Guide to Tahiti

Tahiti is our base for the 2010 Explorers eclipse expedition. Famed for its jade waters and its colourful reefs, there is in fact a lot more to Tahiti and her islands than meets the eye.

Situated in the south Pacific Ocean, Tahiti is the largest island in French Polynesia, a collection of five archipelagos comprising 118 islands spread over an area the size of Europe. French Polynesia is a dependency of France, despite the fact that the two countries are 10,000 miles away from each other.

When most people think French Polynesia, they think idyllic, sun-drenched islands, and the warm waters of jade lagoons. And that of course is pretty accurate - this is a stunningly beautiful location, but has a lot more to offer the adventurous traveller.

Life on Tahiti

Tahiti is a fiercely beautiful island – lush, jungle-covered mountain peaks rising out of the azure blue waters and surrounded by a barrier reef which encloses crystal clear lagoons. Outdoor life is king here with world-class diving and some spectacular hiking through the dramatic landscape of the island.

Tahiti's capital is Papeete, a wonderfully colourful and chaotic town. This is not the lazy little Pacific island town you might expect – and its not to everyone's tastes, but stay for a while and you might just start to get its mix of clutter, crowds and music. For those wanting to escape, or those wanting to perhaps experience those palm-fringed vistas, warm waters and unspoilt mountain landscapes, then there will be plenty of opportunity to get to see the quieter side of this island.

Tahiti Iti, the island's smaller southern promontory perhaps offers the picture-postcard sights. Traditional Polynesian villages, dreamy beaches and an altogether slower way of life have an unpretentious charm that is hard to resist.

A Brief History of Tahiti

Europeans first arrived in Tahiti in 1767 in the form of the ship Dolphin, captained by Samuel Wallis who claimed Tahiti for Britain. A year later, before Wallis had completed his return to Britain, Louis-Antoine de Bougainville landed on Tahiti, unaware of Wallis's voyage and claimed the land for France.

However it was a series of voyages by Captain James Cook between 1769 and 1779 that really communicated the wonders of the Pacific to a European audience. Tahiti was selected as one of the measuring points for calculating the distance to the sun as the transit of Venus passed across the face of the sun and as such goes down in its own right in astronomical history. However, Tahiti is perhaps most famous for being the scene for one of the most famous naval mutinies, that of HMS Bounty in 1789.

It was in the mid 19th century that the islands came firmly under the control of France and have been ever since. While the powers of French Polynesia's government have been widened, it still remains economically dependent on France, and until this changes, independence is considered unlikely. Tahiti today has a good standard of living, being one of the richest countries in the Pacific. While it has a thriving tourist industry, with few natural resources and a reliance on imports, its future remains fragile.

Guide to Hao

500 miles east of Tahiti sits the Tuamotu archipelago, made up of 76 islands and atolls, this sparsely populated area in general has only the most basic of infrastructure, and is a different world when compared to our busy lives. This remarkably picturesque and peaceful setting will be our home for two nights and our observation point for the eclipse.

Hao, known for its shape as the Island of the Harp, is one of the larger atolls, with a quite stunning lagoon covering some 40 square miles. Otepa is the capital of this island, where some 1,600 inhabitants live making a living out of tourism and the cultivation of pearls.

Hao also has its interesting place in history – home to what was a French military airbase (and since 2002 a civilian airport), it has one of the longest runways in the Pacific and is now a back-up landing site for NASA shuttle missions. As a result of this legacy, the infrastructure is more advanced on Hao than the rest of the Tuamotu Islands.