… to Papeete, Tahiti!

Tahiti, island of dreams, Gauguin’s muse, beautiful native girls and Tahitian pearls! And Papeete, “Water from a Basket,” capital of French Polynesia. Herman Melville was imprisoned in Papeete in 1842; his adventure was the basis for his novel, Omoo.

We watched the ship dock in the harbor; we were up an hour earlier than we intended because our alarm clock wasn’t turned back an hour the night before… a good head start! Our excursion promised to take us to Tahiti’s Natural Wonders, of which there are many. Traveling the entire way around the island on the single two-lane road, we saw the Ara Ahoaho blowhole, where waves slamming against the shore send a powerful blast of groaning and grunting water through the rocks beside the road. Our second stop was three beautiful waterfalls close to the blowhole. A visit to a restaurant for a cold drink (Hinano local beer – delicious!) included a wander through the fish cages with dazzling parrot fish, sharks, and other local favorites.

   

Next was a stop at the Vaipahi Botanical Gardens where we saw another spectacular waterfall, and many of the island’s most gorgeous flowers. A special treat was a taste of lychee fruit – beautiful to look at and even better to eat! The trip ended with a short stop at one of Tahiti’s many black sand beaches, formed from eroding volcanic rock. As we left the beach, it began raining, a quick sample of the island’s rainy summer. There are only two seasons in Tahiti, wet summer and dry summer!

   

We re-boarded the ship for a fast lunch, then went ashore with our new friends, Lee and Troy, to explore – and look for Tahitian pearls and breadfruit (on Judy’s bucket list for years). We found both in the Marche de Papeete, a fabulous two-story market with souvenirs, fantastic parrotfish, fruits and vegetables, and upstairs – pearls!

   

First we bought a platter of cooked local fruit – bland yellow breadfruit and starchy gray taro root, purple sweet potatoes, gooey coconut bread, and some pinkish banana relative. It all went well with Hinano beer!

       

Then we headed to the pearl shop which promised loose pearls – true to their billboard, the store had bins of pearls of various prices, starting as low as 300 francs, or about $3 each. None were drilled, but the price included drilling. We patiently selected 42 pearls of various colors and qualities, then went across the street for drilling. It was amazing to see the bins of pearls spill out onto mats and to run your fingers through them! Here’s what we did with our pearls.

   

It began raining torrentially about that point, and after searching fruitlessly for a watch battery, we beat a hasty and soggy retreat back to the ship. It was a wonderful day of new sights and experiences which won’t soon be repeated.