Raiatea – Wikipedia

Client (Turo Raapoto spelling) or Ratene (spelling of the Tahitian Academy) is an island of French Polynesia being part of the Sous-le-wind islands in the archipelago of the company. It is the fourth largest island after Tahiti, Nuku Hiva and Hiva Oa. The island is located at 4.5 km south of Tahaa, at 34 km to the west-southwest of Huahine and at 201 km to the west-northwest of Tahiti.

She shares the same lagoon as the island of Taha’a. Its main city is Uturoa, and is divided into three municipalities, Uturoa, Taputapuatea and Tumaraa.

The island was recognized as an independent state in 1847 (Jarnac Convention), but officially became French in 1888.

It is the third island of the community by its population behind Tahiti and Moorea.

Formerly called Havaiʻi (see Hawaii and Savai’i), the name of the island today is Ra’iātea.

Raʻiātea is clearly analyzed by the Tahitian ra’i ‘sky’ space ‘Clear and cleared’ ^{[ first ]} , referring to sparse clouds, typical of the island for Polynesian navigators.

Myths and legends [ modifier | Modifier and code ]

Formation [ modifier | Modifier and code ]

Polynesian myths say that the islands of Taha’a and Ra’iātea formed only one and the same island, a giant would have anger separated from a big helping hand, following a sorrow of love. In fact the two islands formed only one and the same entity 2.4 million years ago ^{[ 2 ]} As evidenced by their common lagoon.

Settlement [ modifier | Modifier and code ]

Ra’iātea is commonly nicknamed the sacred island, by its privileged status in local traditional culture, which generally attributes the name Mā’ohi to Hawaiki nui or HEEKING WITH ( they don’t say , “underground world”, “Polynesian homeland” ^{[ 3 ]} And great , “big”). Havai’i Nui is a mythical island, the cradle of the people and the Polynesian culture, where the first Māoris would have landed more than a thousand years ago on immense canoes.

According to the traditions of the Naturels, Ra’iātea was also the first of the islands of the archipelago of the Society to have a royal dynasty. This began with the reign of the Half-Dieu Hiro, son of Haehi, grandson of Uruumata, great-grandson of Raa, the Sun God. Hiro was the first king of the island and he founded the famous Opoa marae there which he devoted to the god Horo or Oro, the sovereign of the world, of which he was also the descendant. Hiro was after his death raised to the rank of the gods; He was honored as God of thieves and his successors raised him a small marae next to that of the God Oro, his ancestor. The new God was especially loved on the Huahine-Ist Island ^{[ 4 ]} .

Hiro had two sons: Haneti and Ohatataama. Haneti succeeded his father as king of Ra’iātea, the latter having bequeathed the sign of his power, which consisted of a red belt (Maroura) turned around the kidneys. Ohatataama did not want to live under the domination of his brother: he retired to the island of Faanui, proclaimed it king, and that was a white belt to show that he was an independent monarch ^{[ 4 ]} .

Sites and monuments [ modifier | Modifier and code ]

Many marae, remains of old and important sacred places of worship, are present on the island, including the Taputapuatea marae, the largest and most sacred of the Marae in Polynesia. THE February 22, 2016 , on the occasion of an official visit to French Polynesia passing by Ra’iātea, the President of the Republic François Hollande goes to the site ^{[ 5 ]} .

Ra’iātea is also distinguished by the flower of the tiara ‘apetahi, a little white Gardenia endemic to the Temehani Rahi, one of the highest mountains of Ra’iātea. The peculiarity and the rarity of this flower have made it one of the symbols of the island.

The island is shared in three municipalities:

• Payment (16 km ² ) (Tahitian ‘ōuturoa), administrative capital of the downwind islands;
• Taxaite (88 km ² ) which brings together the districts of Avera, ōpoā and Puohine;
• Tumaraa (71 km ² ) or Tumara’a which brings together the districts of Teaitoa, Tehurui, Vaia’au and Fetuna.

The population of the island includes around 12,024 inhabitants, mainly concentrated around the main city, Uturoa, and in many villages like Avera, Opoa, Téisoa or Vaia’au, district centers.

Aerial view of a small port

Ra’iātea’s economy is characterized by a strong agricultural activity turned towards the local market, but some export products such as vanilla, pineapple, copra, and nono are also cultivated. The Fa’aroa Valley, with an important territorial area, is one of these agricultural activity centers. Breeding is a reduced activity, focused on the exploitation of cattle, sheep, poultry and pigs. Perliculture is an important activity, with a significant presence of perlières farms. The important agricultural activity is supported by the presence of a center of the rural economy and a research laboratory, mainly focused on the cultivation of vanilla.

Tourist activity is smaller than that of other islands of the archipelago, and mainly organized around a network of family pensions, several marinas, cruising stops, Sunset Beach Motel, Raiatea Lodge Hotel , OPOA BEACH HOTEL.

There is also an embryonic industrial sector, oriented towards the local market and the activities linked to the maintenance of sailboats and shipbuilding, the island having a fairing.

The main employment and economic activity area is linked to the consumer market and the major administrative and public infrastructure.

The island has an aerodrome.

Part of Uturoa seen from the tapioi: high school, marina and stadium.

The island is surrounded by a 98 road km , while another crosses it in its center. Numerous infrastructure works have been carried out since the 1980s to improve the road system and open up the southern part of the island by the development of bridges, targeting, the installation of electrical, telephone and distribution networks ‘potable water.

The port of Uturoa was redeveloped in the early 2000s, allowing cruising liners such as the Tahitian Princess, Gauguin, Amsterdam or the World to do weekly stops during the tourist season.
Ra’iātea is the administrative capital of the Sous-le-Vent islands, the residence of the state administrator. There is a hospital, a general education high school and a vocational school high school, several BTS, three colleges (including one private) and several primary and kindergarten schools. Ra’iātea is the only island in Polynesia (excluding Tahiti) with high schools. Therefore, most of the students of the neighboring islands such as Bora-Bora, Taha’a, Maupiti or Huahine come to continue their secondary studies there. The island also has an aerodrome, a commercial port, a market and two pleasure ports.

• Marae De Tapanese
• Church of Uturoa
• The Fa’aroa river is the only navigable river in Polynesia. It can be raised in a canoe for a few kilometers or paddle.

• Tupaia (C.1725-1770), navigator, performer and priest, expert in Polynesian customs, who accompanies British captain James Cook during his first trip to the Pacific, is from Ra’iātea.
• Aoutourou (v. 1740-1771), born in Ra’iātea, the first Tahitian to reach Europe.
• Omai (v.1751-1780), another (later) travel companion by James Cook, is also from Ra’iātea.
• Picua, princess, hostage taking by James Cook.
• Chef Hapaitahaa A Etau, says Teraupoo. In 1888, the island of Ra’iātea was annexed to other islands of the archipelago by Governor Lacascade. This French annexation causes an insurrection, led by Teraupoo, in Ra’iātea, Taha’a and Huahine. After ten years of skirmishes the French capture Teraupoo the February 16, 1897 , after violent fights around Teaitoa. Deported to New Caledonia with other insurgents and their families, they are pardoned a few years later. Teraupoo returned to Ra’iātea to end her days, standing away from public life ^{[ 6 ]} .
• Samuel Raapoto (1921-1976), first president of the Evangelical Church in French Polynesia, member of the Tahitian Academy.
• Gary Tamatoa Zebrowski (born in 1984), a native snowboarder of Ra’iātea who represented France at the Olympic Games in Turin and Vancouver.

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