i n terlu de TAHITIAN

CROWNED BY DARK emerald peaks and fringed with powdery white beaches rimming turquoise lagoons, the heavenly islands mirror everyone’s idea of what a South Pacific paradise should be.

Tahiti and the rest of French Polynesia, synonymous with romance and barefoot escapism, appeal to the Robinson Crusoe in all of us. In 1768, French explorer Louis Antoine de Bougainville wrote: “I thought I was transported into the Garden of Eden.”

Custom-made for honeymoons and special anniversaries, this sultry outpost of France has been immortalized in passionate prose, powerful paintings and Hollywood films. The enchanted isles inspired the mythical Bali Hai in James A. Michener’s 1947 “Tales of the South Pacific”, a bestseller that became a legendary Broadway musical and hit movie. “Mutiny on the Bounty”, the 1932 novel by Charles Nordhoff and James Norman Hall, also revealed the face of Polynesia, as did French artist Paul Gauguin,

by Randy Mink

whose dream-like depictions of Tahitian women today fetch millions.

The Polynesians, a tall, brown-skinned people, are known for their hospitality and love of life. For many outsiders, the image of a Tahitian woman is a supple, raven-haired beauty vigorously swaying her hips to the beat of drums in the uninhibited tamure dance that has enthralled generations of tourists.

French Polynesia, a collection of 35 islands and 83 flat, coral atolls scattered across an area the size of Western Europe, lies south of Hawaii and midway between South America and Australia. While Hawaii draws seven million visitors a year, only 200,000 make the long journey to Tahiti and her sister isles. This remoteness keeps French Polynesia an exclusive destination, but ambitious resort development in recent years has increased its profile and launched a tourism boom.

When people refer to Tahiti, they generally mean the Society Islands, a chain of volcanic green “high” islands that includes Tahiti,

Moorea, Bora Bora, Huahine, Raiatea and Taha’a. French Polynesia also counts four other less-visited archipelagos, each culturally and climatically distinct. French and Tahitian are the official languages, but English is spoken at hotels, shops and restaurants.

Modern tourism took root in 1960, when the French government built Tahiti’s first international airport. The islands soon became a jet-set playground, thanks in part to publicity generated when Marlon Brando and crew flew there to film a remake of “Mutiny on the

Bounty”. The actor later married his Tahitian costar and lived on his private atoll, Tetiaroa.

Tahiti, the largest, most populous and most historically significant in the Society group, offers fine resorts (some on black-sand beaches) and the islands’ only golf course. Travelers who thrive on urban excitement appreciate the lively mix of European, Polynesian and Chinese cultures in Papeete, the main city. They enjoy the sidewalk cafes, excellent French restaurants and waterfront meal wagons (les roulettes). These rolling eateries lend a carnival atmosphere at dusk, serving everything from flaming crepes to ham sandwiches on crusty French baguettes.