The Discovery of Tahiti

by Joan Druett

Romance and the islands have gone hand-in-hand since the bare-breasted young women of Tahiti gave a rousing welcome to the 18th-century European adventurers who discovered the island. It was not just a tropical port of call that Captain Wallis and his men found, but their tales of golden girls and a majestic island queen became a foundation stone of the Romantic Movement, an enduring inspiration for writers, artists, filmmakers ... and mutineers. In The Discovery of Tahiti, Joan Druett follows up her prize-winning biography of the remarkable priestly navigator, Tupaia, by bringing this extraordinary story to life.

Genres: History

168 pages, Kindle Edition

Published May 27, 2018

About the author

Back in the year 1984, on the picture-poster tropical island of Rarotonga, I literally fell into whaling history when I tumbled into a grave. A great tree had been felled by a recent hurricane, exposing a gravestone that had been hidden for more than one and a half centuries. It was the memorial to a young whaling wife, who had sailed with her husband on the New Bedford ship Harrison in the year 1845. And so my fascination with maritime history was triggered ... resulting in 18 books (so far). The latest—number nineteen—is a biography of a truly extraordinary man, Tupaia, star navigator and creator of amazing art.

Reviews

[Helen · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fascinating, well researched book about the discovery of Tahiti. Learning about how early exploration done by way of ship on an unpredictable, poorly mapped ocean with limited navigational technology and medical expertise, is eye-opening. The odds these early explorers faced were daunting, but they risked their lives anyway.

[sparks stiles · Rating 5 out of 5]

True adventure

The often overlooked history of the discovery of Tahiti and the fascinating story of how the Europeans and natives became trading partners. Captain Wallis, long before Cook, was an outstanding leader of men and ship.