From the urban market stalls in the capital city, Papeete, to resorts that cater to visitors throughout the country’s 118 islands, it’s virtually impossible to pass an hour’s time in any public space without seeing Tahitians who present as genderfluid, nonchalantly going about their daily business. Same-sex couples, both foreign and local, abound as well.
In recent decades, as queer and indigenous identities have become a focus of attention and activism elsewhere, Tahiti’s open-minded pre-colonial attitudes toward non-binary gender expression and sexuality have regained cultural prominence. Drawing on historic precedent, acceptance, and respect for queer people, today Tahiti feels far more natural and normative than most of the world.
“The Islands of Tahiti” is what local tourism authorities prefer to call the islands and atolls that make up French Polynesia. Once a colony and now officially an “overseas country” of France, the island nation has its own health, education, and environmental policies. France continues to provide major financial support to the islands’ government and retains control of defense, foreign affairs, and other areas of international interest.
While the Islands of Tahiti offer plenty of broad sand beaches punctuated by convenient shady stands of palm trees, this is a wilder, jungle-like environment. River shrimp abound in muddy creek banks, massive five pound coconut crabs scuttle up the trees, and the rushing sound of a waterfall beckons you deep into the green, growing louder until you finally see it, cascading over a wall of rock and vine to feed a secret swimming hole.
Trees as tall as 60 feet grow densely, their thirsty, many-tendrilled root systems spreading yards away from their trunks. The grove reaches all the way to the edge of the sea, where its loose grip on the sandy soil combined with a gusty storm can lead one of its number to tumble, setting still-green coconuts afloat and providing an ad hoc diving board for adventurous local children.
A half-day in central Papeete is well spent wandering the narrow shopping streets and Marché Municipal, the public market, a cheerful red two story atrium that sprawls over a full city block bustles from the pre-dawn hours until 4 P.M. most days.
Unlike many cities popular with travelers, Papeete doesn’t have a “touristy” market apart from where locals shop. The ground floor of Marché is fairly evenly split between a grocery area lined with stalls selling fresh produce, bakery, fish, flower and butcher stalls, and vendors’ displays of jewelry, decorative textiles, and woven baskets. Locals and visitors can all agree on a snack break of coffee with firi firi, 8-shaped donuts enriched with coconut milk.
Whether hopping from Tahiti to Rangiroa to Taha’a, or exploring Moorea, Bora Bora, and beyond, you’ll realize that while each has unique charms, the islands share their greatest glory: the blissful blur of blue that all but overwhelms them.
Read more about Tahiti at PassportMagazine.com
