Tahiti, 8-26-2017--Tour of Tahiti

By David

On Saturday, we rented a car and toured the island of Tahiti.  Tahiti is made up of two islands joined by a narrow isthmus.  The bigger island is known as Tahiti Nui (Big Tahiti) and the smaller one to the south is Tahiti Iti (Little Tahiti).

The early morning wake up committee at Pension Fifi.  By early, we mean around 4:30am.  Fortunately, we both love the sound of roosters, though their timing is a bit much.

South of Papeete are several grottos, which are shallow caves with water dripping from the ceiling into pools below.  The landscaping was impressive.

One of the smaller grottos.

A huge Indian rubber tree.

Near the grottos we came across this unusual feature beside the highway.  Apparently good drinking water poured out of several pipes set in a rock wall.  Local folks came to fill water containers for home use in preference to the water provided by local municipalities.

A view toward the mountains of Tahiti.

The southwest coast of Tahiti Iti is a surfers mecca...  

...with smaller waves inshore for beginners and big surf on the outer reef for pros.  

The road on the west side of Tahiti Iti ends at Teahupoo, site of world-renowned surfing competitions. 

On Tahiti Iti is a road up to Belvedere Lookout, a popular view point.  Looking north toward Tahiti Nui. 

A large acacia tree near the Belvedere Lookout.  Pearl is standing near the base for scale.  Large acacias are common in the Marquesas, Raiatea and Bora Bora.  

In the higher elevations near Belvedere Lookout are pastures with cattle...

...of various breeds.

Back down along the east coast of Tahiti Nui, we passed this well-tended coconut grove.  The aluminum flashing on the tree trunks is to prevent rats from climbing the trees and eating the coconuts.

Being a Saturday, many local folks were looking for fun.  Here, they've appropriated a bridge to use as a diving board.  The hefty fellow jumping was the...

...splash champion.

View from the east coast of Tahiti Nui, looking south toward Tahiti Iti.

A bocce tournament was in full swing beside the highway.  

At the north end of Tahiti Nui is Pointe Venus, named by Captain Cook in 1769.  He stopped here to make observations of the transit of Venus in front of the sun.  The object was to help determine the distance from Venus to the sun, from which the distances to other planets could then be calculated.   Unfortunately, the optics of the time weren't advanced enough and the observations failed to achieve their purpose. 

Captain Cook wouldn't have recognized the scene at Pointe Venus 248 years later.

At the Tahiti Easy Car rental near our pension, we had the pleasure of dealing with Jessica, the enthusiastic staff person.  She was a major contrast with much of the customer service we've found here.  Though she spoke very little English, she was super energetic and so apologetic when she couldn't come up with the right word in English.  Later that evening when we returned the car, she shrieked and jumped up and down clapping, then insisted on a selfie with us.  What a kick!