78-463: Teahupoʻo ( Tahitian pronunciation: [te.a.hu.ˈpo.ʔo] ) is a village on the southeastern coast of the island of Tahiti in French Polynesia , France , in the southern Pacific Ocean . It is known for the large, consistent surf that occurs off its shore, and resulting international surfing competitions. The village of Teahupoʻo has a population of roughly 1,500. The village has
156-658: A British show of force, Oberea laid down peace offerings leading to cordial relations. On 2 April 1768, the expedition of Louis-Antoine de Bougainville , aboard Boudeuse and Etoile on the first French circumnavigation, sighted Tahiti. On 5 April, they anchored off Hitiaʻa O Te Ra and were welcomed by its chief Reti. Bougainville was also visited by Tutaha. Bougainville stayed about ten days. By 12 April 1769 Captain James Cook had arrived in Tahiti's Matavai Bay, commanding HMS Endeavour . He had been sent on
234-597: A ban on nudity (obliging them to wear clothes covering their whole body), banned dances and chants (described as immodest), tattoos, and costumes made of flowers. In the 1820s, the entire population of Tahiti converted to Protestantism. Duperrey , who berthed in Tahiti in May 1823, attests to the change in Tahitian society in a letter dated 15 May 1823: "The missionaries of the Royal Society of London have totally changed
312-613: A brief return to the international surfing circuit and took part in the So Sri Lanka Pro 2019 tournament which also marked his first visit to the country. Occhilupo was born on 16 June 1966 in Kurnell in Sydney , New South Wales , Australia . Occhilupo's father was Italian and his mother was originally from New Zealand . Marco began surfing at the age of nine, and soon moved to the neighbouring suburb of Cronulla , where he
390-594: A comeback return for an international surfing event in 2019 after 20 years and competed in So Sri Lanka Pro 2019. However he recorded a modest score of 8.74 and was knocked out of Round 3 of the event. Occhilupo is currently a presenter on the Australian cable television channel Fuel TV . He was a contestant in the 2011 season of the Australian version of Dancing with the Stars on Channel Seven , and
468-405: A few other locals surfed Teahupoʻo for the very first time in 1985. Bodyboarding pioneers Mike Stewart and Ben Severson showcased the spot in 1986 and it soon became an underground spot for thrill-seeking bodyboarders. Few professional surfers rode Teahupoʻo during the early 1990s. The pro Surf Event was founded in 1997 by JC Clenet and Christophe Holozet. Teahupoo was virtually unknown when
546-595: A missionary and teacher, and starting in 1817, the Gospels were translated into Tahitian ( Reo Maohi ) and taught in the religious schools. In 1818, the minister William Pascoe Crook founded the city of Papeʻete , which became the capital of the island. In 1819, Pōmare II, encouraged by the missionaries, introduced the first Tahitian legal code, known under the name of the Pōmare Legal Code, which consists of nineteen laws. The missionaries and Pōmare II thus imposed
624-400: A scientific mission with astronomy, botany, and artistic details. On 14 April Cook met Tutaha and Tepau and the next day he picked the site for a fortified camp at Point Venus for Charles Green's observatory. Botanist Joseph Banks and artist Sydney Parkinson , along with Cook, gathered valuable information on fauna and flora as well as on native society, language and customs, including
702-399: A shallow pillow can result in serious injury and even swimming in a wipeout . Teahupoʻo's reputation for wave riding is partly due to its unique form. An extremely shallow coral reef , which ranges up to 20 inches (51 cm) beneath the water's surface, is responsible for a very hollow-breaking wave. The wave's unique shape, with an effect of almost breaking below sea level, is due to
780-443: A single, one-lane road. The village's population has been significantly affected by a radioactivity generated in a 1974 French test of a nuclear bomb . Teahupoʻo is known for its surf break and resulting heavy, glassy waves , often reaching 2 to 3 m (7 to 10 ft), and sometimes up to 7 m (23 ft). Because of the regularity and size of its waves, it hosts the annual Billabong Pro Teahupoo surf competition (part of
858-581: Is the highest and largest island in French Polynesia lying close to Moʻorea island. It is located 4,400 kilometres (2,376 nautical miles) south of Hawaiʻi, 7,900 km (4,266 nmi) from Chile , 5,700 km (3,078 nmi) from Australia. The island is 45 km (28 mi) across at its widest point and covers an area of 1,045 km (403 sq mi). The highest peak is Mont Orohena (Mouʻa ʻOrohena) (2,241 m (7,352 ft)). Mount Roonui , or Mount Ronui (Mouʻa Rōnui), in
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#1732782518297936-1096: Is the inferred current location of the hotspot as evidenced by recent seismic activity. Maupiti, the oldest island in the chain, is a highly eroded shield volcano with at least 12 thin lava flows, which accumulated fairly rapidly between 4.79 and 4.05 Ma. Bora Bora is another highly eroded shield volcano consisting of basaltic lavas accumulated between 3.83 and 3.1 Ma. The lavas are intersected by post-shield dikes . Tahaʻa consists of shield-stage basalt with an age of 3.39 Ma, followed by additional eruptions 1.2 Ma later. Raiatea consists of shield-stage basalt followed by post-shield trachytic lava flows , all occurring from 2.75 to 2.29 Ma. Huahine consists of two coalesced basalt shield volcanoes, Huahine Nui and Huahine Iti, with several flows followed by post-shield trachyphonolitic lava domes from 3.08 to 2.06 Ma. Moʻorea consists of at least 16 flows of shield-stage basalt and post-shield lavas from 2.15 to 1.36 Ma. Tahiti consists of two basalt shield volcanoes, Tahiti Nui and Tahiti Iti, with an age range of 1.67 to 0.25 Ma. November to April
1014-488: Is the wet season, the wettest month of which is January with 340 millimetres (13 in) of rain in Papeʻete. August is the driest with 48 millimetres (1.9 in). The average temperature ranges between 21 and 31 °C (70 and 88 °F), with little seasonal variation. The lowest and highest temperatures recorded in Papeʻete are 16 and 34 °C (61 and 93 °F), respectively. About 1.4 million to 870,000 years ago,
1092-501: The French Republic . The capital of French Polynesia, Papeʻete , is located on the northwest coast of Tahiti. The only international airport in the region, Faʻaʻā International Airport , is on Tahiti near Papeʻete. Tahiti was originally settled by Polynesians between 300 and 800 AD. They represent about 70% of the island's population, with the rest made up of Europeans , Chinese and those of mixed heritage. The island
1170-524: The Marquesas Islands, which he annexed in 1842. Also in 1842, a European crisis involving Morocco escalated between France and Great Britain, souring their relations. In August 1842, Admiral Du Petit-Thouars returned and landed in Tahiti. He then made friends with Tahitian chiefs who were hostile to the Pōmare family and favourable to a French protectorate. He had them sign a request for protection in
1248-517: The Melbourne 1956 games, the equestrian tournament was held in Stockholm . Several infrastructural improvements were made in preparation for the event. Residents of Teahupoʻo protested against the construction of a three-story aluminium judging tower (replacing an older wooden tower), fearing that the construction would irreversibly damage the coral reef. Construction also damaged coral near
1326-646: The Papenoʻo on the north side and the Fautaua Falls near Papeʻete . The Society archipelago is a hotspot volcanic chain consisting of ten islands and atolls. The chain is oriented along the N. 65° W. direction, parallel to the movement of the Pacific Plate . Due to the plate movement over the Society hotspot , the age of the islands decreases from 5 Ma at Maupiti to 0 Ma at Mehetia , where Mehetia
1404-635: The World Championship Tour (WCT) surfing circuit) and the 2024 Olympic surfing competition. Teahupoʻo is a pillow break. The swells mainly break backwards, but the outer reef also creates left breaks that surfers must be cautious of when paddling out. Teahupoʻo is renowned for the consistent number of barrels it delivers. It is a rewarding location and is widely regarded as being on the 'must-surf' list of every enthusiastic surfer. However, only experienced surfers in peak physical condition should attempt Teahupoʻo; heavy waves combined with
1482-487: The 1890s and painted many Tahitian subjects. Papeari has a small Gauguin museum. In 1891 Matthew Turner , an American shipbuilder from San Francisco who had been seeking a fast passage between the city and Tahiti, built Papeete , a two-masted schooner that made the trip in seventeen days. In 1903, the Établissements Français d'Océanie (French Establishments in Oceania) were created, which collected together Tahiti,
1560-554: The 1986 Op. Aspiring to be an actor, Occhilupo played himself in the 1987 Hollywood Cult-Classic, North Shore . The young surfer struggled with depression and substance abuse during his years on the tour, and eventually, exhausted by his lifestyle, he threw a quarterfinal heat at the Op, headed home to Cronulla, and quit the World Tour. Over the next several years, he made a couple of half-hearted comeback attempts and remained in
1638-533: The Black Pearl Horue Pro debuted as a World Qualifying Series event in 1997. (The WQS is the ASP's minor league tour, below the original World Championship Tour.) Nearly 200 surfers took part in the men's competition, worth $ 80,000, including such surfers as Sunny Garcia , Johnny Boy Gomez and Vetea David. Teenager Andy Irons from Hawaiʻi won the event. The competition returned the following year under
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#17327825182971716-663: The Fathers successfully begged to be taken back to Lima. During his final visit in 1777 Cook first moored in Vaitepiha Bay. From there he reunited with many Tahitian clans and established British presence on the remains of the Spanish mission. On 29 September 1777 Cook sailed for Papetoʻai Bay on Moʻorea. On 26 October 1788, HMS Bounty , under the command of Captain William Bligh , landed in Tahiti with
1794-554: The Tahitian population, which shrank rapidly, ravaged by diseases and other cultural factors. During the first decade of the 19th century, the Tahitian population dropped from 16,000 to 8,000–9,000; the French census in 1854 counted a population just under 6,000. On 5 March 1797, representatives of the London Missionary Society landed at Matavai Bay ( Mahina ) on board Duff , with the intention of converting
1872-466: The absence of their Queen, before then approaching her and obliging her to ratify the terms of the treaty of protectorate. The treaty had not even been ratified by France itself when Jacques-Antoine Moerenhout was named royal commissaire alongside Queen Pōmare. Within the framework of this treaty, France recognised the sovereignty of the Tahitian state. The Queen was responsible for internal affairs, while France would deal with foreign relations and assure
1950-644: The arrival of the Europeans, the island was divided into territories, each dominated by a single clan. The most important clans were the closely related Teva i Uta (Teva of the Interior) and the Teva i Tai (Teva of the Sea) whose combined territory extended from the peninsula in the south of Tahiti Nui. Clan leadership consisted of a chief ( ariʻi rahi ), nobles ( ariʻi ), and under-chiefs ( ʻĪatoʻai ). The ariʻi were also
2028-403: The atolls of Moruroa and Fangataufa . The last test was conducted on 27 January 1996. Mark Occhilupo Marco Jay Luciano "Mark" Occhilupo (born 16 June 1966) is an Australian professional surfer and winner of the 1999 ASP World title. Occhilupo, also known as "Occy", began his professional career in the World Championship Tour (WCT) at the age of 17. In September 2019, he made
2106-664: The biggest wave ever successfully paddled in Teahupoʻo. Keala Kennelly was the first woman to tow-surf Teahupoʻo in May 2005, getting a 10-foot barrel ahead of the Billabong Tahiti Pro contest. This challenging break has been conquered by many top windsurfers , including Jason Polakow , Ali Neil and Levi Siver. Yannick Salmon was the first kitesurfer to ride Teahupoʻo; however, it was incorrectly written in publications that others had ridden it before him. The name Teahupoʻo loosely translates to English as 'to sever
2184-406: The capital, Papeʻete. The interior of Tahiti Nui is almost entirely uninhabited. Tahiti Iti has remained isolated, as its southeastern half ( Te Pari ) is accessible only to those travelling by boat or on foot. The rest of the island is encircled by a main road which cuts between the mountains and the sea. Tahiti's landscape features lush rainforests and many rivers and waterfalls, including
2262-575: The chief of the new colony. He threw Pritchard into prison, and later sent him back to Britain. The annexation caused the Queen to be exiled to the Leeward Islands, and after a period of troubles, a real Franco-Tahitian war began in March 1844. News of Tahiti reached Europe in early 1844. The French statesman François Guizot , supported by King Louis-Philippe of France , had denounced annexation of
2340-420: The contest site. In response, French Polynesian president Moetai Brotherson said the event could be moved to Taharuu, on Tahiti's west coast. However, this proposal was rejected by organizers. The tower was eventually built, but with changes to the design to reduce impact. Similarly, plans originally called for construction of housing for athletes, but to reduce long-term impact to the village, athlete housing
2418-457: The crew mutinied on the initiative of Fletcher Christian . The mutineers seized the ship and set the captain and most of those members of the crew who remained loyal to him adrift in a ship's boat. A group of mutineers then went back to settle in Tahiti, after which the Bounty, under Christian, sailed to Pitcairn Island . Although various explorers had refused to get involved in tribal conflicts,
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2496-672: The defence of Tahiti, as well as maintain order on the island. Once the treaty had been signed there began a struggle for influence between the English Protestants and the Catholic representatives of France. During the first years of the Protectorate, the Protestants managed to retain a considerable hold over Tahitian society, thanks to their knowledge of the country and its language. George Pritchard had been away at
2574-642: The first European visit to Tahiti, was under the command of Captain Samuel Wallis . While circumnavigating the globe in HMS ; Dolphin , they sighted the island on 18 June 1767 and then harbored in Matavai Bay between the chiefdom Pare - Arue (governed by Tu (Tu-nui-e-aʻa-i-te-Atua) and his regent Tutaha) and the chiefdom Haʻapape , governed by Amo and his wife "Oberea" ( Purea ). The first contacts were difficult, but to avert all-out war after
2652-411: The head' or 'place of skulls', though this is a reference to a battle that took place near the village rather than to the waves. It has been included on lists of “deadliest” and “heaviest” waves”, because of the combination of extremely large waves with a very shallow reef. Tahitian surfer Brice Taerea was killed at Teahupoʻo in 2000. He attempted to duck-dive a dangerous 12-foot (3.7-meter) wave but
2730-411: The host city. This was in keeping with International Olympic Committee goals of reducing construction costs by allowing for usage of existing venues, but increased travel costs and emissions. Separate opening ceremonies were held. Previously, the record for the longest distance between a host city and a competition subvenue was 9,700 mi (15,600 km) when, due to Australian quarantine regulations during
2808-720: The island in 1772. He would ultimately send three expeditions aboard the ship Aguila , the first two under the command of navigator Domingo de Bonechea . Four Tahitians, Pautu, Tipitipia, Heiao, and Tetuanui, accompanied Bonechea back to Peru in early 1773 after the first Aguila expedition. Cook returned to Tahiti between 15 August and 1 September 1773. Greeted by the chiefs, Cook anchored in Vaitepiha Bay before returning to Point Venus. Cook left Tahiti on 14 May 1774. Pautu and Tetuanui returned to Tahiti with Bonechea aboard Aguila on 14 November 1774; Tipitipia and Heiao had died. Bonechea died on 26 January 1775 in Tahiti and
2886-550: The island of Rekareka to the southeast of Tahiti. Hence, although the Spanish and Portuguese made contact with nearby islands, they may not have arrived at Tahiti. The next stage of European visits to the region came during the period of intense Anglo-French rivalry that filled the twelve years between the Seven Years' War and the American Revolutionary War . The first of these visits, and perhaps
2964-475: The island of Tahiti was formed as a volcanic shield . The first Tahitians arrived from Western Polynesia sometime before 500 BC. Linguistic, biological and archaeological evidence supports a long migration from Southeast Asia via the Fijian, Samoan and Tongan Archipelagos using outrigger canoes that were up to twenty or thirty metres long and could transport families as well as domestic animals. Before
3042-439: The island was formed from volcanic activity; it is high and mountainous with surrounding coral reefs . Its population was 189,517 in 2017, making it by far the most populous island in French Polynesia and accounting for 68.7% of its total population; the 2022 Census recorded a population of 191,779. Tahiti is the economic, cultural, and political centre of French Polynesia, an overseas collectivity and an overseas country of
3120-661: The island was visited by the United States Exploring Expedition . One of its members, Alfred Thomas Agate , produced a number of sketches of Tahitian life, some of which were later published in the United States. In 1836, the Queen's advisor Pritchard had two French Catholic priests expelled, François Caret and Honoré Laval . As a result, in 1838 France sent Admiral Abel Aubert du Petit-Thouars to obtain reparations. Once his mission had been completed, Admiral Du Petit-Thouars sailed towards
3198-772: The island. The war ended in December 1846 in favour of the French. The Queen returned from exile in 1847 and agreed to sign a new covenant, considerably reducing her powers, while increasing those of the commissaire. Thus, the French reigned over the Kingdom of Tahiti. In 1863, they put an end to the British influence and replaced the British Protestant Missions with the Société des missions évangéliques de Paris (Society of Evangelical Missions of Paris). During
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3276-402: The judge’s tower, built on the reef itself, collapsed in the middle of the event. The event attracted worldwide attention and was featured in an ever-increasing number of surf videos. Tracks magazine published an 18-page article and a photo of Teahupoʻo was used for the cover of the issue titled "The Heaviest Contest Ever! Aussies face death in Tahitian perfection". The 1999 Gotcha Tahiti Pro
3354-487: The king of Tahiti. It was the first time that Tahiti had been united under the control of a single family. This marked the end of Tahitian feudalism and the military aristocracy, which were replaced by an absolute monarchy. At the same time, Protestantism quickly spread, thanks to the support of Pōmare II, and replaced the traditional beliefs. In 1816 the London Missionary Society sent John Williams as
3432-540: The kingdom, and when in 1880 the governor Henri Isidore Chessé, supported by the Tahitian chiefs, pushed him to abdicate in favour of France, he accepted. On 29 June 1880, he ceded Tahiti to France along with the islands that were its dependencies. He was given the titular position of Officer of the Orders of the Legion of Honour and Agricultural Merit of France . Having become a colony, Tahiti thus lost all sovereignty. Tahiti
3510-465: The lands that now constitute modern French Polynesia. In 1791, HMS Pandora under Captain Edward Edwards called at Tahiti and took custody of fourteen of the mutineers. Four were drowned in the sinking of Pandora on her homeward voyage, three were hanged, four were acquitted, and three were pardoned. In the 1790s, whalers began landing at Tahiti during their hunting expeditions in
3588-504: The men's division; Keala Kennelly won the women's title. The competition was renamed Billabong 's Pro Teahupoo in 2001. On August 17, 2000, Laird Hamilton is credited with surfing the "heaviest wave" ever ridden, documented in the film Riding Giants . In 2003 the late Malik Joyeux successfully rode one of the largest waves ever ridden. Nathan Florence, younger brother of three-time World Surf League champion John John Florence , caught in May 2015 what some have considered to have been
3666-622: The mission of carrying Tahitian breadfruit trees ( Tahitian : ʻuru ) to the Caribbean . Sir Joseph Banks , the botanist from James Cook 's first expedition, had concluded that this plant would be ideal to feed the African slaves working in the Caribbean plantations at very little cost. The crew remained in Tahiti for about five months, the time needed to transplant the seedlings of the trees. Three weeks after leaving Tahiti, on 28 April 1789,
3744-479: The morals and customs of the inhabitants. Idolatry no longer exists among them, and they generally profess the Christian religion. The women no longer come aboard the vessel, and even when we meet them on land they are extremely reserved. (...) The bloody wars that these people used to carry out and human sacrifices have no longer taken place since 1816." When, on 7 December 1821, Pōmare II died, his son Pōmare III
3822-519: The mutineers from the Bounty offered their services as mercenaries and furnished arms to the family which became the Pōmare Dynasty . The chief Tū knew how to use their presence in the harbours favoured by sailors to his advantage. As a result of his alliance with the mutineers, he succeeded in considerably increasing his supremacy over the island of Tahiti. In about 1790, the ambitious chief Tū took
3900-417: The name Gotcha Tahiti Pro; a women's division was added (won by Keala Kennelly of Hawaiʻi); and the competition ended in chaos when Hawaiʻi's Conan Hayes, the apparent winner after fearlessly charging through a series of Teahupoʻo barrels, was announced as runner-up behind Australia's Koby Abberton . Hayes stormed off the presentation stage and later said he had put his "life on the line and got robbed." Also,
3978-787: The other Society Islands , the Austral Islands , the Marquesas Islands and the Tuamotu Archipelago . During the First World War , the Papeʻete region of the island was attacked by two German warships . A French gunboat as well as a captured German freighter were sunk in the harbour and the two German armoured cruisers bombarded the colony. Between 1966 and 1996 the French Government conducted 193 nuclear bomb tests above and below
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#17327825182974056-443: The pagan native populations to Christianity. The arrival of these missionaries marked a new turning point for the island of Tahiti, having a lasting impact on the local culture. The first years proved hard work for the missionaries, despite their association with the Pōmare, the importance of whom they were aware of thanks to the reports of earlier sailors. In 1803, upon the death of Pōmare I , his son Vairaʻatoa succeeded him and took
4134-501: The point when Protestantism truly took off on the island. In about 1810, Pōmare II married Teremoʻemoʻe daughter of the chief of Raiatea , to ally himself with the chiefdoms of the Leeward Islands . On 12 November 1815, thanks to these alliances, Pōmare II won a decisive battle at Feʻi Pī (Punaʻauia), notably against Opuhara, the chief of the powerful clan of Teva. This victory allowed Pōmare II to be styled Ariʻi Rahi , or
4212-401: The powers of the traditional hereditary chiefs. In the context of the republican assimilation, these councils tried their best to protect the traditional way of life of the local people, which was threatened by European influence. In 1877, Queen Pōmare died after ruling for fifty years. Her son, Pōmare V, then succeeded her on the throne. The new king seemed little concerned with the affairs of
4290-511: The proper name of the island. Cook also met many island chiefs. Cook and Endeavour left Tahiti on 13 July 1769. Cook estimated the population to be 200,000 including all the nearby islands in the chain. This estimate was reduced to 35,000 by Cook's contemporary, anthropologist and Tahiti expert Douglas L. Oliver. The Viceroy of Peru , Manuel de Amat y Juniet , under order of the Spanish Crown, organized an expedition to colonize
4368-590: The protection of England. In November 1835 Charles Darwin visited Tahiti aboard HMS Beagle on her circumnavigation, captained by Robert FitzRoy . He was impressed by what he perceived to be the positive influence the missionaries had had on the sobriety and moral character of the population. Darwin praised the scenery, but was not flattering towards Tahiti's Queen Pōmare IV. Captain Fitzroy negotiated payment of compensation for an attack on an English ship by Tahitians, which had taken place in 1833. In Sept. 1839,
4446-664: The public eye as a repeating star of Jack McCoy's Billabong videos. He married Beatrice Ballardie in 1993 and built a house near Kirra. After reaching a weight of 111-kilos, he began a training program under McCoy in Western Australia that helped him shed 34 kilos and regained his form. Occhilupo re-entered professional surfing in 1995, and after some major wins won the world title in 1999 at age 33. He has since retired and lives in Bilambil Heights, New South Wales , with his wife Beatrice and stepson Rainer. He made
4524-399: The religious leaders, revered for the mana (spiritual power) they inherited as descendants of the gods. As symbols of their power, they wore belts of red feathers. Nonetheless, to exercise their political power, councils or general assemblies composed of the ariʻi and the ʻĪatoʻai had to be called, especially in case of war. The chief's spiritual power was also limited; each clan's practice
4602-431: The same period about a thousand Chinese, mainly Cantonese , were recruited at the request of a plantation owner in Tahiti, William Stewart, to work on the great cotton plantation at Atimaono. When the enterprise resulted in bankruptcy in 1873, some Chinese workers returned to their country, but a large number stayed in Tahiti and mixed with the population. In 1866 the district councils were formed, elected, which were given
4680-433: The shape of the reef beneath the wave. This is semi-circular, and drops down sharply, creating a 'below water' effect; the extreme angles in descent create an instant instability to the wave. A steep wall of reef causes the entire mass to fold onto a scalloped semi circle breaking arc. The wave bends and races along into a dry reef closeout and the lip of the wave is often as thick as it is tall. Tahitian Thierry Vernaudon and
4758-581: The situation to change the way in which powers were arranged, and to make the Tahitian monarchy closer to the English model of a constitutional monarchy. They therefore created the Tahitian Legislative Assembly, which first sat on 23 February 1824. In 1827, the young Pōmare III suddenly died, and it was his half-sister, ʻAimata, aged thirteen, who took the title of Pōmare IV . The Birmingham -born missionary George Pritchard , who
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#17327825182974836-420: The southeast rises to 1,332 m (4,370 ft). The island consists of two roughly round portions centered on volcanic mountains and connected by a short isthmus of Taravao. The northwestern portion is known as Tahiti Nui ("big Tahiti"), while the much smaller southeastern portion is known as Tahiti Iti ("small Tahiti") or Taiʻarapū . Tahiti Nui is heavily populated along the coast, especially around
4914-495: The southern hemisphere. The arrival of these whalers, who were subsequently joined by merchants coming from the penal colonies in Australia, marked the first major overturning of traditional Tahitian society. The crews introduced alcohol , arms and infectious diseases to the island, and encouraged prostitution , which brought with it venereal disease . These commercial interactions with westerners had catastrophic consequences for
4992-488: The time. He returned however to work towards indoctrinating the locals against the Roman Catholic French. In 1843, the Queen's Protestant advisor, Pritchard, persuaded her to display the Tahitian flag in place of the flag of the Protectorate. By way of reprisal, Admiral Dupetit-Thouars announced the annexation of the Kingdom of Pōmare on 6 November 1843 and set up the governor Armand Joseph Bruat there as
5070-408: The title of Pōmare II. He allied himself more and more with the missionaries, and from 1803 they taught him reading and the Gospels. Furthermore, the missionaries encouraged his wish to conquer his opponents, so that they would only have to deal with a single political contact, enabling them to develop Christianity in a unified country. The conversion of Pōmare II to Protestantism in 1812 marks moreover
5148-560: The title of king and gave himself the name Pōmare . Captain Bligh explains that this name was a homage to his eldest daughter Teriʻinavahoroa, who had died of tuberculosis , "an illness that made her cough ( mare ) a lot, especially at night ( pō )". Thus he became Pōmare I , founding the Pōmare Dynasty and his lineage would be the first to unify Tahiti from 1788 to 1791. He and his descendants founded and expanded Tahitian influence to all of
5226-476: The top of the ASP ratings. At Jeffreys Bay , his powerful and aggressive style were an advantage in backside surfing. Occhilupo hovered around the top five in the rankings, and was becoming popular in the United States when Tom Curren was at the peak of his career. The two were rivals in surfing's biggest spectator event, the Op Pro, which Occhilupo won in 1985 after beating Curren in a three-heat final and again in
5304-474: Was buried near the mission he had established at Tautira Bay . Lt Tomas Gayangos took over command and set sail for Peru on 27 January, leaving the Fathers Geronimo Clota and Narciso Gonzalez and the sailors Maximo Rodriguez and Francisco Perez in charge of the mission. On the third Aguila expedition, under Don Cayetano de Langara, the mission on Tahiti was abandoned on 12 November 1775, when
5382-477: Was elevated to World Championship Tour status and became a pro tour sensation. The biggest waves have mostly continued to roll in without takers, and Surfer magazine described Teahupoo as "a still-unconquered field of play." Australians Kate Skarratt and Mark Occhilupo won; Occhilupo was on his way to a world title. On the eve of the third edition, the judges' scaffolding collapsed again. Six-time world champion Kelly Slater of Florida came out of semi-retirement to win
5460-708: Was instead put on a cruise ship offshore. Tahiti Tahiti ( English: / t ə ˈ h iː t i / ; Tahitian [taˈhiti] ; French pronunciation: [ta.iˈti] ) is the largest island of the Windward group of the Society Islands in French Polynesia . It is located in the central part of the Pacific Ocean and the nearest major landmass is Australia . Divided into two parts, Tahiti Nui (bigger, northwestern part) and Tahiti Iti (smaller, southeastern part),
5538-546: Was nevertheless a special colony, since all the subjects of the Kingdom of Pōmare would be given French citizenship. On 14 July 1881, among cries of "Vive la République!" the crowds celebrated the fact that Polynesia now belonged to France; this was the first celebration of the Tiurai (national and popular festival). In 1890, Papeʻete became a commune of the Republic of France. The French painter Paul Gauguin lived on Tahiti in
5616-420: Was only eighteen months old. His uncle and the religious people therefore supported the regency, until 2 May 1824, the date on which the missionaries conducted his coronation, a ceremony unprecedented in Tahiti. Taking advantage of the weakness of the Pōmare, local chiefs won back some of their power and took the hereditary title of Tavana (from the English word "governor"). The missionaries also took advantage of
5694-539: Was organized around their marae (stone temple) and its priests. The first European to arrive at Tahiti may have been Spanish explorer Juan Fernández in his expedition of 1576–1577. Alternatively, Portuguese navigator Pedro Fernandes de Queirós , serving the Spanish Crown in an expedition to Terra Australis , was perhaps the first European to see Tahiti. He sighted an inhabited island on 10 February 1606. However, it has been suggested that he actually saw
5772-566: Was part of the Kingdom of Tahiti until its annexation by France in 1880, when it was proclaimed a colony of France , and the inhabitants became French citizens . French is the sole official language, although the Tahitian language ( Reo Tahiti ) is also widely spoken. Tahiti was called Otaheite in earlier European documents: this is a rendering of Tah. ʻo Tahiti , which is typically pronounced [ʔotaˈhɛiti] . Tahiti
5850-566: Was partnered with Jade Brand. They were the third couple to be eliminated from the competition. His surname, Occhilupo, is Italian and means "eyes of the wolf." However, his nickname is "The Raging Bull." He currently resides with his family in Bilambil Heights , a hillside suburb of the Gold Coast neighbouring town Tweed Heads . He currently operates a successful podcast called the Occ-Cast which features Occhilupo talking to some of
5928-502: Was previously enrolled into Cronulla High School in Sydney’s south. He won his first amateur schoolboys' contest at 13 and followed up with two Cadet State Titles. After the tenth grade, he left home as an ASP trialist. Virtually unnoticed, he advanced to the Top 16 at year's end and secured a seed for the following year. In 1984, at age 17, Occhilupo's high performance standards took him to
6006-502: Was the acting British consul, became her main adviser and tried to interest her in the affairs of the kingdom but the authority of the Queen, who was certainly less charismatic than her father, was challenged by the chiefs, who had won back an important part of their prerogatives since the death of Pōmare II. The power of the Pōmare had become more symbolic than real; time and time again Queen Pōmare, Protestant and anglophile, sought in vain
6084-468: Was thrown over the falls and landed head first on the reef. He was recovered from the water but died in hospital, having suffered two broken cervical vertebrae and a severed spinal cord . Teahupoʻo is the host venue for the surfing competition for the 2024 Summer Olympics , mainly hosted in Paris . The venue is 9,800 mi (15,800 km) from Paris, the furthest distance between an Olympics venue and
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