The magnolias and yellow and scarlet hibiscus,
overshadowing the water, the velvety turf, on to which one steps from
the boat, the white road running between rows of wooden houses, whose
little gardens are a mass of flowers, the men and women clad in the
gayest robes and decked with flowers, the piles of unfamiliar fruit
lying on the grass, waiting to be transported to the coasting vessels
in the harbour, the wide-spreading background of hills clad in verdure
to their summits--these are but a few of the objects which greet the
new-comer in his first contact with the shore.
We strolled about, and left our letters of introduction; but the
people to whom they were addressed were at breakfast, and we were
deliberating how best to dispose of our time, when a gentleman
accosted us, and, seeing how new it all was to us strangers, offered
to show us round the town.
The streets of Papeete, running back at right angles with the beach,
seem to have wonderfully grand names, such as the Rue de Rivoli, Rue
de Paris, &c. Every street is shaded by an avenue of high trees, whose
branches meet and interlace overhead, forming a sort of leafy tunnel,
through which the sea-breeze passes refreshingly. There is also what
is called the Chinamen's quarter, through which we walked, and which
consists of a collection of regular Chinese-built bamboo houses, whose
occupants all wore their national costume, pigtail included.
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