> What's Happening in Tahiti

Last updated January 2008
Current conditions in Tahiti
 

We have redesigned our website in hopes of enhancing your shopping experience and have new low everyday prices on our Monoi and Tamanu products. We firmly believe in and stand behind the Monoi products of Parfumerie Tiki since 1942 as best of all the Monoi from Tahiti .

Tahiti’s very first “Monoi Here Week”, or “Monoi, My Love , Week was held August 13 -18 , 2007 at the Papeete Cultural Center and other locations to pay tribute to the scented oil that Tahitians have been using since ancient times.

Workshops, exhibitions stands, conferences, movie projections and open houses, one at Parfumerie Tiki were held to help the public discover Monoi which has played an important part in the Tahitians way of life, whether during ancestral rites, in traditional medicine, local pharmacopeia or in personal health care. Today, Monoi is still considered one of the main pillars of the rich Tahitian culture. The Monoi Week celebrated the fifteen years since the scented oils unique virtues and exceptional properties have been officially recognized by an “Appellation d’origine”, or a guarantee of origin that the French government adopted by decree in 1992. The Institut du Monoi which consists of the five companies producing Monoi in Tahiti sponsored this weeklong celebration. “Our objective is to show that Monoi is very much alive and that it draws its richness from its history and its diversity,” said Eric Vaxelaire director of the Institute The overall Monoi business grew ten percent last year with a combined sales turnover of more than 400 million French Pacific francs yearly, Vaxelaire said.

The Sheraton Hotel Tahiti Resort & Spa hosted the 2007 International Tahitian Pearl Auction Held in November. French Polynesia Perliculture minister Michael Yip said he was very satisfied with the auction that sold 75% of the 230,000 loose Tahitian pearls offered, with the average price per pearl rising 23%. The buyers were local and from overseas. What was originally scheduled as a two day auction ended up a one day event.

On one of our trips to Ahe we visited Brothers Pearl farm with Emmanuelle our dear friend and until recently the owner of CocoPerle on Ahe. We were given a more intimate tour of the pearl farm. Sam the owner, walked us through the life a of a Tahitian pearl from its inception. From the process of witnessing a Mississippi river mussel graft from Tennessee be inserted into the giant blacklipped oyster to talking to the divers going out to check on the pearls in the lagoon to watching a blacklipped oyster be opened and the pearl inside be measured and logged into his daily count. They look exactly like you see them on a ring or pendant when they are taken right from the oyster.

Heading to Tahiti in 2008 you will start the year off with the Chinese New Year in February with the Year of the Rat . Can’t make up your mind which island to go to...we have been to most of the islands in French Polynesia and atolls and so far our all around favorite is Huahine. Keep in mind...there is really no night life in the islands. Nor are there malls or shopping centers...if this is what you are looking for you should probably go elsewhere. Diving, snorkeling , sunbathing, walking , hiking and biking are what should be on you agenda.

TAHITI - a place to escape to, a unique lure to the romantic. Tahiti gets a bad rap from many travel books. “They advise visitors to go straight to Bora Bora or Moorea.,” but they miss out on so much by doing that. We love Papeete, French Polynesia’s laissez-fare capitol, which is often ignored all together. Papeete has one of the finest waterfronts in the South Pacific. Tucked neatly in between a horseshoe bay and the towering peaks of Aorai and Te taraomaiao, it is scenic and vibrant with life, providing an interesting contrast to the luxury resorts with manicured gardens and manufactured beaches.




As always I recommend, Jan Prince’s travel book “Tahiti & French Polynesia Guide” now in its fourth edition. In my opinion the best travel guide out there on Tahiti. We have been to French Polynesia many times and I still bring it with me on all of our trips.
On one of our visits to Moorea we met Jan and a Tahitian lady friend of hers at Aito Restaurant on the lagoon side between Cook’s and Opunohu Bay. Jan is quite delightful and has a never-ending amount of stories and adventures of her over 30 years in French Polynesia.

If you are planning a trip this year below is the 2008 Calendar of Events.

Tahiti Manava Visitors Bureau 2008 Calendar of Events


“Heiva I Tahiti is undoubtedly the most famous of all cultural festivals. This big traditional celebration runs for a month and includes the National Holiday of July 14.
Events include, best artistic groups with singing, dancing and their fabulous costumes.

Sports contest, which include canoe racing, javelin throwing, stone lifting, cobra preparation, etc. The Craft Heiva runs at the same time and all forms of craftworks from the five islands are represented. We’ve have been to both Heiva’s and they are a wonderful representation of these warm loving people and their culture.

JANUARY
1st 
New Year’s  Day
13th
Tahiti “Tere Fa’at”
30th Jan
International Oceanian Documentary Film Festival of Tahiti
FIFO TAHITI 4TH EDITION
Cultural Centre, Tahiti
Late Jan –
Mid Feb
Chinese New Year  - The Year of the Rat



FEBRUARY
10th
Tahiti -  Moorea Marathon 19th Edition
11th
Moorea – “Tere Fa’ati”
MARCH
4th  – 10th 
Raiatea International Billfish Tournament
5th
The Coming of the Gospel
24th –25th
Tahiti Tourism Body Surfing & Skimboarding(Fa’ahe’e Tino & Fa’ahe’e’Iri”)
APRIL
23rd -  28th
Trial Air Tahiti Nui Von Zipper Surfing Exhibition – Polynesians and the Sea – NAPUKA
Fare Manihini – Papeete, Tahiti the two themes Are ancient fishing techniques and the Tuamotu
Archipelago from 1929 to 2000.
MAY
4th – 13th
Billabong Pro Surfing
11th
The Land of Men Marathon
Mid-May
Va’a Tea Eco Race
Miss Dragon Contest
17th –20th
Tahiti Pearl Regatta
26th
Raid Moorea –  3 disciplines:  Kayak (5km) Mountain bike
(25km) and running in the mountains (12km)
JUNE
23rd
Heemoana Race – 56 km race between the ocean passes Of Teahupoo (Hava’e) and Punaauia (Taapuna) featuring Local athletes and Pacific countries competitors
27th – July 1
International Golf Open – at Atimaono on the Olivier Bréaud Golf Course in Mataiea
JULY

HEIVA I TAHITI - the largest gathering of choral and dance groups take place at To’ata Square in downtown Papeete on Boulevard Pomare. The outer islands also celebrate: Mahina, Bora Bora and Raiatea.

HEIVA OF THE ARTISANS – Bringing together the artist from the four corners of French Polynesia this big crafts exhibition is based on Polynesian legends. Displaying their works of art for viewing and tasting they also hope to stimulate future generations to take an active interest in developing these skills.

7th
Tahiti Tourism Cup – International Regatta from Uturoa wharf in Raiatea to the Apooti marina in Taha’a.
Mid - July
Te Aito – over 10 km this one day individual outrigger canoe race will qualify the best 100 rowers for the Super Aito.
AUGUST
Mid – August
TeVai Ari’I Marathon (Super Aito) – Featuring the best of rowers this tree day individual outrigger canoe race does Distances of 5,10,15 and 20 km.
SEPTEMBER
1st – 23rd
Taapuna Master Surfing – 6 day surf amateur competition
23rd
Raid Painapo – This event under the sign of discovery and environmental preservation consist of a 3 person team held in Moorea.
Mid – Sept.
Taapuna Pro/Am Surfing – best professional and amateur surfers and body boarders held at Taapuna Pass
27th
World Tourism Day – this years focus will be “Tourism – An open door for Women” held in Tahiti and Her Isles
OCTOBER
27th
Rotui’s Tour – Foot race around Rotui’s mount in Moorea 15 km.
31st Oct - Nov 2nd
Hawaiki Nui Va’a – canoe racing the classic traditional sport of the islands. Over 100 canoes will race between the islands of Huahine, Raiatea, Taha’a and Bora Bora finishing at Matira Pt. in Bora Bora
End of October
“The Austral Archipelago” exhibition at Fare Manihini, Papeete, Tahiti
NOVEMBER
6th – 11th
Tattoonesia – this year in Tahiti a meeting of foreign and Polynesian tattoo artist sharing their designs, techniques and materials used in this ancestral art form. Later in the month a Exhibition – TATTOO will be held at Fare Manihini in Papeete.
17th – 18th
Tahiti Tourism Aito Pa’e – supported by the Sports Federation this traditional “pentathlon” is for athletes from the five archipelagos.
DECEMBER
1st
Rotui Green Triathlon – on Moorea consisting of three disciplines: swimming (400 or 800 km), cycling (8 or 20 km) and running (4 or 6 km).
17th – 20th
Marquesas Art Festival – on the island of Ua Pou an arts and cultural event.
Mid – Dec.
Exhibition – “In Gauguin’s Footsteps” in Papeete at Fare Manihini – retracing the life of the illustrious Painter whose name is etched in Polynesian history
25th – 31st
Christmas and St. Sylvester Celebrations.

In a closing note: Parfumerie Tiki’s Monoi and Tamanu products are the Best of Tahiti’s Native secret for beautiful skin. All natural monoi and tamanu, in the creams, oils, lotions and balms. with very little else added. Recently, here in the United States, stores are popping up advertising Monoi and Tamanu in their products boasting its wonderful blend for hydrating and healing. The name Tahiti on a item itself is wonderful form of marketing yet very little percent of monoi or tamanu is added to these products and the ingredients is lengthy and anything but natural.

At Tahiti-Iti.com our main objective is to bring to the world these wonderful products made simply and as natural as they should be. If you want to experience all the benefits of the Tahitian Vahines secret to beautiful skin and shiny soft hair use the products made in Tahiti at Parfumerie Tiki since 1942. There is no comparison.

Again, as always we thank Parfumerie Tiki for its consistently great product line and all of our many customers worldwide: old and new.

Goodbye…au revoir…nana

Rebecca



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