Sunday 6 November 2016

Papeete, Tahiti - Tahitian Treasures Cruise Diary Part 7

Day 9 – We had room service breakfast overlooking the town of Papeete, the capital of Tahiti, with a population of approximately 200,000. Tahiti was formed from two volcanoes and is the largest of the Polynesian Islands. Tahiti is in the heart of the ring of fire. The ship was docked, so after disembarking, we headed straight for another chemist for some headache tablets for Peter. The temperature at 10.30am was 36 degrees.
We didn't venture too far, walked up a few blocks to the old Town Hall, which now appears to be a hotel.
We found the Farmers Market which was interesting with fresh fruit, some I didn't recognise, and vegetables and of course a lot of souvenirs. This market is the focal point of the town.
We headed back to the waterfront and followed the signs to Cathedral Notre Dame, built in 1875.
It was interesting looking at the different shops and cafes.
 Back at dockside we walked around the markets and went back on the ship. 
We have been to Papeete before, but only did a quick 'Le Truck' type ride around the town, but really didn't need to see anything else here. Papeete is a walking town. Taxis are expensive and beaches are too far away. I found Papeete a strange town, with a great number of men loitering around everywhere we went.
In Tahiti, there are three types of gender – men, women and a third gender known as mahu, or rae rae. This refers to to transvestites, who are considered gifted and held in high regard. I must admit, in Bora Bora we saw many masculine women and feminine men. I found the footpaths very uneven, which made walking difficult. The number of people smoking also made it difficult to breathe sometimes.
French Polynesia consists of 118 islands and atolls over more than 1200 miles in the South Pacific. The citizens remain French citizens. Paul Gauguin lived in Tahiti from 1891-1893 and returned again in 1895. He moved to the island of Hiva Oa in 1901 where he lived until he died in 1903.
Back on the ship we headed for the Cafe....
...and then drinks on Deck 14, before getting ready for dinner.

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