As I travel the world I take many photos that pique my interest. During the year April 2025 to March 2026 our travels included visits to many islands large and small. My theme for 2026 Island Hopping will give precedence to Islands visited in the past year but for those difficult letters like X and Z I will dig into my photo archives for content.
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| Soon to arrive in Tahiti |
"Tahiti (English:
/təˈhiːti/ ⓘ;
Tahitian:
[taˈhiti, ˈthaiti];
[1][
user-generated source]
[2] French:
[ta.iti]) is the largest island of the
Windward group of the
Society Islands in
French Polynesia, an
overseas collectivity of
France."
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tahiti"
We didn't choose one of the lovely resorts along the coast outside Papeete for our pre-cruise stay on the island of Tahiti. We took a sensible, cheaper option and stayed in a trendy tourist hotel opposite the port in the city. While the hotel was comfortable and clean, to enjoy Tahiti, I would suggest staying outside of Papeete.
Last time we were in Tahiti we stayed in a sensational resort, had a rental car, managed to circumnavigate the Island and see most of the cultural and scenic sites. We didn't pay much attention to the city of Papeete.
This time, as our means of transport was on foot, we spent a day exploring Papeete CBD. While the waterside near the port was quite attractive, the cafes and bars opposite were definitely not 5 star sites. Walking a few blocks away from the water we found services like banks, service stations, pharmacies, supermarkets and a big local market. We didn't find much of architectural merit. As I was footsore we didn't manage to walk as far as the Cathedral.
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| Painted on the wall of our trendy hotel room |
Looking back on our days in Papeete I see that I didn't take my usual hundreds of photos. Following are a few that make the city look more attractive than it was.
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| On the main intersection |
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| French style street sign |
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| The market wasn't too busy |
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| The Local Drop |
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Downtown
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| Bandstand near the Port |
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| The Bandstand looked pretty at night |
We were excited to leave Papeete behind and join the
Silver Cloud for our marathon sail across the Pacific. After a few days sailing we made a morning stop at
Vaitahu on Tahuata Island where were were warmly greeted and entertained by the local residents. That afternoon we visited Hiva Oa.
"Tahuata is the smallest of the inhabited
Marquesas Islands, in
French Polynesia, an overseas territory of
France in the
Pacific Ocean. It is located 4 km (2.5 mi.) to the south of the western end of
Hiva Oa, across the
Canal du Bordelais, called
Ha‘ava in
Marquesan"
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tahuata.
I sent my husband off on a short hike to a viewpoint while I toddled around the town happily snapping and chatting to the locals who appeared to be on holidays. When I ran out of puff I sat and listened to a group of local musicians. While I saw a school, two churches and administrative buildings there was not a shop in sight, where did they get their supplies?
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| There were stalls selling local wares |
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| Demonstrations |
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The only shop I spied
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The Catholic Church stood proudly behind the settlement. The large green area in front of the Church is suitable for large gatherings while the interior of the church reflects the local culture.
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| They pulled up a chair for me to sit and enjoy |
Other T islands we have visited include Treasure Island
