Google 'wedding in Tahiti' and you will probably find images of foreigners have a destination wedding in a tropical resort with turquoise water and white sand beaches. A true local tahitian wedding will look much different. It usually goes over 2 days, consisting of a formal ceremony in the morning, then the religious ceremony, followed by a night reception of dancing and celebration. The following day they will celebrate with a huge tahitian feast, cooked the traditional way in a fire pit in the ground. Take a look into tahitian people, scenery, food and culture by watching the video here. Please note the jelly shoes worn in this photo. Full video here.
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Last year when Marc's family was showing me around Tahiti island, they stopped by a pebbly black sand beach (the first I had seen in my life). Next to it was a bit of road which had been fenced off. On the other side of the fence, I was told there was a tourist attraction of Tahiti that had been closed for a while due to some apparent dangers. Approaching the fence, there was no one around the area, and I really had no idea where we were going or what I was going to see. The family pointed out a crevice in the rock wall on the other side of the road, and told me to go take a photo with it. At this point I wasn't too sure what the big excitement was... it was a hole in the rocks after all... but I figured what the heck. I walked up to the hole to pose for a photo, and they kept telling me to go closer to the hole. When I was told to "look at it!" I had this dreaded feeling of oh no... what's going to comes out of the hole? What came out was not what I expected at all! It is called the Arahoho Blowhole (Trou du Souffleur de Arahoho in French) but locals will just call it Trou du Souffleur. It's currently closed due to some road improvements but should be opening soon.
An iPhone video filmed on Manihi Island, French Polynesia. Hermit crabs varying in sizes are commonly found on the shores of French Polynesian islands. Marc teaches us how Tahitians use hermit crabs as bait for fishing.
This is the cone shell (aka, cone snail, conus purpurascens) - one of the things you need to be wary of when visiting French Polynesia.
A very modest-looking specimen, this sea shell should not be collected as your souvenir of Tahiti. It can be found in shallow ocean waters and coral reefs of the pacific ocean.
Shooting its venom through a harpoon-like dart, the venom of the cone shell contains the most powerful neurotoxin in the world. Did you know that it was this very venom that was used as the ingredient to shoot down the dinosaurs in Jurassic Park. (Okay it's a fictional book/film, but so what! It was imagined as THE ingredient to use against the mighty dinosaurs). There is a local legend in Tahiti that once a tourist picked up a cone shell out of interest, ignorant to what it was. He stored it in the pocket of his shorts, and a short while later the snail shot its venom and the tourist died. Gee, thanks for making me feel so secure about Tahitian waters. Though apparently the snail is quite slow to come out of its shell, so as long as you stay away from them and don't touch them, you'll be right. See the sea snail in action!
Did.... Did you just see that? :| Fascinating, but slightly disturbing.
What seems to have become a trendy piece of footwear in Australia, is really quite the opposite in Tahiti. These shoes are commonly worn by Tahitians for the purpose of hiking and protecting their feet from nasty stonefish. Not because they think they are cool.
Worse than mosquitoes are the pesky sandflies, "Ouch! I've been bit by a nono!" See more tahitian words of the day here.
The tahitian word of the day is Painapo! And it comes from the English term.
If you think you've eaten a good pineapple, wait until you try the pineapple in Tahiti. In the heart of Tuauru Valley lies a cascade. It's not a place where tourists normally go. This is the authentic Tahiti. View this photo essay in collaboration with Tahitian local, Marc.
Next to Papeete lies a might mountain called Mt Aorai, sweeping past the city at a height of 2066m. If you are sick of beaches and water activities on your tahitian adventure, why don't you head to the mountains? Mt Aorai provides some of the best views on the island. It's a hard but rewarding climb, and is highly recommended for anyone with a couple days to spare in Tahiti. Moorea island can easily be seen in the distance. If you're feeling adventurous and want to escape the hot weather, read this photo essay on how to climb Aorai.
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November 2015
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