GandJTravels

A little history, Captain Cook, a fishy transaction and a tour that almost wasn’t!

We were back in Papeete, Tahiti, and it was another busy day in port. Before getting into our excursion, we made our usual visit to the local market, which is always worth a wander.

A morning at the Papeete Market

Around 11 am we headed into town and spent some time wandering through the many stalls of this vibrant market. There is always something interesting to see, whether it is the colourful tropical fruit, fresh fish, flowers, pareos, local handicrafts or the many little treasures that seem to find their way into our shopping bags.

The market has quite a history of its own. It dates back to 1847, when it was established by French Governor Armand Bruat, and has occupied essentially the same central location ever since. Originally, the stalls were brought together under a wooden structure with a pandanus-covered roof. Over the years it expanded and became an important gathering place for both local commerce and everyday life. The present covered market building dates from 1989, with subsequent renovations and modernization.

Prices, however, have certainly moved along since our last visit. We noticed a significant increase in quite a few things, and I suspect the days of picking up a bargain here are becoming a little more difficult. Good thing Jan had her bracelet made on our previous visit. At today’s prices, I suspect it would have cost two or even three times as much!

But the highlight of our market visit wasn’t something we purchased.

I happened to notice two gentlemen making inquiries at the fish counter about purchasing a rather large fish. The fishmonger disappeared into the back and returned with two impressive specimens. They asked to have them weighed, and the results were 12 kilos for one and 17 kilos for the other!

At this point, a calculator appeared. The fishmonger’s assistant handed it to one of the gentlemen, and the calculator went back and forth between them as they worked out the numbers. An agreement was eventually reached, and then came the question: could they deliver the fish to their ship, the Zaandam?

Well, it turns out these gentlemen were purchasing agents from our very own ship, carrying an envelope full of cash and arranging the purchase of the 12 kilos of fresh fish, Mahi Mahi. Now that’s what I call shopping locally!

We are already looking forward to seeing what the chefs do with that little purchase. Perhaps a fresh fish special will appear on the menu in a few days. We’ll be watching!

A little history of Papeete and Tahiti

Papeete is now the capital and principal commercial centre of French Polynesia, but it wasn’t always the bustling town we see today.

The name Papeete is generally translated as “water basket” or “water from a basket,” referring to the fresh water that was once collected from a local spring.

The town began developing in the early 19th century. An English Protestant missionary, William Crook, established a mission here in 1818, and the settlement gradually became more important as the royal Pomare family developed its connections with the area.

European interest in Tahiti had begun even earlier. British Captain Samuel Wallis arrived in 1767, followed by French explorer Louis-Antoine de Bougainville in 1768. Then came Captain James Cook in 1769, whose first visit would give Tahiti a very prominent place in the history of European exploration and science.

Cook’s arrival was not the beginning of European contact, but his voyages helped bring the Pacific into much greater focus for European governments, scientists, traders and missionaries. His expeditions also contributed to the expansion of European influence, with consequences for the people and traditional societies of the islands.

Papeete became the centre of French political and commercial activity. France established a protectorate over Tahiti in 1842, and the town was selected as the administrative headquarters. In 1880, the last Tahitian king, Pomare V, ceded the kingdom to France. Papeete officially became a municipality in 1890.

Today, the town is a fascinating mixture of French and Polynesian influences, and remains the commercial heart of the islands.

Captain Cook, the transit of Venus and a remarkable scientific mission

Now, one of the reasons I was particularly looking forward to today’s excursion was our planned visit to Point Venus.

For anyone unfamiliar with the name, this is where Captain James Cook and his scientific team made one of the most important astronomical observations of the 18th century.

Let me explain.

A transit of Venus occurs when the planet Venus passes directly between Earth and the Sun. From our perspective, Venus appears as a tiny black dot slowly crossing the face of the Sun.

These events are extremely rare. They occur in pairs, eight years apart, with more than a century separating one pair from the next.

The transit of 1769 was particularly important because astronomers hoped to use observations from widely separated locations on Earth to calculate the distance between Earth and the Sun. This distance is known as the Astronomical Unit and provides the fundamental scale for measuring the solar system.

The idea had been proposed by astronomer Edmund Halley. By comparing the precise times at which Venus crossed the Sun from different locations, scientists could calculate the apparent displacement of Venus against the solar disc. With observations from different latitudes and longitudes, they could use the principles of parallax to estimate the distance between Earth and the Sun.

The first transit in the pair had occurred in 1761, but the results were disappointing. The Royal Society in Britain was determined to make a much better attempt in 1769.

And this is where Tahiti enters the story.

The British organized observing expeditions to three widely separated parts of the world:

● Tahiti in the South Pacific, under the command of Lieutenant James Cook.

● North Cape in Norway.

● Hudson Bay in Canada.

Cook’s expedition aboard HMS Endeavour arrived in Tahiti in April 1769, almost two months before the transit. He established an observation station at Point Venus, which was named in honour of the event.

To improve the chances of obtaining reliable observations, additional teams were sent to two nearby locations: the island of Moorea and Taaupiri, a small island off Tahiti’s eastern coast.

On June 3, 1769, the skies cooperated and the transit was successfully observed at all three Tahitian stations.

There was, however, a problem. The astronomers obtained slightly different timings, partly because of the difficulty in identifying the precise moments when Venus appeared to touch the edge of the Sun. This became known as the infamous “black drop” effect.

Despite the imperfections, the observations contributed to a much better calculation of the distance between Earth and the Sun.

One important distinction here: determining the distance between Earth and the Sun was not the same as determining longitude. Longitude was a separate and equally important navigational problem, eventually solved reliably at sea through accurate timekeeping, particularly with John Harrison’s marine chronometers, and astronomical methods such as lunar distances.

In fact, knowing the correct time at a reference location, compared with local time, allowed sailors to calculate their longitude. So while Cook’s Venus observations were not a direct solution to longitude, they were part of the same remarkable period of scientific advancement that transformed navigation and our understanding of the world.

It is quite something to think that a small point of land on the north coast of Tahiti played such a part in the history of astronomy.

William Bligh – a familiar name with a Tahitian connection

There is another interesting connection between Captain Cook, Tahiti and one of the most famous maritime stories ever told: the Mutiny on the Bounty.

William Bligh was aboard Cook’s third and final Pacific expedition, serving as sailing master on HMS Resolution from 1776 to 1780. His responsibilities included navigation, surveying and charting. He was an exceptionally capable seaman and learned much during his time with Cook.

Following Cook’s death in Hawaii in 1779, the expedition eventually returned to England.

Several years later, Bligh was given command of HMS Bounty, which was sent to Tahiti in 1787 to collect breadfruit plants. The intention was to transport them to the Caribbean, where they were expected to provide an inexpensive food source for enslaved workers on the plantations.

The Bounty arrived in Tahiti in October 1788 and remained for almost six months while the plants were collected and prepared for transport.

For the crew, life in Tahiti was rather pleasant. The warm climate, friendly relationships and island lifestyle were a considerable contrast to life aboard a small naval vessel.

Then came the departure.

On April 28, 1789, only a few weeks after leaving Tahiti, Fletcher Christian and a group of crew members staged their famous mutiny. Bligh and 18 loyal men were placed in a small open boat and set adrift.

Why did it happen?

The popular version often suggests that the crew simply couldn’t bear to leave the paradise they had enjoyed in Tahiti. There was certainly an element of that, but the story is more complicated.

Bligh was a very capable navigator, but he was also known for his sharp tongue, temper and demanding approach to discipline. Tensions between him and some members of the crew had been building. Christian, in particular, had become increasingly unhappy with his relationship with Bligh.

The combination of difficult shipboard relationships, Bligh’s management style and the crew’s reluctance to leave their Tahitian lives behind eventually reached breaking point.

The mutiny was led by Christian, who took control of the ship. Bligh and his supporters were cast adrift in the Bounty’s launch with very limited supplies.

What followed was another extraordinary feat of navigation. Bligh managed to guide the small open boat approximately 3,600 nautical miles to Timor, a remarkable journey that demonstrated just how capable a sailor he really was.

So there we have it. Tahiti was not only the setting for Cook’s astronomical expedition but also the place where Bligh’s later Bounty voyage began its remarkable and ultimately infamous chapter.

Our East and West Coast excursion – and a little uncertainty!

We had booked a half-day excursion through Viator, advertised as an East and West Coast tour of Tahiti. It included several stops we were particularly interested in: the Fern Grotto, a black sand surfing beach, a botanical garden, an impressive waterfall, a blowhole (which was new to us), and, most importantly, Point Venus and its historic lighthouse.

The lighthouse was really the reason we had booked this particular tour.

Our four-hour excursion was scheduled to begin at 1 pm. We were collected in an eight-passenger van along with another couple from the ship and a single lady staying at the Inter continental Hotel.

Our guide and driver was 57 years old, a native Tahitian and an avid surfer. He was friendly enough, and after a little conversation we began getting acquainted. The other couple took the second row, while he asked if I would like to sit up front, with Jan just behind me.

So off we went.

Our first few stops were enjoyable, and we were getting a good look at the island. Then came the news that rather took the wind out of our sails.

Our guide informed us that the complete tour was not possible because the road on the other side of the island was closed until 4 pm.

Well, that was disappointing!

I explained that the main reason we had booked the excursion was to visit Point Venus. If we couldn’t get there, a pretty important part of the tour would be missing.

A few minutes later, he came back with an update. Apparently, the road was now going to be open at 3:30 pm, and it might be possible to complete the loop after all.

Hmm!

We continued with the tour, enjoying the stops along the way, but I was still wondering about the road situation.

The waterfall was quite spectacular, and the blowhole was another interesting stop. If you’ve never seen one, it’s a natural opening in the coastal rock where incoming waves force water and air upwards, sometimes producing quite an impressive spray. A new experience for us here in Tahiti.

And all the while, we were looking forward to that final stop.

As it turned out, we arrived on the other side at approximately 3:30 pm, right on the dot. We then sat in traffic for about ten minutes.

Now here’s the interesting part. From what we could see, the road wasn’t actually closed. There were two locations where roadwork had reduced traffic to a single lane, with vehicles taking turns to pass through under alternating traffic control.

That is quite different from a road closure!

I can’t say with certainty what our guide had been told beforehand, but I began to wonder whether he simply didn’t want to deal with the delays and alternating traffic. Perhaps he had been looking for a way to shorten the tour.

There was also something else that made me wonder.

After picking us up, he had gradually become more comfortable chatting with us. At the surfing beach, where we had already learned about his love of surfing and his life on the island, he announced the revised 3:30 opening time. It seemed that once he got to know us, he decided to make the effort to complete the tour after all.

Whatever the reason, we were certainly pleased with the outcome.

Point Venus – the highlight of the day

And then we arrived!

There it was, Point Venus, the very place where Captain James Cook and his team had set up their astronomical observation station in 1769.

The historic lighthouse is an impressive landmark. Built in 1867, it is generally recognized as the first lighthouse in the French Polynesian islands. The site also has a monument commemorating Cook’s observations of the transit of Venus.

Standing there, I couldn’t help but reflect on the significance of this little corner of Tahiti. More than 250 years ago, a group of scientists and sailors stood in this very area, looking up at the Sun and recording an event that would help change our understanding of the solar system.

It was also a location Cook would revisit on his subsequent Pacific voyages.

For someone with an interest in maritime history, navigation and exploration, this was a pretty special moment. And, of course, there is the additional connection to Cook’s final voyage and his death in Hawaii, at Kealakekua Bay, near where we had visited Kona just recently.

So yes, this stop made the entire excursion worthwhile!

By now it was getting late. At around 5:15 pm, our guide asked if it was okay if he made a telephone call to his daughter. I don’t speak French, but from what I could gather, there seemed to be some discussion about her using the van at 5 pm.

That was when the penny really dropped for me. I began to suspect that he had originally intended to finish early and had perhaps arranged something else for the vehicle.

Of course, this is only my interpretation, and I could be completely wrong. But the timing certainly made me wonder.

In any event, he had now committed himself to completing our tour, and we were grateful for that.

There was still traffic heading back towards Papeete, mostly leaving town but with some going in the opposite direction. Our guide knew his way around, found a few shortcuts and managed to get us back to the ship by 6 pm.

Our four-hour excursion had turned into something a little longer, but we had seen everything we had hoped to see.

I was happy to give him a good tip for making sure we got to Point Venus. Interestingly, none of the other guests seemed to follow suit.

Perhaps they didn’t see the day quite the same way I did, but I felt he had made the effort in the end, and I appreciated it.

An Italian dinner and a Polynesian evening

Back aboard the Zaandam, we had just enough time to shower and change before heading to one of the specialty restaurants, Canaletto, for dinner.

Canaletto is the ship’s Italian specialty restaurant, and we had another wonderful evening.

Our wait staff was Jearmelyn, who did a fabulous job. What makes the experience even more enjoyable is the friendliness and familiarity that develops with some of the crew over repeated visits. Jearmelyn is someone we have known for six years, and we are even Facebook friends. It really does feel as though we are catching up with an old friend rather than simply being served dinner.

The food and service were excellent, as always.

Then, at 9 pm, it was time for the final highlight of the day.

A local group came aboard to perform their Spirit of Tahiti show.

These performances are always a treat, and I have to say that the costumes, dancing and overall presentation seem to get better and better every time we visit French Polynesia.

The show brings together the traditional music, dance and storytelling of the islands, with the colourful costumes and energetic performances that make Polynesian entertainment so distinctive. The performers share a little of their culture through the movements, rhythms and stories, and it is a wonderful opportunity for guests to experience some of the local traditions without even leaving the ship.

I couldn’t find a reliable history of this particular onboard group, so I won’t pretend to know how long they have been performing together. What I can say is that their show was another excellent reminder of just how rich the cultural traditions of these islands are.

By the time the performance finished, we had certainly earned our rest.

Bed by 11 pm!

Of course, the Zaandam wasn’t quite finished with us. With our scheduled 4 am departure, we were expecting the usual soundtrack of stern thrusters, ropes and winches to announce that the ship was getting underway.

And after all that, we were due to be back at anchor by 7 am in the beautiful island of Moorea.

I think that qualifies as a full day!

Tahiti certainly delivered a memorable one. A morning at the market, a little maritime and astronomical history, an excursion that nearly missed its most important stop, a visit to one of the most significant locations in Cook’s Pacific voyages, a fresh fish purchase for the ship, a lovely dinner and an evening of Polynesian entertainment.

Not bad for one day in port!

Now, on to Moorea. Let’s see what tomorrow brings. 😊