January 24, Papeete, Tahiti

Tuesday, January 24, 2023 

Papeete, Tahiti 

We arrived in Papeete (Pah peh teh) last night about 10:30. We were long since asleep, but it was nice to be at a dock rather than at sea. 

Weather was similar to yesterday with clouds and sun. We are scheduled for a walking tour this morning of the downtown area of Papeete. We met on the dock as requested and were eventually assigned to a guide. We tuned in our “Quiet Vox” listening devices and headed off. 

Bora Bora and Moorea present themselves as remote Polynesian Islands. Certainly, modern conveniences, but NO high-rise buildings, streets and roads are 2 lane with gravel shoulders, that sort of thing. By comparison, Papeete is a modern, bustling city. There is a busy road that runs along the waterfront that looked more like a busy road in any city in the US with a very busy morning commute. Bumper to bumper traffic zooming along. 

The old covered market was interesting and a few other buildings. But for the most part, just an ordinary small town that also came across as a bit dirty/dusty. The temperature had come up and with a heavy rain yesterday, the humidity was quite high. It was good to get back to the ship and cool off for a while. 

 

 

We decided to give the town another try and went back into the town. Found a tourist info office and picked up a map before finding our way back to the market. Hunted around for a memento, but nothing struck our fancy. We did observe a small Chinese New Year celebration going on with a dragon dancing and lots of firecrackers. 

Papeete from the Neptune and fewer clouds on the mountains.

 

That evening, before setting sail, we were given a “Destination Performance” of traditional Tahitian dancers. The picture of the girls was in the form of a video that I can't seem to transfer from my phone. All were very talented, and looked to be having a great time. It was a great show and we were quite entertained.