Papeete, Tahiti – January 22, 2018

Last time I was in Tahiti I took a 4x4 tour of the interior of the island so this time I chose a coastal tour, “Tahiti: Around the Island”.

The tour left about 9:30 with a short drive through the city of Papeete and then headed toward the east coast of the island and our first stop, the James Norman Hall House.  Hall was one of the co-writers of Mutiny on the Bounty. 

From there we drove to Tahara’a with its stunning view of Matavai Bay. A short drive away was Point Venus which got its name from the fact that this is where Captain Cook studied the movement of Venus in 1769.  It is also the location of the only lighthouse on the island which was built in 1867.

We then had about a 75 minute drive to the Gauguin Restaurant where we had an excellent buffet lunch complete with beautiful views.

After lunch we visited the Spring Garden of Vaipahi.  We only had a few minutes to walk around the gardens but they were beautiful with some plants I have never seen before.

Our last stop was at the Museum of Tahiti and her Islands.  There were displays showing artifacts from the early days up through the colonial times.

We arrived back in Papeete at the beginning of rush hour and took almost a half hour just to get through the city and back to the ship.

I returned hot and tired (highs were in the upper 80s) and took some pictures of Papeete from my deck.  I had tried to do that this morning but they were washing the windows of the bridge again and there was a long hose all over the deck.

I had missed the 3:30 trivia but made it to the 5:00.  Only Bonnie and I showed up so we joined three ladies who also did not have a complete team. We had 12 points out of 17 but 4 teams tied at 16.

1)What camera brand did George Eastman launch in 1888?

2)In what year did Crayola increase the number of colors from 48 to 64? (What is with these obscure year questions?)

3)How many strings does a standard violin have?

4)What is the smallest integer that can be evenly divided by 1,2,3,4,5, and 6?

5)What is the name for a group of hippopotami?

For a completely different evening, I had dinner in the Lido.  I had fruit, Hawaiian Kalbi Beef boneless ribs, and ice cream for dessert.

I had changed into my bathing suit before trivia so I went directly from dinner to the Sea View pool where I swam for an hour.  While I was swimming there was a beautiful sunset and then a sliver of a moon.

Tonight we had a performance of “Mana, the Spirit of Tahiti”, a local Polynesian group with singers and dancers.  From experience I knew the theater would fill up fast so I was waiting when they opened the doors. I took my iPad with me so I could delete some e-mails while waiting.  The show was great and the theater was packed.

We sail for Moorea at 4 am (it is only a few miles away) and I have an 8:00 tour (!!!).

Street scenes

this is a three lane highway - the barricades are moved every morning and afternoon to facilitate rush hour traffic

a school

James Norman Hall House

Hall's original desk and typewriter

Tahara'a

the guide said the Amsterdam (on the right) was the tallest thing in Papeete today because there are no buildings taller than nine stories

Point Venus

the only lighthouse - built in 1867

Gauguin Restaurant

Desserts (including yellow watermelon)

Salads

Main Course

Polynesian foods

Interior of the restaurant

one of the views from the restaurant

When was the last time you saw colored T.P.?

Outside view of the restaurant

Vaipahi Garden

Museum of Tahiti

Pictures from the Polynesian show

The Polynesian team that were leaving in Tahiti

Some of the kids on board joined the show

 

Trivia…

1)Kodak

2)1958

3)4

4)60

5)bloat

Smooth sailing until next time!