Terua te Auea

We spent today in Pape'ete, the largest city on the island of Tahiti, and the capital of French Polynesia. The city was larger than I expected, and it certainly shows the influence of the French. In addition to the local dialect, French is spoken everywhere. The huge caldera of an extinct volcano hovers over the city. A lagoon surrounds the island and soften the effects of typhoons. The leading industry is tourism, with agriculture placing second. We saw more different kinds of fruit than we have ever seen in one place. Some of the young people, both boys and girls, are strikingly good looking. French Polynesia is traditionally a matriarchal society. Historically, when the Kind died he was not necessarily succeeded by his son. Rather, his mother and sisters met to choose the King's successor. Every family raises at least one child as a girl, regardless of the child's sex. The child adopts that gender identification for life. We walked by the legislature of French Polynesia, and enjoyed the lovely garden behind. All of the lily pads reminded us of a Monet painting. For almost ten years now the island has been in an economic crisis. Unemployment is high and many young people must move to France, Hawaii, New Zealand, or China to find work. This city has the largest airport in this part of the South Pacific, and a vacation here is a bargain. At the end of the day a folkloric dancing troupe, O Tahiti Oe, came aboard the ship and performed.Les mer