An Expedition to French Polynesia with Dr. Yosihiko H. Sinoto
Renowned archaeologist Dr. Yosihiko Sinoto will lead a Bishop Museum expedition to the Society Islands, French Polynesia from September 23 through October 1, 2006. This unique opportunity is available to Museum members, donors and the general public. Sinoto, recognized throughout Hawai‘i and the Pacific for his research in the Society and Marquesas Islands, has conducted significant work on Huahine-Nui and Huahine-Iti.
This special tour will feature visits to some archaeological and cultural sites on Huahine and Raiatea, where Dr. Sinoto has discovered and restored many important marae (religious sites).
Huahine consists of two volcanic island remnants encircled by one lagoon; Huahine-Nui and Huahine-Iti, which are connected by a modern bridge. Recent archaeological discoveries indicate that Huahine’s prehistory goes back at least 1,100 years. Huahine-Iti was a dependent of Huahine-Nui, each island having four districts from ancient times.
Expedition Itinerary:
Saturday September 23Rendezvous at Honolulu International Airport for Hawaiian Airlines Flight 481 to Papeete, Tahiti. Overnight stay in Papeete at the newly renovated Sheraton Hotel Tahiti.
Sunday September 24
Upon arrival in Huahine, you will be staying at the Te Tiare Beach Resort for three nights. This luxurious resort is located on a secluded bay, with a lounge built over the lagoon. Welcome dinner is included.
Circle Island Tour: With Dr. Sinoto as your guide, you’ll visit Maeva Village; Fare Pote’e, a reconstructed traditional meeting house now being used as a cultural center; and tour the Mata’ire’a Hill site complex.
Huahine is renowned for its remarkable prehistoric village of Maeva, where all district chiefs once lived side-by-side and worshipped their ancestors at their respective marae, open-air stone structures built for religious rites and ceremonies.
High chiefs of Huahine lived on the narrow coastal strip along the lagoon and the lower ranking chiefs and other retainers lived inland. The great Marae Manunu, on the coral islet across the lagoon fronting Maeva Village, and Marae Anini in Parea served as community marae for Huahine-Nui and Huahine-Iti, respectively.
On the Mata’ire’a Hill trail you will see the partially restored remains of an inland settlement which is an integral component of the Maeva Village Archaeological Complex, a unique Polynesian settlement like no other in the Pacific. The trail winds uphill through a working vanilla plantation, into the green jungle to a fern-covered promontory overlooking Maeva and its palm-fringed lagoon with a distant view of Huahine-Iti.
Dr. Sinoto will give a slide-lecture following the tour of Huahine on the heritage of the Polynesian Navigators.
Tuesday 26 SeptemberOutrigger Canoe tour: A large outrigger canoe will take you from the hotel into the beautiful lagoon of Huahine-Nui and Huahine-Iti. Visit Marae Anini, community marae of Huahine-Iti after a picnic lunch on a motu (coral islet), swimming, snorkeling, and fishing at your leisure. The rest of the day is your own.
Wednesday 27 SeptemberUpon arrival in Raiatea, you will be staying at the beautiful Raiatea Hawaiki Nui Hotel for one night.
Circle island tour: visit Opoa, an ancient political and religious center of the Society Islands. You will see famous Marae Taputapuatea, Marae Hauviri, other ceremonial features including an archery platform.
Raiatea is the second largest of the Society Islands and figures prominently in Polynesian prehistory. According to Polynesian oral traditions, Raiatea—formerly known as Havaiki, or the “sacred island”—was the cradle of Polynesian civilization.
Thursday 28 SeptemberUpon arrival in Papeete you will be back at the Sheraton Hotel Tahiti for three nights.
In Tahiti, you’ll have your choice of adventures. Explore Papeete and the Island of Tahiti on your own or with a guide. Or, take an optional excursion to the island of Moorea! Your options include:
Optional excursion on your own to explore Tahiti at your leisure:
- In Gauguin’s Footsteps – Half-Day West Coast Tour. Visits to the Museum of Tahiti and Her Islands, the ancient Temple or Marae Arahurahu, the lush Mara’a fern grotto and entrance to the Paul Gauguin Museum
- Discover the Inland by 4 Wheel Drive – Discover the lush and verdant inland valleys and Tahiti’s Fa’aruumai waterfall, tropical forests teeming with giant ferns, bamboos, tropical mango, and guava trees to Le Maroto
- Grand Circle Island Tour – Pointe Venus vista lookout, Arahoho blowhole, Vaipahi Garden & Waterfall and the Mara’a fern grotto. Includes entrance to the Gauguin Museum and lunch
Optional excursions on your own to the island of Moorea, including:
- Moorea Circle Island Tour of the pineapple fields and vanilla groves. On the way to The Belvedere, a view point 600 meters high which offers a panoramic view of Cook and Opunohu Bays, stop and see the marae restored by Dr. Sinoto
- 4x4 Safari Excursion and venture in the lush valleys of this beautiful island and discover archaeological sites and learn legends of Eimeo (the ancient name of Moorea) as you pass through vanilla groves and lush forests
- Lagoon Tour – Discover the beauty of Moorea’s lagoon by catamaran on your way to a secluded motu where you can enjoy snorkeling, strolling along the beach or napping under a coconut tree
On your last evening in Tahiti, join Dr. Sinoto and your companions for a Farewell Dinner before returning to Honolulu.
Saturday October 1Return to Honolulu via Hawaiian Airlines Flight 482.
Total Cost: $3,450 per person (based on double occupancy).
For reservations or information call:
Travel Ways, Inc.1250 South King Street
Honolulu, Hawai'i
96814
808.597.1425
Fax: 808.597.1432
Ask for Rachel Shimamoto, CTC, email rachel@travelwayshawaii.com or Marc Shimamoto, marcs@travelwayshawaii.com.
You can also call the Bishop Museum for additional information at 847.8281.
Tour Features:
- Transportation. Unless indicated otherwise in the itinerary, air and road transportation will be provided throughout. Air transportation will be provided as indicated in the itinerary, based on economy class.
- Hotels. As indicated in the itinerary, or similar. At these hotels, twin bedded rooms with private bath and air-conditioning will be provided. Unless specified otherwise in the itinerary, rooms are reserved on the basis of not being made available prior to the “check-in” time or after the “check-out” time as these times are set forth by the management of each individual hotel.
- Meals. Only the Welcome and Farewell Dinners are included in the group portion of the package.
- Transfers. Transfers will be provided between airports and hotels in French Polynesia.
- Baggage. As most destinations are not equipped for excess baggage we highly recommend only one suitcase and one carry-on.
- Service charges and taxes. Service charges assessed by the management of hotels and taxes imposed by national and/or local governments (whenever these charges and/or taxes are normally added to hotel bills and/or the ground operators’ invoices) are included. Exception: U.S. Federal Transportation Tax and all local airport and/or harbor fees.
Services NOT included:
Any service whatsoever not indicated as “included” in the itinerary and/or the above List of Tour Features; such as; excess baggage charges; tips to drivers, expenses and fees connected with passports and with visas; charges for the processing of bookings by such non-standard means of communication as telexes, telegrams and long distance telephone calls; toiletries, laundry, dry cleaning, pressing, beverages other than coffee or tea and beverages of any kind whenever not served with meals, and trip and baggage insurance.
Tipping is not a custom in French Polynesia.
On May 22, 2006 the rate of exchange between the US and French Polynesia is:
$1 USD = 92.7490 French Polynesia franc = .777287 French Polynesia EURO.
This exchange rate changes frequently and may affect the total trip cost.
Suggestions of things to bring with you:
- Valid passport
- Medications
- Small first aid kit
- Light jacket, wrap or sweater
- Sunscreen
- Small flashlight
- Dark glasses
- Camera
- Film
- Batteries
- Mosquito repellent
- Walking shoes
- Bathing Suit
- Small day pack or fanny pack
- Amphibious shoes, tabis, or other footwear for swimming and beach are recommended since many areas have sea urchins, sharp corals, and toxic stone fish
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