Escape the Freeze: Discover the Warm Wonders of Tahiti

As this is written, my husband tells me it’s freezing cold in Wisconsin. Where I am, on the island of Tahiti, it’s warming up to about 80 today. Maybe a little rain later. It’ll be a busy day here, but perhaps I’ll get in some poolside sun here at Te Moana Tahiti Resort.

            I should explain. I’m here on a working trip. (Really.) I arrived from Cancún, Mexico, where I’d attended a conference last Thursday. The next day, I flew five hours to Los Angeles, and after a five-hour layover, it was eight hours to Papeete, the capital city in the Society Islands, of which Tahiti is the largest. After arriving on Saturday morning local time, it was right to work, joining nine of my U.S. travel colleagues in a six-day inspection tour, during which we’ll be hard at work on behalf of our clients. (Honest!)

            We’re visiting a dozen new and remodeled properties on some of the most scenic islands in the archipelago, so that when I come home, I’ll be able to help my clients find their next dream vacation. If you choose Tahiti, I want to make sure you’ve made the right choice. So, I thought it might be nice to fill you in on the history and culture of this beautiful place. (See, I really am working!)

            The Society Islands are an archipelago of 14 islands in two groups, the Windward Islands and the Leeward Islands. Settled by Polynesians about a thousand years ago, they were first sighted by European explorers in 1767, when a British ship, HMS Dolphin, arrived in search of fresh food. Captain Samuel Wallis and his crew suffered from scurvy, a common affliction on long voyages in the age of sail. The islanders were in need of iron for knives, axes and fishhooks, and so a trading relationship was quickly established. What made the islands especially popular for European sailors was that Tahitian women were renowned for their beauty, along with their eagerness to exchange favors, shall we say, for iron and other goods.

            The islands became a French protectorate in 1843 and a colony in 1880. Today, they are a part of French Polynesia. Generally known by the name of the largest island, Tahiti, the 14 islands have a combined land area of 610 square miles and a population of 276,000. By comparison, the Hawaiian Islands, which are in the same time zone, are much larger and more populous. The seven major inhabited islands of Hawaii total over 6,300 square miles and are home to nearly 1.5 million people.

            Being much smaller and less populated than Hawaii, Tahiti is known for its intimacy, not to mention its natural beauty and friendly people. The average daily high temperature is about 80 degrees, varying only slightly from the warm season (November-March) to the cool season (April-October). The heat, high humidity and volcanic soil have combined to cover much of the islands with dense tropical forests, but there are plenty of hiking trails on the islands, not to mention some of the world’s most beautiful golf courses. Swimming and diving are very popular tourist pursuits, of course. Transportation from the international airport on the big island of Tahiti to the outlying islands is by small plane or boat. Another popular way to see the islands is by cruise ship. In 2015, my husband and I spent a very pleasant week aboard the Paul Gaugin, which carries only 330 guests and stops at all the major islands in the chain.

            The ship is named after one of the most famous people ever to live here, the French post-Impressionist painter and sculptor Paul Gaugin, who spent his most prolific periods in the islands in the late 19^th century. One of his sculptures sold for nearly $31 million a few years ago.

            And speaking of ships, one of history’s most famous, HMS Bounty, arrived in Tahiti in 1788 on a mission to collect breadfruit plants and transport them to British colonies in the West Indies. Over its five-month stay, most of the sailors lived ashore with Polynesian women. When Captain William Bligh ordered them back to the ship for the voyage home, many of the Englishmen weren’t pleased. Led by Lt. Fletcher Christian, they mutinied, set the captain and some loyalists adrift in an open boat, and set out to live their lives. Some returned to Tahiti, and others sailed to isolated Pitcairn Island, where their descendants live to this day. The “Mutiny on the Bounty” was made into five movies, with some very famous actors starring as Christian: Errol Flynn (1933), Clark Gable (1935), Marlon Brando (1962) and Mel Gibson (1984). Brando was so entranced with Tahiti, where his movie was filmed, that he bought a nearby 12-island atoll, Tetiaroa, and built a home there. A new resort, the Brando Hotel, opened there in 2014, and I can attest to its beauty.  

            Tahiti is on the bucket list of a lot of Americans, for good reason. We can help you get there. Give us a call!

Sue Tindell