Pomare Tomb



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The Pomare dynasty was very important in Tahiti's history. One of the stops on the Circle Island Tour was to the Tomb of King Pomare V (PK 4.7- Arue). The royal family rose to power in Tahiti when the Europeans discovered Tahiti. Pomare I used ex-Bounty crew members to defeat some of his enemies. Pomare II was the first Tahitian to convert to Christianity and he was instrumental in getting the people of Moorea and Tahiti to also become Christians. After Pomare II died his son, Pomare III, died at the age of six and his 14-year old sister, Aimata, became ruler as Queen Pomare IV. She reigned for 50 years and after her death in 1877 her son, Pomare V, reigned for another four years. In 1880 he signed a treaty which handed over Tahiti to the French. The tomb was constructed in 1879 for Queen Pomare, however she only resided in it for 12 years, because her son, Pomare V, moved her out so he could have the tomb for himself. He died in 1891 and no one has touched it since! So much for a son taking care of his mother!


	We began our Circle Island Tour driving through Papeete. The harbour is a very important part of the town and here is a picture of Papeete harbour, with Princess's "Tahitian Princess" in the far background.


	King Pomare V's tomb. The tomb is made out of coral. Paul Gauguin experienced Pomare V's funeral and wrote about it in his book "Noa Noa".

Right: Nancy, Joy and Mary look at the bay from the Pomare Tomb site. In front of them is an outrigger canoe, a pirogue. We saw many teams practicing their rowing skills each morning and afternoon in front of the InterContinental Tahiti. They were getting prepared for the Heiva Festival which occurs in July and the outrigger races that take place then. Pirogue racing is almost a national sport in French Polynesia.




	Angele introduced us to the breadfruit, "uru", a very important and historical fruit which comes from the breadfruit tree. The uru became very important in the discovery of the South Pacific. It was thought to be a means of feeding the English planters' slaves in the colonies and therefore many explorers set forth to find plants to take to the West Indies. Captain Bligh's voyage to the South Pacific was for this exact reason. The breadfruit tree will produce fruit three times a year for 50 years. The latex from the bark is used to plaster fractures, sprains and treat rheumatism and also as a glue for capturing birds. The bark of the tree was pounded into tapa cloth and the trunk was hollowed out to make into canoes. It is a multi-purpose tree and you can see why the early explorers were seeking the plants to bring to the West Indies. The only drawback was that the slaves refused to eat it!


	If you would like information about the "Insider's Tour with Dierdra McElroy", please contact Chris Meny at chris@yourtravelsource.com or call (800) 597-0594. CST #: 20378740-40.


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