The Zaandam arrived at the busy port and harbor of Papeete, Tahiti early this morning. Like Huahine, Tahiti consists of two volcanic islands – Tahiti Nui and Tahiti Iti. The total land area is 1042 square kilometers and the highest point is Mt. Orohena at 7350 feet in elevation. Tahiti is considered the heart of French Polynesia with 75 % of the population living here and sister island, Moorea. That adds up to 200,000 natives with 27000 of them living in Papeete.
Papeete is the administrative center and capital of French Polynesia with the largest international airport and probably the biggest and busiest harbor of all of the islands. As with all large cities, Papeete has many businesses, shops, and eateries, as well as old churches and the seat of government buildings.
A "must" see has to be Papeete's Market. It is a two- story building in the center of town that sells everything from handicrafts, island clothing, fresh fish, produce, and flowers. The deep sea fish include tuna, mahi mahi, swordfish, and lagoon fish like parrotfish. Woven hats and baskets from the Australes are sold here as well as Marquesan stone and wood carvings, monoi oil products, and more shell jewelry. Mostly cash is accepted with the exception of the clothing and pearl shops on the second level.
After the mandatory speech that we were not allowed to bring food off of the ship, it was announced we were cleared after 8am. The tour groups were in the process of leaving by the time we left the Pinnacle Grill after breakfast. Tina, the manager, would be going home today, and she will be missed. Many other key officers were also leaving like Presty, the Lido manager, and the food and beverage manager Murat, along with many beverage workers and waiters. Some of the front desk staff were also going home. We highly doubt most of these positions will be replaced before we end the trip in San Diego.
It was nice not to have to use the tender boats today, and tomorrow as well, as we are staying overnight here. We left the ship around 11am walking to the downtown area first. There is a brand new terminal building that appeared to be finally finished. But it was not opened yet, so it was necessary to walk around it to get in and out of the port area. Only the tour buses and private vehicles were allowed to come in through the blocked parking lot.
Knowing that the market place was going to close at 1pm, we headed straight there, passing a side street filled with souvenir and jewelry tables. These same items used to be in a tented area right off of the ship's exit and next to a decent information center. That is all gone now, so the vendors have moved to town. Most of the items duplicated what we saw yesterday in Moorea, but seemed to cost more here. Not that we were searching for more things, it is always fun to look.
We passed by the fabric shop where one of us always finds an irresistible piece for a blouse. Today was different, because we simply looked but did not buy any more. The time is approaching where we have to start packing, and it is more than likely the suitcases might be overweight.
Downtown was busy especially the market where we did a quick walk from end-to-end and up the escalator to check out the second story items. There were cruise people everywhere shopping for last minute stuff. This market will be closed tomorrow, only opening for a few hours or not at all if we recall correctly. We were mostly interested in their flower department, as we always come back to the ship with some of their bouquets. We made a decision to come back here a little later after strolling through the center of town.
We headed for the Notre Dame Catholic Cathedral dated back to 1875 only to find the doors closed. It has always been opened for visitors, but not today. One of the busiest places in this part of town had to be McDonalds. If people were not buying lunch, they were using their free wifi. And with today being Saturday, there were kids everywhere…..all eating Big Macs.
Next to the famous eatery was the Territorial Assembly and the Queen's Garden. In the last couple of visits we made here, the gardens were closed. But today we were able to walk the path that took us back to the ponds, gazebo, and the Queen's private bathing area. Many of the native trees and plants are labeled and described in both French and English. We happened to get into a conversation with a couple from Canada when they asked if we could take a photo of them with their cell phone. That happens a lot and we said of course. It turned out we were on the same page as far as recent events were concerned and it was fun sharing stories.
The Australes group were in this Assembly hall with their collection of handmade hats and woven handbags and mats. Several tables were set up where the local ladies were actually making the tiniest seashell necklaces, bracelets, and earrings we have seen. Most of the necklaces were choker-size and too small for one of us. Just as well, as these were not inexpensive.
There was one more garden to stroll through and that was Bougainvillea Park, named after the sea explorer that came here back in the days of Captains Cook and Bligh. The actual plant, bougainvillea was named after him as well. This was a good place to turn around and head back to the market. We did make one stop at a local shop, Tahiti Lifestyles, to look at t-shirts, but all of a sudden, it got too busy with customers, and we left.
Back at the marketplace, we found two bunches of large tropical flowers in orange and yellow colors. We added two bunches of cut flowers, and the vendor gave us one more bunch for free. It was 12:45pm by now, and the vendors were hauling the rest of their bouquets and arrangements outside since the doors were closing at 1pm sharp. Happy with our purchase, we went back to the ship, having to take the long way around, because the security guard would not let us inside the blocked parking lot. Then we remembered the same thing happened last year, so rules are rules, and when in "Rome", you do as the Romans do.
We made it back to the ship, arranged the bunches of flowers in a tall vase, and headed back out to go to lunch. It had begun to drizzle by now, which felt wonderful, but it stopped. We made our way back down the main street Boulevard Pomare to La Pizzeria. We had not taken the time to see if they were opened today, since last year they were closed due to Armistice Day. We were happy to see the door was opened and many customers were enjoying their cuisine. In fact it was very crowded, so we were seated in a busy spot, but the waitress found us a better table under a nice big ceiling fan. Perfect. It was so warm and humid outside today, we were soaked. Immediately, we ordered two large Hinano draft beers and a Hawaiian pizza to share. So good, and our last chance for pizza on this trip. La Pizzeria is closed on Sunday, which is tomorrow. We ended up sharing a dessert of a banana split, also good as they fried the bananas and also toasted the slivered almonds sprinkled on the top of the ice cream and whipped cream. And just so we remember, they did accept American Express here, unlike yesterday in Moorea, where they did not.
Back at the pier, we had to wait for some people getting off of the steep gangway. It happened to be all of the crew members heading home today. We were happy to be able to say good bye to them and wish them all a safe trip. We will be seeing Tina and Presty in January on the Zuiderdam. We cooled off in our room working on photos and relaxing before dinner. We could see and hear the food trucks or roulettes setting up in the Place Vaiete where many crew members go for a meal at night. The sun was also setting, and was really a pretty one.
The dinner menu was labeled gala, although it was not a dressy night. We ordered one Caesar salad (not on the menu) and one veggie salad with minimal lettuce. We sure hope their deliveries of food came through today as it will be the last port to pick up major supplies. We had one Orange Club special of Peruvian chicken and one entrée of breaded shrimp with a tenderloin steak that tasted much better with Lea & Perrins. Before our meal ended, we had four visitors to the table. Starting with the head waitress, Pulung came along, then the food and beverage manager, Stephen, who had left after Alaska, returned for a chat, and finally Tihana, the cellar master discussed our final President's Club delivery in a few days. Dessert was a small slice of lemon meringue pie and one scoop of watermelon sorbet.
We did not notice this earlier in the newsletter, but there was another evening under stars with the Lido Market at the Sea View Pool from 6:30 to 10:15pm. This is, if it did not rain.
Finally, there was a local show featuring Manahau, a dance and singing team celebrating the heritage and culture of Tahiti. It began at 9pm, but we were still eating dinner by then. Since we have seen this performance several times, we did not mind missing it.
We will have one more full day in Papeete, but a quieter one since most everything will be closed.
Bill & Mary Ann
