We returned to the island of Tahiti from Moorea at 18:00 in the evening of Saturday the 7th.
Saturday, October 7th, 2006 low/high temp:
24-31C (75
- 88F)
low/high humidity: 63-89 %
Sunday, October 8th, 2006 low/high temp:
24-30C (75
- 86F)
low/high humidity: 65-94 %
Monday, October 9th, 2006 low/high temp:
24-26C (75
- 79F)
low/high humidity: 78-94 %
Tuesday, October 10th, 2006 low/high temp:
24-29C (75
- 85F)
low/high humidity: 60-89 %
As you can see, the humidity and temp stay pretty constant on Tahiti. Mostly hot and humid during the day. Once the sun sets, it 'cools' & 'dries' off to a more tolerable level. That low is normally about 03:00 to 04:00 am. It heats up and the humidity climbs rapidly after sunrise. One oddity about Tahiti, and I've been told other tropical islands. There is a plethora of wild chickens and roosters, and in the early morning, about 03:30 to 04:30, the roosters start to crow to each other. This is honestly not similar to being on a farm, where one or two roosters are heard. Here, it's literally dozens of roosters crowing at different distances with distinctive crowing sounds.
It's not self serve in Tahiti.
The price equates to about Pascal,
Florent, Sophiane & Christine,
$6.62
per gallon
neighbors who invited us for dinner
one evening and aperitif another.
Pascal & the lovely Christine.
The whole group photo during Adrien & Christine share a
private joke.
aperitif before dinner.
Adrien LOVES Tahiti!
So does Fred.
Cindy at an odd angle.
This is the absolutely radiant Céline. She's absolutely awesome. For
some reason, she loves the camera, NOT...
She tends to swing towards the zany photo shots, as you can tell...
Our hosts in Tahiti, Fred and Daniela Fillastre. We cannot thank them Daniela models some jewelry.
enough for their hospitality and efforts!
Pointe Tapahi
I love this shot.
The girls enjoy the view.
The girls work the cameras.
High on the outcropping. How does that tree survive up there?
Surfers enjoy the waves.
Blue!
Daniela loves flowers in her hair. More surfers.
Here, we were led to this location on the side of a cliff, with the road right
next to us and Fred said to look out to sea.
Well, a tide came in and the 'vent' cave nearly blew Cindy's clothes off. The water rushing in
forces air through the vent in the center photo.
Sure did feel good, being a warm as it was that day!
My lovely bride.
As you can see with the next photos Céline & Daniela in the
we don't take directions well...
forbidden zone...
We're actually standing on an old lava flow jutting out from the roadway across
from the 'vent' cave above.
The ebb and flow of the sea, along with the spray, gave some stunning photos.
Those two girls are inseparable. They explore together, best friends.
Daniela with the scenery out there.
Below, we went to see the three water-falls. Vaimahuta, Haamaremare Iti and Haamaremare Rahi.
Here is the Legend of the three waterfalls:
A very long time ago a very beautiful young girl lived in Tiarei. Her name was
Fauai. She was just 17 years old and, like most girls her age she liked to
decorate her hair with flowers. Every morning she and her girlfriends traveled
throughout the valleys gathering flowers that she wove into crowns.
Her father, the great chief Marurai, adored her. Jealous and
cruel, he wouldn’t let any man approach her. As a result, two of his best
warriors accompanied her during her strolls.
In the valley, Fauai and her girlfriends one day encountered
Tua, a handsome young man who was passing by. Tua, who didn’t know about the
tabu, headed towards Fauai, snatched out of her hands the head crown of maire
that she held and ran off laughing. Without hesitation, the guards chased after
him, caught him and killed him. Distraught and sick at heart, Fauai took refuge
with her ill mother. A few months later she hesitantly returned to the valley
with her girlfriends to gather medicinal plants to treat her mother, who by now
was very ill.
They encountered another boy, whose name was Ivi. Skinny and
weak, he looked on the verge of death. He was also looking for plants to treat
himself. Fauai pitied him. She wanted to help him, but remembered Tua and was
afraid. What could she do? Then she had an idea. She asked her girlfriends to
hide and then start screaming to attract the attention of the guards. Once the
screams began ringing out, Fauai ordered the guards to go see what was
happening. When they were out of sight, she hurried to join Ivi. But when he saw
her, he turned pale and began to tremble.
“Don’t be afraid, I am Fauai,” she said gently.
“I know, but you are tabu. Get away from me before the guards
arrive,” he replied fearfully.
“I am here to help you find the herbs that will heal you.”
“No. Go away. I don’t want to be killed like Tua...”
“Very well then, because you are so scared, come follow me.
Nobody will see us.”
Fauai took Ivi by the hand and led him into the forest. They
had not walked for very long when suddenly they heard calls from far away. It
was the warriors, who had realized the trickery and were searching for the
princess. Ivi was exhausted and had to stop frequently to catch his breath. The
calls came closer.
“My poor Ivi. We have lost. What can I do to save you?” she
cried.
“Nothing. Go back to your guards. Leave me alone to die.”
“No. If you must die, I will die with you.”
“Have you decided to stay with me forever?”
“Yes.”
“Because you have said this,, Fauai, I’m going to reveal my
secret. I am not Ivi, the sick one. I am the good genie of the valley. In a few
moments, we will be forever imprisoned in these waterfalls.”
As soon as these words were spoken, they were stuck to the
rock face and Ivi was transformed into a handsome young man. Suddenly a
deafening noise filled the air. From high above the cliff two enormous masses of
water poured down, entirely covering Fauai and Ivi.
When the warriors arrived at the foot of the valley, they
discovered two magnificent waterfalls. Their clear water slid along the rocks
and collected into lovely pools.
From that day on, Ivi and Fauai remained hidden behind the
falls. This place is called Fa’aurumi’i. As for the warriors, on the way back to
the village a third waterfall swallowed them up and they were never heard from
again.
Above and below are photos of the Waterfall (Cascade) Vaimahuta.
Fred demonstrates the 'telegraph' tree. The trunk is hollow and
Nice shot of the stream.
has a deep resonance when struck with a rock.
Those crazy girls.
'Cheesecake' shot of the girls.
Pope's Cane plant (Cane du Pape)
because of the curl at the top.
Above, waterfall Haamaremare Iti
and below waterfall Haamaremare Rahi.
Below right, Julia swats the mosquitoes and such, lots with that much humidity.
Julia and Sophiane are absolutely inseparable! It was impossible for them
to not have a smile and giggle all day.
Céline poses again...
Cindy loves waterfalls!
Surf's up, dude!
Cindy took these on their way back from a girls evening swim in the ocean.
I think they turned out awesome.
We were invited to dinner at Pascal and Christine's the night before we left. We had lots of laughs, great food, and conversation. My French has improved, but still needs lots of work.
Pascal looks on.
The lovely Christine with Céline.
Julia and Sophiane.
Yup, Hinano.
My lovely bride and me.
Check out the necklace, fashioned
like a bunch of grapes, they're
Tahitian Pearls. Lovely model, too!
As you can see, it was a 'serious' evening, NOT! Such great fun!
The 4 children in one shot.
Dinner, Tahitian chow-mien.
Céline with another 'pose' while helping
Daniela with a necklace.
I told you she loves the wacky
Dessert, vanilla ice cream, cookie and warm triple chocolate cake.
photos.
Cindy found the French signs on the McDonald's and the advertisement for the
'delicious' Mexican sandwich amusing.
The day of our departure.
Daniella on her way to work.
A quick photo with Julia.
A margeullia, a clucking lizard of sorts.
Warns when the viri, a poisonous millipede,
is nearby with a clucking sound. Interesting.
Which do you think is a better shot?
Cindy LOVES swimming in the ocean, and this was our last morning there, so off
we went to give her one last
swim. Below, she shows the tide height, she doesn't move at all during the
tide movement.
Above and below is the same shot. Cindy was swimming, and about 100 yards
behind her in the ocean bay
a whale started to surface and jump in the water. I pointed and she
finally turned around, after first thinking I was pointing to a shark, and
couldn't believe her eyes. It really was awesome.
Later, after reviewing the shots, I found there were at least two, and perhaps
three whales, a family, there.
Above, I captured a tail, I think it's the 'baby' whale.
Just passing by...
A fin, I think.
Another surfacing.
Cindy wanted to get the shade on the beach effect, and I wasn't sure which I
liked the best. Especially considering this same tree dropped a coconut
not more than 5 feet from me while I was sitting there taking photos!
A bird with nice colors.
Fresh mahi-mahi and a lovely salad! Cindy loves the
colors.
Awesome meal on the last day there!
Cindy searches for the whales.
Thaaaarrr she blows!
Evidence, she's in the photo with
the whale in the sea..
Leaving the ocean behind in Tahiti.
I liked the 'trimmed' tree there.
Cindy loved the flowers and colors.
Here are examples of the roaming chickens on the island. They're
everywhere! Amusing, too.
In Fred's backyard, beautiful flowers abound!
And I always thought pineapples grew on trees... Now I know...
This hotel is apparently completely empty and abandoned.
Gorgeous view of the islands oceanfront!
I suspect it will be 'restored' with the right investor.
Our departure A340 named Moorea! Here we are on our way back
home, tired and happy. Our friends gave
us those necklaces of shells, as it is the traditional farewell gift in Tahiti.
Gorgeous and heavy after a while...
Yes, the morning, actually afternoon, after we arrived home, October
12th, it snowed.
Had we awakened earlier than about noon, I was told, by our neighbors, that the car was covered in
snow...
One heck of a change from the temperatures we experienced in Tahiti and
Australia!