Quiet

Raiatea Island, 85f Sunny population approx. 12,000

Raiatea is considered the historical cultural and spiritual center of French Polynesia.  It is known as ‘the most sacred island’ and home to a number of sacred temples (marae) and much mythology.

Raiatea is a volcanic coastal mountain which means that mountains (mainly inhabitable) take up most of the island leaving a small coastal ring in which all the towns, inhabitants, businesses, schools etc exist.   There is 1 road that circles the island and a second road that goes through the middle of the island.

Raiatea is rather quiet.  The island has refused growth of high end luxury resorts so tourism is not part of the main economy.  It is an administrative center of the Leeward Islands and has a large tropical fruit/vegetable farming industry as prime economies.  Also known for their black pearl and vanilla farms as well.  Interestingly we were told that for the food that is produced on this small island, most of it is exported which means that this agricultural island imports 80% of its food.  I'm not sure how that makes sense.

 Without large and luxurious hotels, it is not unusual to find yachts moored at various places on the island.  The guide told us that Steve Spielberg’s yacht can often be seen moored in the lagoon.  There are also multiple  multi-million homes, owned by foreigners on the island as well.  I guess many people appreciate some peace and quiet.

We docked at Uturoa which is the largest town on Raiatea.  There is nothing special or interesting in the downtown-shops, businesses, grocery store and gas station.  Locals said that the town traffic is only busy on the days a cruise ship is in port with all the buses and taxis vying for business. The dock/port area was right in the town center as it was not a cargo focused port as so many of the other ports have been. Coming off the boat we were met by this fine gentleman who continued to blow his horn in welcome.  Not sure if the picture is too dark but he is completely tattooed in the Polynesian style, top to toe, front and back.

There was a small shopping area in the port surrounded by thatched huts selling souvenirs.

Beside the shopping area was their water taxi, bus, ferry station – their harbor is quite small and boats pull up, take on people and off they go.  Raiatea daily connects multiple islands – Tahiti, Bora Bora, and Tahaa to name a few.  I'm not sure how you know which boat to get into as there weren't any signs or directions.

In the port I signed up for a small bus tour that would take us to a pearl farm, one of the marae (temples) and to a lookout point.  First stop was a Black Pearl farm with the building built out over the water.  They did a nice job presenting the process from seeding the oyster to harvesting and then finishing the pearls.  Notice the motorboat hoisted up next to the building.  These ‘boat garages’ were very common along the coast.  There is a strap running between the 2 sides, the boat is moved into position and then a wheel is manually turned to lift the boat out of the water.

Next, we visited the Taputapuatea marae (temple) complex considered the religious and political center of Eastern Polynesia for several centuries.  Believed to have been established around 1000 AD, it was enlarged multiple times, destroyed during wars and abandoned in the early 1800s as missionaries became more influential.  The marae was restored in 1994 and named a UNESCO World Heritage site in 2017, recognizing the place of importance this held in Polynesian history.  The restoration continues today as it is a large site.  Situated at the end of a peninsula, the setting was quite fitting for a sacred temple.

 This temple complex contained the main marae (temple), an ahu where ceremonies were performed, and numerous other smaller temples used for different ceremonies.  It was also a gathering place of priests and scholars to discuss/learn of history and ocean navigation.

This is the main ahu -one of the most sacred and restricted sites of the temple. Every stone from the smooth stones forming the base to the tall stones at the back have a purpose. Anyone who thought they needed to walk on that platform, was quickly corrected.

On different Polynesian islands I occasionally heard references to how an octopus joins the islands together.  The most clarification I could get was somewhat of a mythological belief that one island was considered the octopus head and via tentacles all the other Polynesian islands were connected.  Even on Raiatea, the guide pointed to the sea where there were series of small sand bars, long and thin that he referred to as the octopus tentacles.

 Well, imagine to my delight, I found this mural painted on the side of what was probably a maintenance building.  Based on some further discussion, the myth was explained that in early times the island of Havai'i was considered the head of the octopus and by either some underwater tubes or a trail of atolls, all the other eastern Polynesia islands were said to be connected.   This helped create a sense of community for islands to work as a bigger group and helped everyone learn the navigation between the various islands.

Raiatea’s original name was Havai'i.  This belief helps explain why the most sacred areas of the islands belong here as the center with meetings/ceremonies to include representatives from other islands that occurred regularly for many years.

We then travelled to an overlook that shows the whole island is covered in green.  Much different from Easter Island where the indigenous trees are extinct, and the mountains are only grass if anything.

On to Samoa!