S1-E23: Tahiti: Meeting the King

Podcast 04 June 2025

In Episode 23, the HMS Resolution’s crew experiences a day rich in contrast and reflection. They are welcomed with kindness into a humble home, where music is shared and simple gifts exchanged. A bamboo flute played through the nose and soft chants reveal a culture of expression that is unfamiliar, yet deeply human. Mr. Hodges sketches, and the Tahitians marvel at seeing their own likenesses.

Their path leads them through shaded groves to a sacred marae, where a mourning woman sits silently beside a wrapped body. The group respects her grief, sensing the sacredness of this quiet place. But joy returns when they dine with a family whose warm hospitality reminds them of the myth of Philemon and Baucis.

King Aheatua of Tahiti receives Captain Cook and his companions with cautious formality, seated on a wooden throne and surrounded by chiefs—while a curious crowd presses in and a chief advisor in spotted tattoos listens closely. – Click on the image to listen to this episode on YouTube.

Later, a visit to a fat nobleman—surrounded by indulgence and servitude—shatters their ideal of equality on the island. The illusion of a paradise where all live simply fades. They meet King Aheatua, young and hesitant, yet curious and diplomatic. He receives their gifts, discusses politics and gods, and marvels at a pocket watch, calling it a “little sun.”

The day leaves the crew thoughtful, torn between admiration for Tahiti’s beauty and sorrow at signs of hierarchy, inequality, and European influence already beginning to take root.