Arrival at Papeete, Tahiti      Trip Day Sixteen: Sunday, October 7, 2007

The Polynesians are well known for decorating themselves with tattoos.
Recognizing that fact, we've used a Tahitian tattoo design to decorate these pages.

The channel markers just ahead mark the eye of the needle that we must thread to gain entry to the Papeete Harbor.

The Papeete Airport lies next to the shallow water region behind a reef.

Although there is a passenger terminal, there are no jet ways in Papeete. Passenger must be able to walk up and down 30 steps to exit and to board the aircraft. If this isn't possible, the passenger may want to reconsider their need to travel there — unless, of course they go by ship. But then, there are steps to navigate getting on and off a ship too.

Tahiti is pretty close to the geographical center of the Pacific Ocean, and October 7th was pretty close to the middle of our fantastic sea voyage. Papeete is the largest city in French Polynesia, and the capital of Tahiti.

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