Te Fare Ari'i Apooiti, Raiatea Fr. Polynesia

I shot this as i was flying over Raiatea on my way to Papeete and back to the USA. This little community is the area where the ancient chiefs lived hence the name Te Fare Ari'i which translates into the home of the Chief / King. It has been home to my wife's family for about 800 years..

I thought that I would add this to my introduction to give you an idea of the withdrawal I am presently going through...

Love Raiatea!

Uh oh, I feel the Tahitian Flu coming on. Some of my favorite images have come from there. We were on a tour of the island and one of the stops was at a botanical garden full of vanilla orchids, tiare flowers, Proteus (?) and Hawaiian ginger.

Copyright (2005) Kathy Rappaport - Please do not copy nor repost

Children of Raiatea performing for our entertainment onboard the cruiseship, MS Paul Gauguin - the little one was only two and she could really dance!:


Tahitian Tiare:

Ken Jackson said:

I shot this as i was flying over Raiatea on my way to Papeete and back to the USA. This little community is the area where the ancient chiefs lived hence the name Te Fare Ari'i which translates into the home of the Chief / King. It has been home to my wife's family for about 800 years..

I thought that I would add this to my introduction to give you an idea of the withdrawal I am presently going through...

Click to expand...

Hi Ken,

I look forward to see more landscapes and more intimate pictures of this culture and the paradise they are located at.

As for withdrawl, yes, I can relate, I spent a great deal on the maldives, at one stage 6 month at a time, and coming back to munich in January, you know, snow? CARS?.... well it was a culture shock of the different kind to me in deed, and I wanted to go back there right away.

Kathy, I have known the band and the mamas since 1975, most of them were at my wedding, and hung around and played for the tamara'a that lasted all of Saturday and Sunday nites... In the photo that I posted above, I am shooting south and you are seeing the west end of our runway. If you follow the north south line where the runway meets the lagoon and go ladward the houses there are all my wifes brothers and sisters and also ours.. My wife owns the spring named Havi'i, it is where the Polynesian navigators filled their water gourds before sailing out on the vast ocean in their twin hulled sailing canoes.. (You passed over the discharge creek from the spring about 500 meters towards Uturoa.).

Being a sailor my mind reels with this feat as they had no written language, no maps that anyone would be able to recognize as such, unless you were familiar with polynesians.. Raiatea, The Sacred Isle the governing and religious centerpiece of Polynesia was located here in Hava'iki Nui (the old name of the island). It was called Taputapu'atea (The Most Forbidden) Tapu is taboo and this place had the distinction of being called it twice. Raiatea is where the Maori's of NZ departed to colonize their islands hundreds of years before any european "discovered" them. When I married, I became a member of the family. Not an in-law, but an equal member a brother to her brothers and sisters and a son to my Tahitian Mom and Dad. A very wise and regal family, I am very honored to be a small part of this society, no finer people could I ever find.. I love my island home, my country, my soul...

I promised you a couple more photos, so I thought that I would show you a shot from within Bora's lagoon, this shot is of the steeple of the Evangelical Church in Vaitape, (Just alongside of Chin Lee's Store, and, if you didn't stop in there on your tour around Bora Bora, you missed out, Chin Lee's is a typical outer island store and has the greatest people workin there.)




And This, also from the island of Bora Bora with Motu Topua siloetted against the low clouds.. This was shot with my arms extended full length over my head to get the camera over the gate where the employees keep their boats and gear...



sorry about the sizes, I posted these while home, and should have changed them out a long time ago.... You have made me dig out my Tahiti discs and go to work... I needed that, thanks.... I will be posting more from home and perhaps, just perhaps..... One day, I might be able to call myself a photographer...

Ken...

Oh the islands give you so much to work with. The light there is beautiful and the sunsets are spectacular. Ah, the Mamas are a big highlight of the day in Raiatea for the passengers. And the children are just adorable. Some friends of mine will be there again in December - I wish that we were joining them.

On Moorea, there was a photographer from NY, named Bernard (his last name escapes me) and he did photography day tours and lessons for the passengers on the Paul Gauguin. Now I see that he is gone and there is some one named Renaud Sayada doing the same excursion. My skills have really changed the last three years and I really want to return to photograph more of the islands and the people so perhaps we will have a chance to meet. This forum and the regulars here have been marvelous at helping me attain better photographic skills.