Bougainville Park in Papeete

Rich history and redevelopment

Bougainville Park in Papeete was originally called “Public square in Papeete". This is how in the years 1840, it housed many administrative buildings such as the military general store, the port management, the post office, and other services. The 29th June 1880, it was here that the ceremony took place during which King Pomare V dedicated the union of the Society Islands to France. But en 1906, a cyclone destroyed almost all of the buildings. The post office was rebuilt several times and remained the only administrative building on the square. In 1934, it was inaugurated and baptized "Place Albert 1er" in homage to the King of the Belgians. More than 30 years later, thee April 6l 1968, a bronze bust of the navigator Bougainville was installed in the park. In fact, the latter was convinced that he had been the first to discover Tahiti. But he was unaware that the navigator Samuel Wallis had docked there less than a year earlier.after which, quite naturally, the inhabitants gave the name of the navigator to the site, no longer really knowing who it was "Albert 1st". However, not wanting to create a diplomatic incident with the Belgians, the park officially continued to be called "Albert 1st". And finally, it is only in 2005 that the park was officially renamed "Bougainville".

A tribute to the navigator Louis-Antoine de Bougainville

The park takes its name from Count Louis-Antoine de Bougainville, an 18th-century French navigator. This French naval officer, explorer, and writer was born on November 12, 1729, in Paris , where he died on August 31 , 1811. As captain, he led the first circumnavigation of the globe, sponsored by the French government, from 1766 to 1769 , as commander of the frigate " La Boudeuse ." He landed in Tahiti in 1767. The account of his adventure, which can be read today in " Voyage Around the World , " his logbook published in 1771 , caused a sensation in European societies at the time. Indeed, he nicknamed Tahiti " New Cythera ," thus creating the myth of an earthly paradise where love is free and morality is natural. Bougainville even went so far as to write: "I felt as if I had been transported to the Garden of Eden." When he left Tahiti, Bougainville would take young Ahutoru with him . This boy would be the first Polynesian to discover Europe.

The memorial

The monument erected in this park was inaugurated on July 14, 1909. Created by the master sculptor Antide Marie Péchiné , the bronze bust of Bougainville, placed atop the memorial, originally stood on the other side of the boulevard, on the quay where warships used to moor. The entire monument was moved to the park where it can be admired today, on April 6, 1968.

The story of the 2 cannons

The two cannons flanking the memorial also have their own history. The one on the left of the memorial, when viewed from the front, belonged to the “ Seeadler” (Sea Eagle). The last privateer ship in history, commanded by the German Count Felix Von Luckner (1881–1966)  , it met a brutal end in 1917  , wrecked on the Mopelia  reef.

On the other side of the memorial, the 100-millimeter gun armed the French gunboat " La Zélée . " This gunboat was commanded by Lieutenant Commander Maxime Destremau. He was in charge of the defense of Papeete during the attack by two German cruisers on September 22, 1914.  Frustrated at being refused the coal they urgently needed to return to Europe, the Germans opened fire, sinking " La Zélée " in the harbor and destroying a large part of the city center.

A green space in the heart of the city

Ultimately

Whether for a lunch break, a walk, or simply to enjoy nature, this park offers a welcome green space in the heart of urban life. The only small drawback we could find is that you can't play pétanque there, one of the most popular sports in Tahiti. Yet this is the case in our Caledonian neighbors, in Nouméa, on the famous Place des Cocotiers. So let's hope that an elected official comes across this article and comes up with the bright idea of ​​creating a small space for us to play boules. Unless I actually make an appointment with the mayor of Papeete to talk to him about it. Be careful, I'm capable of that... 😉