Neverneverland Part III AKA Raiatea – Spiritual Center of the Polynesian Universe
Teputeputea, Raiatea is the spiritual center of Polynesia. It is where the original ancestors first landed. It is where the first marae, or holy platform, was built. For hundreds of years whenever a new marae was built on any Polynesian island, including those as far away as Hawaii and New Zealand – which we now think of belonging to different countries of course rather than to Polynesia – it was essential that a stone from the original marae at Teputeputea was taken and included within the new one as both a physical and spiritual link to the center.
 |
Marae at Teputeputea.
|
July 14 is the most sacred day in the Polynesian calendar - odd coincidence that this is also Bastille Day – and so the day that the replica pirogue, or great sailing canoe, was due to land at Teputeputea as part of its current voyage between the important Polynesian Islands, including of course, as mentioned above, Hawaii and New Zealand. It is sailing the traditional way using only the stars and clouds and waves to navigate. So cool.
As I happened to be on Raiatea on July 14 I felt I had no choice but to make the 80 km trek to Teputeputea to welcome the pirogue as it arrived. There was a whole celebration planned with a full day of traditional activities; drumming, dancing, contests, food… definitely something perfect for a tourist! There are no busses on Raiatea, however, and renting a car just does not fit into my ‘frugal tourist’ budget, so I left early in the morning to hitchhike there. It was another lucky day for me as I was picked up less than 1 km from my campsite by a mini-van of women, staying at the same place as me, who recognized me. They were from the Gatineau area no less, in Polynesia doing yoga retreat, and were happy to have me with them.The pirogue was due in at 9 am, but, given the low winds, was a wee bit late, like 8 hours late, so it was especially wonderful for me to have this group to hang out with all day while waiting, and, too, to know that I had a ride home!
 |
Kids wait to paddle out to greet boat at sea...
|
 |
.... and elders wait to greet boat on shore.
|
I stayed, btw, at Sunset Beach Hotel, which is a bit of a misnomer as it a) has no beach and b) is a campsite with huts you can rent but no hotel to speak of. It’s wonderful. Built on an active coconut plantation it is huge, spotlessly clean, comes with free airport transfers and kayaks and snorkel gear and a great library, has a zip line into the water, great snorkelling, excellent staff, and, on top of all that, a huge help-yourself-table laden with fresh fruit galore. Who could ask for anything more? Definitely another spot to return to!
