We arrived at Tahiti from Fiji, via the French airline UTA. Our hotel on the beach was a series of separate structures modeled to resemble huts. Each one had a conical roof. Sightseeing around the island included the Tomb of King Pomare V, Venus Point, where Captain Cook landed in 1769, and a Tahitian Marare. A Marareis a ceremonial or sacred space. The marae consisted of a rectangular yard of basalt rocks and coral slabs with an altar (ahu) of vertical stones inside. We made an interesting stop at a church where the artwork depicted Biblical figures as Polynesians. There was also time to walk around Papeete, a tropical town with a very French flavor. On a side trip we flew over to Bora Bora, about 162 miles (260 km) from Tahiti, on an RAI DC-4.
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