My trip has come to an end, but what an amazing trip it was! It's time to summarize:
The Secret of the Ages - A Travel Blog
"And you can win, though you face the worst, If you feel that you're going to do it." -- Edgar A. Guest
Thursday, July 25, 2024
End Of The Trip - A Summary
My trip has come to an end, but what an amazing trip it was! It's time to summarize:
Wednesday, July 17, 2024
Black Pearls Again
I stopped in to the Pearl Museum in Papeete. Though small, it was quite interesting and I did learn some new things I didn't know before about pearls.
The highest quality pearls cost over $1000 |
One is that the oysters can have multiple pearl sites in a single oyster. I thought there could only be one.
Oyster with 7 pearl sites! |
Bikini made from 472 black pearls |
Monday, July 15, 2024
The Distant Skies Of Raiatea
View out the private deck of my bungalow |
After Bora Bora I went to Raiatea ("distant sky" in Polynesian).
Tasty Tahitian Rum -- I liked it! |
Toyota dealership - a tent and 3 cars |
Raiatea is much less developed than Tahiti of course. There's only one small town, Uturoa. I only spent 2 days on Raiatea but I feel I accomplished a lot. One day I took a tour of the island including the Botanical Gardens.
|
|||||
|
|||||
|
Raiatea, The Head Of The Octopus
The octopus represents all of the Polynesian islands from New Zealand (both islands) to Fiji, Tonga, Samoa, to Hawaii and even to Rapa Nui! Over a hundred islands. It represents a sort of map, though not scale (a scale map would be totally impractical). Rather the Polynesians thought in terms of island chains represented by the legs of the octopus. The islands are drawn on each leg in the order you would encounter them by following the recommended island hopping route. So it's much more practical than a Western-style scale map would be given the navigation techniques the Polynesians had at the time, which although they had no modern technology, were still quite sophisticated.
Closer view of the octopus:
Here the head of the octopus is named Havaii, because that was the original name of this island. It was later changed to Raiatea to avoid conflict with the other Hawaii. |
Raiatea has the most important of the marae [1], called Taputapuatea. As the head of the octopus, it contained navigational markers to aid in voyages to the other islands.
From the UNESCO site:
At the centre of the Taputapuātea marae complex is marae Taputapuātea itself, dedicated to the god ‘Oro and the place where the world of the living (Te Ao) intersects the world of the ancestors and gods (Te Po). It also expresses political power and relationships. The rise in the importance of Taputapuātea among the marae on Raiatea and in the wider region is linked to the line of Tamatoa ari’i (chiefs) and the expansion of their power. Taputapuātea was the centre of a political alliance that brought together two widespread regions encompassing most of Polynesia. The alliance was maintained by regular gatherings of chiefs, warriors and priests who came from the other islands to meet at Taputapuātea. The building of outrigger canoes and ocean navigation were key skills in maintaining this network.
[1] Marae are sacred ceremonial and social spaces that are found throughout Polynesia.
Thursday, July 11, 2024
Heiva i Bora Bora
Couples dancers Elona and Raimoana |
Couples dancers Raihani and Rai Teara |
This incredible 15 yr-old dancer Tetaumoana is carried by her proud father after winning Best Female Dancer overall! |