the pieces was selected to be on Tahiti’s postage stamp! So thanks to Lydia, we have a mission, and plan to walk around town and find as many of the street art paintings as we can.

On our way off the ship we pause to take a look at “The World” – a ship that has about 100 apartments that people own. We are told it is going to be in port for a month! To be considered to own a unit you must have a personal net worth in excess of $5M. Unlike cruise ships you have to pay for all of your meals and any maid service you need. Not sure it’s worth it! I’d rather just book a cruise for the year!

Remember that floating bar I mentioned earlier?  This is it. Fun design! (And that’s Moorea in the background, under the clouds.)

Of course, no post is complete without a happy snap of our home-away-from-home!

I like this tiki holding up a struggling kukui tree at the harbor. I thank it for its hard work and ask permission to take the photo. Remember the tiki stories I mentioned earlier? I wonder what happened to whomever was responsible for breaking his penis off?

 

OK, so our mission is finding the street art. I’m going to devote the rest of this post to that art. Enjoy!  Some of these look like they were abandoned before completion. Some look a bit worn. Some are probably not part of the street art program at all, but are still noteworthy art.

We start with the piece that was selected to be on Tahiti’s postage stamp. Nice, huh?

 

 

 

 

This next one reminds us of artwork by the “Dinotopia” artist, James Gurney.

This next one is exciting because it is actually carved into the side of the building, like texture on the wall.

OK, this next one really isn’t street art, but who can resist the Rolling Stones logo?

And we finish with an homage to Happy Days!

We leave Tahiti in the wee hours of Sunday, Jan 30th, so there aren’t any farewell photos, nor any sunset masterpieces to close this post. So I’ll say goodbye for now. Next stop, Moorea!