Day 456: December 30, 2025 – Papeete, Tahiti, French Polynesia

Tourists flock to Tahiti for its sun, sand, and snorkeling. But none of those are a major draw for me. I prefer my sun behind a cloud, I suck at snorkeling, and the only reason to go to the beach is if it has birds, or at least turquoise waters. What I AM drawn to is cemeteries. Not in a dark, morbid way; I don’t get spooked by cemeteries the way some people do. It’s partly because it is such serene green space — no hordes of people jostling about–at least not live ones! And partly because it is often a good place for bird spotting. I’ve been especially fascinated by how cemeteries reflect their location. This cemetery I saw in Argentina featured intricate vaults, while this one in Chile was playfully personalized.

It was easy to tell that this cemetery in Tahiti was in a tropical location. Many of the graves were covered in sand and adorned with shells, coral, pebbles, and wreaths made of dry palm leaves and coconuts. The enormous burial ground is composed of multiple terraced levels built into a mountainside and holds ~17,000 people. Here are a few scenes from a peaceful cemetery walk.

Roosters and chickens have free run of the place, as they do throughout other tropical islands. Plus a few very cool birds.