When was french polynesia discovered

For this reason, the islands of Tahiti are the ultimate locale for snorkeling and scuba diving. Exotic plants and flowers flourish in the rich tropical soil surrounding French Polynesia.

Varieties include bird of paradise, hibiscus, red and pink ginger, orchids, and roses. Floral adornment is anchored in Polynesian culture; thus flowers are often worn or gifted in the form of decorative leis and heis crowns. The Tiare, or Tahitian gardenia, is the national emblem of French Polynesia. When placed behind the left ear, the flower signifies the person is taken; when placed behind the right ear, it signifies the person is romantically available.

One variation of this flower, the Tiare Apetahi, is so rare and delicate that it cannot be grown anywhere else in the world. Used in every spa in Tahiti, this hydrating oil promotes smooth, healthy skin and serves as the base for an entire range of soaps, lotions, and cosmetics. The vanilla in Tahiti is exceptionally rich and fragrant. Grown from an orchid plant, the Tahitian variety is a rare species with an incredible aroma and international acclaim.

The beans are more supple and richer in oil than many species, making them highly desirable among connoisseurs. The islands of Huahine and Taha'a are most famous for their vanilla plantations. The warm Tahitian lagoons are also ideal for the cultivation of the exquisite and highly prized black pearl. The distant Tuamotu Atolls are blessed with an abundant population of the Pinctada margaritifera, the only oyster in the world capable of producing the rich hues characteristic of these unique island gems—from light silver to the darkest of grey with shimmering tones of pink and green.

The Story Tahiti has a long and rich history. Ancient History BC - AD The great migration from Southeast Asia began around BC, in which daring seafarers sailed the open ocean in their large double-hulled canoes—using only the sun, stars, wind, ocean currents, and flight patterns of the birds—to navigate to new islands.

Colonial History AD - AD The era of European exploration began when the mysterious "ships without outriggers" started to arrive. To describe it is impossible. It is a monument to the prodigal beauty of nature. Tahitian Culture Tahitians inherited a rich and vibrant culture from their ancient ancestors.

People Tahitians are the proud guardians of their cultural heritage and therefore represent the beauty of timeless tradition. Textiles Before the arrival of European missionaries, Polynesian clothing was traditionally made from tapa cloth, which consisted of dried pandanus leaves, coconut fibers, and breadfruit bark.

Music Music, along with dance, is an integral part of everyday life in the islands. Dance Tahitian dance is the most authentic reflection of Polynesian culture. Tattoos The tattoo, derived from the Tahitian word tatau, is an ancient art form used to express identity and personality.

Fresh Market Foods In Tahiti, an abundance of fresh seafood, tropical fruits, and organic vegetables are treated to the culinary talents of international chefs. Natural Wonder The islands of Tahiti are a geographical marvel.

Island or Atoll? Click here for Weather in French Polynesia. South Carolina. South America. World Wonders. Luxury Travel. The Great Outdoors. Scuba Diving. Peruvian Amazon Cruise.

South Pacific. Of the islands that make up French Polynesia the last of the islands to be annexed were Rimatara and Rurutu in the Austral Islands southeast of Tahiti. These two islands resisted French rule up until , and were annexed in despite their plea for help to the British. These days the county has its autonomy and is considered a self governing overseas country of France.

Immigration was actively encouraged by the governing bodies during the late s. In the 's French Polynesia saw an influx of many European, American and Chinese citizens which led to the mixed race, tolerant society evident today in Polynesia. The ideas of chiefs and old rituals were replaced by modern living. The return of Polynesians who served under the French flag in both the First and Second World Wars resulted in a political awakening in Polynesians.

Some began to call for their autonomy and some for complete independence from France. With the creation of an International airport in , Tahiti opened up to the world. Looking for work and new opportunities, there was a massive migration of Polynesians from the outer islands to Tahiti. Polynesia became part of the world economy. It must be there, the theory went, for otherwise the unbalanced earth would wobble off into space. Although Byron came home without discovering terra australis incognita though he found some Tuamotu islands , King George immediately dispatched Capt.

Samuel Wallis in the Dolphin. Instead of a southern continent, Wallis discovered Tahiti. Surely he and his crew could hardly believe their eyes when they sailed into Matavai Bay in and were greeted by Tahitians in more than canoes, many loaded with pigs, chickens, coconuts, fruit, and topless young women. The latter, Wallis reported, "played a great many droll and wanton tricks" on his scurvy-ridden crew. Less than a year later, the Tahitians similarly welcomed French explorer Louis Antoine de Bougainville.

Bougainville took back to France a young Tahitian named Ahutoru, who became a sensation in Paris as living proof of Jean-Jacques Rousseau's theory that man was, at his best, a "noble savage. After Wallis arrived back in England, the Lords of the Admiralty put a young lieutenant named James Cook in command of a converted collier and sent him to Tahiti. A product of the Age of Enlightenment, Cook was a master navigator, a mathematician, an astronomer, and a practical physician who became the first captain of any ship to prevent scurvy among his crewmen by feeding them fresh fruits and vegetables.

His ostensible mission was to observe the transit of Venus -- the planet, that is -- across the sun, an astronomical event that would not occur again until , but which, if measured from widely separated points on the globe, would enable scientists for the first time to determine longitude on the earth's surface. Cook's second, highly secret mission was to find the elusive southern continent.

Cook set up an observation point at the end of a sandy peninsula on Tahiti's north shore, a locale he appropriately named Point Venus. His measurements of Venus were somewhat less than useful, but his observations of Tahiti, made during a stay of 6 months, were of immense importance in understanding the "noble savages" who lived there.

Using Tahiti as a base, Cook went on to discover the Society Islands northwest of Tahiti and the Australs to the south, and then fully explored the coasts of New Zealand and eastern Australia. He returned to London in His ships were the first to sail below the Antarctic Circle. On his third voyage in , he traveled to the Hawaiian Islands and explored the northwest coast of North America until ice in the Bering Strait turned him back.

He returned to the Big Island of Hawaii, where, on February 14, , he was killed during a petty skirmish with the islanders. With the exception of the Hawaiians who smashed his skull, Captain Cook was revered throughout the Pacific. He treated the islanders fairly and respected their traditions.

The Polynesian chiefs looked upon him as one of their own. Cook's Bay on Moorea bears his name. Elsewhere in the South Pacific is a Cooktown, a Cook Strait, any number of Captain Cook's Landing Places, and an entire island nation named for this giant of an explorer. Based on reports by Cook and others about the abundance of breadfruit, a head-size, potato-like fruit that grows on trees throughout the islands, a group of West Indian planters asked King George III if he would be so kind as to transport the trees from Tahiti to Jamaica as a cheap source of food for the slaves.

The king dispatched Capt. One of Bligh's officers was a former shipmate named Fletcher Christian. The Bounty was late arriving in Tahiti, so Christian and the crew frolicked on Tahiti for 6 months, waiting for the next breadfruit season.

Christian and some of the crew apparently enjoyed the island's women and easygoing lifestyle, for on the way home they staged a mutiny on April 28, , off the Ha'apai islands in Tonga.