The Colors of the World: Code Orange and the Blues of Tahiti

Our Guide Kissing a Stingray When my daughter, Alana, and I were sailing on the Paul Gauguin in Tahiti in December of '04, code orange had been announced again in the States. The orange seemed so remote to us. We were after all looking at the many calming blues of Tahiti-in the sea and the sky.

We were separated from reality partly because there was no CNN on the ship, and the lack of satellite connection the last two days meant there was no ship newspaper. (We did get news of the earthquake near Paso Robles.) Also e-mail was very hard to access so I was able to dismiss any need to use it. Two hours time difference from home yet we felt much more distant.

"Do they celebrate Christmas in Tahiti?" was asked of me before we departed. Wow do they ever. It was Carnival time in Papeete for two days when we boarded our ship, the Paul Gauguin on the 20th of December. The fireworks display, which we were able to see from the ship, surpassed what we have for the Fourth of July in San Francisco.

On ship the crew entertained on Christmas Eve after a party for the children, all of whom received a present. Songs were sung in different crew languages from Hungarian to Tagalog. A non-denominational religious service followed. Then on Christmas day there was a six-course set dinner with a choice of lobster or turkey-this after a beautiful buffet lunch.

Looking at Moorea from Tahiti Another question asked me sometimes is: "How is Tahiti different from Hawaii?" The Tahitian culture is a beautiful blend of Polynesian and French. Walking around Papeete--and certainly on the various islands-- you encounter very little English. Many of the visitors are French; overall the visitors are more international than in Hawaii.

Just as there isn't much English spoken, there are not many imports like McDonalds or Starbucks here. I thought I spotted a Hard Rock Café in Papeete but it turned out to be the Mana Rock Café.

In fact Tahiti doesn't give the feeling of being overbuilt. There are no high-rise hotels (very few tall buildings at all even in Papeete), no Waikiki Beach or Kaanapali Beach. I suspect the codes allow hotels to be no higher than the coconut palms. Although there have been a number of new hotels built on the outer islands, they are very spread out. Bora Bora has had the largest number of new properties but many are on the motus, small coral islands in the lagoons. The Ritz Carlton is just starting construction of its hotel on one of these motus; hopefully, theirs will be as unobtrusive as the others.

Taha'a Pearl Beach Resort

“It's a very special place. The Taha'a Pearl Beach Resort is a real gem. It's the closest to a five-star facility we visited and head and shoulders above the other Pearl Beach resorts we visited and heard about. It's very secluded, so there's not a lot to do outside of the resort, but Bora Bora is only 20 miles away. Taha'a would be a great first stop for honeymooners before moving on to Bora Bora, which was my favorite island.”

M.W., Jacksonville, FL