Jewel of French Polynesia

Papeete, Tahiti, is French Polynesia’s capital city and part of the Society Islands, located a few degrees south of the equator. Captain James Cook was the first European to find Tahiti in 1769. Historians mark the city’s beginning with indigenous Polynesians, assimilated by European exploration in the early 19th century. It is a major tourist destination, made famous by the novel and movie “Mutiny on the Bounty,” with just 32,000 inhabitants.

We were on our own for this visit and opted for long walks around the harbor and within Papeete. Although we didn’t take a tour around the island, we took plenty of photos that showed the island’s beauty and a bit of the local lifestyle. Because the ship stayed late into the evening, we had dinner from one of the local food trucks (Roulettes) on the wharf.