Captain Samuel Wallis was the first westerner to come across Tahiti. He was sailing the HMS Dolphin in 1767 and came to anchor in Matavai Bay on June 23.
He claimed the island for King George the lll, of course. The English do have that habit. I try to keep the English out of my back yard, just in case they might want to claim it for the Queen.
Tahiti is the largest of the islands in French Polynesia. There are more than one hundred islands that comprise the islands.
Pape`ete is the capital of French Polynesia.
We took our flight to Moorea first. It was a lovely day as they all seem to be when you are on vacation. Even when it rains on vacation it is a beautiful day.
Mount Rotui is a giant volcanic peak over looking Opunohu Bay. We stayed for three days and two nights in Moorea.
We then left for five days in Bora Bora.
In ancient times the island was called “Pora por mai te pora which means created by the gods” in the local Tahitian dialect. It was often called “Pora Pora” Which means first born. It can also be pronounced Bola Bola or Bora Bora.
When we then flew to the island of Bora Bora. The flight takes 47 minutes. There are few hotel rooms and so the price is on the high side. The rooms start at $400.00 per night and go up from there.
I was still working during most of these trips, so time away from work and being on vacation was a double blessing. One of my customers was French and came to Tahiti to live as her father was an ambassador. She was a lovely lady and made me want to go there.
The French support the Islands and without their help there would be little hope for the society here. The French pay for schooling, medical care and most everything else.
We stayed in an over water bungalow. The place was perfect. The floor was clear, thick, glass or plastic. You could swim underneath your room and then look up into it from underwater. Some aspects of that are good, and some not so much.
The restaurant there was wonderful as was the service also. I find that when I am on vacation I run at a different speed and little upsets me. Time is or should be meaningless when one is one vacation. Of course, some countries lend themselves to a slower pace better than others.
There was a recovery bay full of sea creatures on the mend which we could swim near and study a little closer than those out in the open sea. We stayed far enough away not to bother them, but close enough to see them better.
As we drifted in the water, it would eventually take us back to our room, with little effort. There was a newly wed couple near us and in the morning their breakfast was brought to their room by outrigger canoe.
