Tahiti Part 4 - A Sacred Site

After we saw the exotic Vaipahi Gardens, we then drove to one of the most sacred places on the  island - Arahurahu Marae. Here all the rocks and their special placement were of special significance, as were the carvings of gods, so we walked very carefully and quietly in this lovely, quiet and dignified place. 

It was here that it was all I could do to stop myself from telling off a couple in our group, who in their desire to take yet more photos of themselves and each other, posed leaning onto one of the statues as though whispering in its ear. And that was after being told of how sacred it was to many islanders. What disrespectful behaviour! However, I thought I would only embarrass our lovely young guide if I were to say something. 

Apart from their lack of respect, I am glad I am not one of the relative or friends of this young couple, who no doubt will show everyone their photos when they return home. Imagine looking at hundreds of photos in which they are the dominant feature in one pose or another! They must have an incredible craving for attention and ‘stardom’. I far prefer to admire the scenery myself! Which is why you cannot see me in any of my photos.

I could not hear our guide further up at this site and was very sorry we did not have the devices that enable you to hear your guide. But as we drove back to the ship, she did say that at one time the island had many buses, which gave a real sense of community, but now there are very few and each family typically owns three or more cars, which of course creates lot of traffic problems and does not lend itself to that same community spirit. 

I returned to the ship very happy with the day I had spent in Tahiti. The next day we visited another island - Bora Bora. I will tell you about that in my next post. 

Our lovely Tahitian guide explaining about the significance of this site. (She kindly gave me her permission to publish her photo.) 

The carving I spoke of. 

The beautiful setting of the site. This was part-way up one of the mountain slopes. 

The most sacred part of the site.

Seen from the coach as we drove back to the ship. The sun had just set. Unfortunately the coach was driving at speed in peak-hour traffic, so I could not achieve high resolution.