Papeete Bimble
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Out and About Bimble in
Papeete
We walk out of the marina gate, currently adorned by a catamarans rudders
(a couple of small holes to fill), cross the main road, one street along we can
see the Cathedral.
The Notre-Dame of
the Immaculate Conception was consecrated on the 23rd of December 1875.
Restoration work was carried out in 2005, we found a welcoming, calm and quite
simple interior. We listened for a while as the choir practiced, very
traditional hymns with lovely harmonies.
Very smart (expensive) boutiques to nose around after such a long time without.
A very upmarket store (freezing when you walk in
through the electric doors – haven’t walked through those since Cancun). This
specialty shop sells all sorts from all over the world – at a price. We found a
bottle of Jack Daniels at one hundred and forty pounds, Uncle Ben’s automatic
rice at just over five pounds per portion and Hellman’s Mayonnaise at eight
pounds for the medium pot. Definitely not the place to do the monthly shop, but
about a ten minute walk brings us to Champion with more sensible prices.
Papeete is also the main and busy
port for French Polynesia. We are on the town dock,
opposite the main wharfs, Beez can be seen just to the right of the motor boat
(front right). On the left of the picture is a hotel with a bar below. Several
nights a week they hold karaoke nights, the novelty is now beginning to wear
thin as wannabe’s have a few bravery libations and think they can sing like
Mariah Carey and do justice to Tina Turner. Our fillings are regularly seen
leaping but at least they close at midnight. The building on the right is also a
hotel, the Tiare Tahiti, the next block is the main Post Office and beyond
offices and banks. Behind this row are the town shops and a trendy mall (not
massive) with Bose, Apple, hair and nail salons and exquisitely expensive
clothes shops.
The town
dock seen from the other end, Beez is hidden three rows back. Posh boats
away to the left. The Cathedral spire is visible as is a local craft front
right.
Sleek, elegant and very well
maintained, and we love the house in the
centre.
Papeete
(pronounce papaetee) is the capital of
French
Polynesia, an
overseas
collectivity of
France.
The commune
(municipality) of Papeete is located on the island of Tahiti,
in the administrative
subdivision of the
Windward
Islands, of which
Papeete is the administrative capital. The French High
Commissioner also resides
here. It is the primary centre of Tahitian and French Polynesian public and
private governmental, commercial, industrial and financial services, the hub of
French Polynesian tourism and a commonly used port of
call. The Windward
Islands are themselves part of the Society
Islands. The name
Papeete means "water from a basket".
The urban area of Papeete had a total population of 131,695 inhabitants at the August 2007 census, 26,017 of whom lived in the commune of Papeete proper.
Not far too the large covered market. History: The growth of the city was boosted by the decision to move the nuclear weapon test range from Algeria to the atolls of Mururoa and Fangataufa, some 930 miles at the east of Tahiti; this originated in particular in the construction of the Faa'a airport next to Papeete, the only international airport in French Polynesia. In 1983, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints built the Papeete Tahiti Temple here because of the large number of members in the region. On the 5th September 1995 the government of Jacques Chirac conducted the first of the last series of nuclear test detonations off the shores of Moruroa. A resulting riot in Papeete lasted for two days and damaged the international airport, injuring forty people, and scared away tourism for some time. (Similar rioting occurred after another French nuclear test in the same area in 1987.)
Yes, we did.............
............................... just once. Clearly others had been in a few more times....
Transportation: Sometimes traffic can be a problem as the streets in the town are very small. There is a freeway that starts close to the town centre called Pomare Boulevard after the settlers that came there. By air, the people would use the Faaa International Airport. From there they could either take Air Tahiti to go to another island of the territory or take a plane like Air Tahiti Nui to go international. By sea, they would either take Moorea ferries to go to Moorea or the Bora Bora cruisline to go to Bora Bora.
Travel and tourism:Traveling tourists arrive and depart Papeete via cruise ship at Papeete Harbour or domestic airline at Faa'a International Airport, which opened in 1962.
Climate: Papeete features a tropical monsoon climate with a wet season and dry season. The city dry season is short, covering only the months of August and September. The rest of the year is wet, with the heaviest precipitation falling in the months of December and January. Temperatures are relatively constant throughout the course of the year, averaging around 25 °C (77 °F).
Galivanter left with Tam looking lovely as the figurehead, Chris was not to be outdone on Scott-Free and the skipper posed with his newly purchased French Polynesian flag. I’m loving being able to bimble round large chandleries.Mmmm.
ALL IN ALL A LOVELY CHANGE TO BE TOWNIES
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