TAHITI, the ISLAND

     The airport in Fasa is 6 kilometers from Papeete which  means basket of water. Tahiti is 2790 miles from Honolulu and 4000 miles from Los Angles. The island  is the largest of the 118 islands and atolls making up the Society Islands. The fourteen islands have a land mass of 636 square miles. Tahiti’s land mass is 402 square miles. Tahiti is both the country and an island and the island is 35 miles long, shaped like an hourglass with two distinct and extinct volcanoes connected by a narrow isthmus.

     Tahiti is part of French Polynesia (meaning many islands). The island’s population is 130,000 and the population of all of French Polynesia is 230,000. Papeete is the main shipping and distribution center of Tahiti. The port facilities were expanded in the 1960’s. Between 1962-64 nearly 35 acres of land was reclaimed at the northern end of the harbor and is now an industrial and military area.   

      Polynesia geographically is the largest of the Pacific’s culture areas and distances between island groups is great. Polynesia lies mostly below the equator and includes the Hawaiian, Cook, Society, and Easter Islands as well as Samoa, Tonga, and the Marquesas. Fiji is borderline between Polynesia and Melanesia.

      Moorea, 16 miles across the bay, has a land mass of 50 square miles. Nine of the Tahiti’s islands are volcanic and five are atolls. Mt. Orohena towers 7321 feet above sea level and is Tahiti’s highest point. Mt.Tohivea on Moorea is 3975 feet.

      Papeete’s streets were crowded with sport cars, motor bikes and the island’s cheap, public, picturesque transport, les truck.

      Many of the Society Islands as well as Rarotonga in the Cook Islands are high volcanic islands. Volcanic islands are usually surrounded by fringing reefs varying from a few to several hundred yards from the shoreline. These areas most often offer good fishing and the fringing reefs are essentials for the formation of coral atolls.

      Shallow, clear, warm salt water allow both coral and calcareous algae to thrive and eventually build a reef. The coral can reach extreme depths. In the 1950’s holes were drilled to a depth of 4222 and 4600 feet through the coral on Enewetak in the northern Marshall Islands.

      Tahiti’s islands are divided into two groups; the five windward islands include Tahiti and Moorea, the nine leeward islands include Bora Bora. French Polynesia is the farthest East of all the South Pacific Islands. The climate is warm all year and being consistent makes it an anytime paradise.

      Indigenous Polynesians represent 70% of the population, those of French extraction 15%, mixed Polynesians and French 8%, and Chinese 7%. One half of the population is Protestant. The French are mostly Catholic. Education is compulsory until age 14 and is free in small neighborhood government schools.

      The main islands of Tahiti, Moorea, and Bora Bora have one road around the perimeter of the island. There are no roads over the mountains. The thatched roofs last about 8-10 years. I noted many metal roofs which of course last much longer. The houses were small and almost without exception on the mountain side of the road. The road tends to follow the coastline and there is very little land between the road and the water. The houses are often strung out side by side in a single row, and not clustered together, as again there is not a lot of land at the base of the mountains. The mail boxes along the side of the road are for the daily delivery of French bread, not mail. The north shore has a cold current, therefore very little coral and is good surfing with good waves. Small concrete markers are every kilometer along the road and the number indicates  how many kilometers it is from the court house in town, making finding addresses easy.

TAHITI HISTORY

       In 1767 Samuel Wallis discovered Tahiti and claimed it for England. The next year, unaware of Wall Louis-Antoine de Bougainville claimed Tahiti for France. For years Tahiti remained a pawn in the struggle for power in the Pacific between these two countries.  Captain Cook visited the islands in 1769, 1773, 1774, and 1777. He charted and wrote about the islands.

      By the early 1800’s Tahiti enjoyed an active trade in salt pork, copra, pearls, and sandalwood. By the end of the nineteen century all islands currently making up French Polynesia had been annexed by France and was governed by her until 1957 when it became a territorire d’ outré-mer with a governor in Papeete, and a council and territorial assembly elected in five constituencies.

      In 1977 France granted partial internal self-government. Now French Polynesia is an autonomous Territory of the French Republic having two elected members in the French National Assembly, one in the Senate, and one representative in the European Parliament.

      The French government appoints a High Commissioner who takes care of matters relating to the Territory defense, foreign policy, law and order, and communications. The president of the Territorial Government is elected by the 41 member Territorial Assembly. He has control of international affairs as it affects French Polynesia.

      The Territorial Assembly has financial autonomy and legislative authority within the Territory. Local government is conducted by municipalities

      Between 1975-1989 the French conducted 110 underground nuclear tests in the Territory. Because of great worldwide controversy and protests, the French declared in 1992 all testing be suspended. Due to the loss of jobs and the effect on the local economy France compensated the Territory with 7 billion francs.

      In 1993 the Territorial Assembly formulated an economic, social, and cultural plan to diversify the economy, thus reducing its dependence on France. France gave 26 billion francs for the implementation of these plans over a five-year period.

      Until 1960 the main economy was agricultural. The nuclear testing changed that. Tourism became an important industry. The workforce has been drawn away from agriculture and fishing to work in a variety of service jobs, an industry which employs 70% of the working population.

      Coconut in the form of coconut oil is a major export. The vanilla industry is declining. Coffee, vegetables and fruit are grown for domestic consumption, as are cattle, horses, pigs, goats, and sheep. Needless to say construction is a booming industry. Cultured black pearls are a big export item. The territory is increasingly dependent on imports, 50% of which come from France.