Pristine beaches, bungalows sitting over gently lapping waves, palm trees for days \u2026 what else comes to mind when you think of the island paradise that is Tahiti?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Well, if you\u2019re here reading this, then noni should be the first<\/em> thing that comes to mind, of course! There is, however, so much more<\/em> to Tahiti than what we\u2019ve just mentioned. So, for all of you working hard to secure your spot on this year\u2019s NewAge Great Escape: Tahitian Dream<\/strong> trip this November, we\u2019ll make sure you\u2019ll be ready to fully indulge in paradise when you go.<\/p>\n\n\n\n But first, a little geography lesson.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In total, the overseas collectivity of French Polynesia is comprised of 118 islands and atolls (totaling 1359 square miles\/3521 square kilometers) spread out over roughly 1.5 million square miles (4 million square kilometers) of the South Pacific Ocean \u2014 roughly the size of Western Europe. The islands are further divided into five groups:<\/p>\n\n\n\n There are approximately 279,000 residents across the 75 inhabited islands, and Tahiti \u2014 part of the Society Islands \u2014 is home to almost 70% of the nation\u2019s population.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Got all that? Now it\u2019s time for the real fun.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The Tahitian language consists of the vowels a<\/em>, e<\/em>, i<\/em>, o<\/em> and u<\/em>, and the consonants f<\/em>, h<\/em>, m<\/em>, n<\/em>, p<\/em>, r<\/em>, t <\/em>and v<\/em>. Other than the letter h<\/em>, which is pronounced \u2018sh\u2019 when it comes after an i <\/em>or an o<\/em>, every letter is pronounced the same as it is in English. While the official language is French, and many people speak English (especially in tourist areas), Tahitian and other local languages are still spoken throughout the islands.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Has someone done something nice for you lately? Thank them by saying it in Tahitian \u2014 Mauruuru<\/em>!<\/p>\n\n\n\n Got ink? Well, you can thank, in part, the people of Polynesia. We get our word from theirs, tatau<\/em>, which means \u2018to mark,\u2019 though that is the most basic meaning and there are many cultural nuances that are also attributed to the word.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The first known practice of tattooing was by Captain James Cook when he saw the procedure on a trip to the Marquesas Islands. The tradition had already been going strong at that point and continues to this day.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Want to be able to open your door and jump right into the pristine ocean? Tahiti is the place to do it. Not only are there many overwater bungalows across the islands (and around the world now), but they were first constructed on Raiatea, one of the Islands of French Polynesia. To deal with staying in a hotel without beach access, three American ex-pats from California \u2014 known as the Bali Hai Boys \u2014 created the bungalow so guests could literally open their doors and hop right into the water to go snorkeling. Not a bad way to spend a morning, afternoon or evening if you ask us!<\/p>\n\n\n\n1. The Tahitian alphabet only has 13 letters.<\/h1>\n\n\n\n
2. The word \u2018tattoo\u2019 is derived from a Tahitian word.<\/h1>\n\n\n\n
3. The overwater bungalow was invented in Tahiti.<\/h1>\n\n\n\n