12. Tahiti.

Our port stop in Tahiti started well when we got back to our room to find that our excursion had been cancelled with less than 12 hours notice. We were given a choice of three alternative trips at half price, and seeing that we had not come all this way and not see any of the country, opted to take  the straightforward Island tour.

I had actually visited Tahiti and it's capital Papetee (pronounced Papa eh tay) before when I was ten although I don't remember it at all. 

We climbed aboard the comfortable, air conditioned, bus (such a treat after Samoa!), and headed up the hill where we could take panoramic pictures of the capital and of the island of Moorea in the distance. A little further on we reached Venus Point, the place where many of the early explorers chose to land and from where in the 18th century, Captain Cook observed a transit of Venus across the sun which for the first time, accurately measured the earth's distance from it. There was also a memorial to the Mutiny on the Bounty here.

The next stop was a geological feature I hadn't come across before, a seawater blowhole. They are formed by lava tubes which run into the sea and when a wave fills the lower part of the tube with water, it forces air and seawater out further up the tube. A bit like a horizontal geyser if you will....and impressive it was too.

We stopped at a scenic point for lunch which included several local delicacies, mostly containing fish, coconut and fruits....very tasty...before moving on to a pretty waterfall and also the botanical gardens. The penultimate point of interest was an ancient Polynesian temple with a floor of lava rock and several Tikis carved from stone and the final stop was the Museum of Tahiti....only small, but interesting nevertheless as it contained many artefacts and canoes from the times the Islands were beginning to be settled.

We got back to Papetee just before 6pm after a very full day and a complete circumnavigation of the Island. (The road follows the coast, the centre of the Island is mountainous and virtually impenetrable). Although by this time most of the local stores and market were closed, a few shops selling the famous Tahitian black pearl were staying open, keen to take a few more tourist dollars. And yes, they did take a few of ours.

The ship was staying in port until the early hours so there was more than enough time to take a leisurely stroll along the harbourside where the evening food stalls and vans were busy drumming up business. 

Once back on board we changed and freshened up in time to get to watch the local folklore show which Princess had brought to the theatre. More dusky Polynesian maidens hula dancing...what's not to like?...while the men were just as scantily dressed. Their performance of Hakas and war dances was, to put it mildly, energetic. "Like Zumba on steroids" was how one fellow passenger described it.

Thus, our day turned out to be scenic and informative and in hindsight we probably saw a lot more on the trip than had we gone with our original choice.