Nov 23 – Papeete, Tahiti, Leeward Islands, Society Islands, French Polynesia. We’re taking a trip into the island’s interior today on a tour they call Off the Beaten Track, Tahiti by 4-wheel Drive. Says that it’s not for people with bad necks or backs or pregnant women. I don’t think that last item is going to be an issue with the current passengers. I just realized that I got so distracted by the water activities in Bora Bora that I forgot to introduce the Society Islands in French Polynesia. French Polynesia is actually an overseas department of France. It consists of a number of separate groups of Polynesian islands. Tahiti is in the Leeward Group of the Society Islands. It has the most people and like Hawaii, the island, in Hawaii, the state (I love saying that), Tahiti is the newest and largest of the Society Islands. Also like Hawaii, the island chain is slowly moving over a hotspot that creates islands as the bottom moves across it. Papeete is the capital of the territory. It’s also the most ‘French’ of all the islands, especially around the capital.
We’ll be riding in the back of mini-pickup trucks that have a cover with rain flaps over the bed with two padded back and seat benches running along the sides. The tailgate has been replaced with one that has a small, hinged door in the center to allow us to get in and out. The bumper has a stair in the middle. There are only 6 of us so we have plenty of room to turn and look at the side behind us as well as the view out the opposite side of the truck. We are traveling with a younger Russian couple, Alexi and Elizabeth, from Saint Petersburg and another couple from Oregon. The Russians are fun because he speaks English after a fashion and she doesn’t. Because we were in Russia earlier this year for a month, I still remember some Russian and his eyes lit up when I used it with him. After that, I was his buddy for the whole trip.
At first, we drove along the coastline, toward the east coast. It’s much rockier and there’s not much of an offshore reef here. The few reefs are not far from the shoreline so there’s not much of a lagoon; in fact, there are no named lagoons at all. We drove past Matavai Bay and Point Venus. Point Venus is so named because it was on that spot that Captain Cook recorded the path of Venus’ orbit in 1769. This was an important astronomical event at the time. An important part of that voyage was to set up an observatory in the South Pacific to witness the passage of Venus across the face of the sun. Captain Bligh and Wallis, of Bounty mutiny fame, also landed in the bay next to the point.
We are going into the island’s mountainous interior. There are 265 waterfalls on the island and, since waterfalls need a mountain to tumble down, there are 8 separate mountain ranges and 12 full-time rivers. We will be heading up the largest one, the Papenoo. We will be following the appropriately named Papenoo Valley. After initially passing through a gap in the mountains, probably carved by the river, the valley widens. It’s defined on all four sides by mountains that are actually the remains of a huge caldera. This is the remnant of the volcano that formed most of the island.
Once we turned inland, the road rapidly deteriorated into a paved but pothole littered narrow road. This river supports the island’s hydroelectric power plants and I’m sure the road would be much worse if maintenance and employee vehicles didn’t have to use it.
As we ride up to the center of the island, we made several stops to photograph waterfalls, plants, flowers and other scenery. Our first stop was in a narrow part of the valley to view the mountains and another shorter waterfall. Unfortunately, it was back in a small valley and totally shaded while the area all around was in bright sun. Not ideal for pictures. A few miles later on we crossed the river on a concrete fording slab. Some water was running over the top but not enough to cause concern. Just upriver was a semi-suspension bridge that does not appear to be in use anymore although it appears to be in reasonable condition. Maybe they use it in time of flood. The signs at the end give it a 3.5-ton weight limit.
The first waterfall we stopped to view was across the broad valley. It was very tall but with nothing near it for perspective, I have no idea how tall it was. If I were to guess I’d say somewhere between 200-250 feet. Our driver/guide took our picture holding a water bottle at the base of the falls as if we’re filling it. He’s good with a camera because he captured it just right.
The next area we visited had a broad view across the valley and on the uphill side of the road; we walked to a traditional family religious site. They don’t really have temples. They have both a burial plot and a shrine for rituals honoring their ancestors and other religious ceremonies. It was a bit of a climb to the site over an uneven, sometimes steep; path so quite a few of our fellow travelers didn’t go. There were several areas that were on raised stone platforms, one that was three tiers high. One of the rocks at the site had a wilted bouquet of flowers resting atop it. Someone had been here fairly recently. Alexi found a large hibiscus that I had never seen before. In typical Russian fashion, he picked it. They have very different rules in Russia for behavior in public places, so I wasn’t surprised. He gave it to Diana and I got a great picture of it.
From there we proceeded up the valley and passed the first hydroelectric dam. This is not Hoover Dam; in fact, the dam was very small as was the lake behind it. Apparently, the constant supply of water or the topography makes a larger dam either unnecessary or impractical. Just above the dam, falling into the small lake was a much closer waterfall of the same type, long and thin, as the first one.
From there we continued upward and passed a second hydro facility. This one created even a smaller lake but just above the lake was a series of rapids formed by boulders in the river. The lake above them was large and clear. It was a swim spot if anyone wanted to and several did. Alexi and Elizabeth were the first two in the water. It was very clear and with the cliff directly behind it, a very picturesque spot. About 5-6 other people joined them.
Our next stop was at the head of the valley. It opened up into a broad valley in what was the central caldera of the volcano that formed the island. This is the Papenoo Valley proper and it’s huge! Once again, I prevailed on our guide to take our picture with the valley behind us. Another good job.
The ride down was not as rough but it rarely is. Gravity is working with you instead of against you and the obstacles don’t have the same impact. On the way through Papeete, I saw a Coke billboard with a very nice Santa urging everyone to drink Coke to have a good time at Christmas. Coincidentally, directly between our truck and the billboard was a young Tahitian woman driving an SUV. Of all things, she was wearing a Santa hat. I waved and wished her a “Joyeux Noël!” I don’t have much French, but I have Merry Christmas. She smiled and returned the sentiment while I took her picture. Too bad the geometry and lighting didn’t allow me to get both the billboard and her properly lit in the same shot.
We had a local Tahitian show on board the ship for our evening’s entertainment. They were great! One of the girls was not very Tahitian in appearance and much of the time she was at the back of the group although they did rotate quite a bit. Usually in any Polynesian show, they have a solo by the “hip specialist”; at least that’s what I call them. This is a dance where the hip movements are highlighted while most of the rest of her body is stationary although forward movement is allowed. The head shoulders and chest stay very still in the best of them. Well the Anglo looking girl was the one and she was very good.
It was a very nice day and not too hot because there was a nice breeze most of the day.
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