The lighthouse
Oldest in the islands.
Jens Bludau — CC BY-SA 3.0 · Garegnani Denis — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wmpearl — CC0 · Janwo — CC BY-SA 3.0 · Matthew Dillon from Hollywood, CA, USA — CC BY 2.0
Pointe Vénus is a spit of land in the town of Mahina on the north coast of Tahiti, French Polynesia, about 9 km in a straight line east of Papeete. It has a beach of black volcanic sand and a historic lighthouse. The point takes its name from the transit of the planet Venus across the sun in 1769, when the explorer James Cook and his team set up an observatory here to watch and measure it, as part of a scientific effort to measure the distance between the earth and the sun. Before and after, the spot was a landing place for many European ships visiting Tahiti. On the point stands a white stone lighthouse built in 1867, the oldest in French Polynesia, set in a garden of palm trees. The black beach curves around the point and is popular with islanders for swimming and picnics, with Moorea on the horizon at sunset. The point is free to visit. Waves and currents at the point can change, so swim with care; it is a short trip from Papeete by car or bus.
Oldest in the islands.
Volcanic sand.
On the horizon.
Mahina, Tahiti, French Polynesia
For the 1769 observation of Venus crossing the sun.
About 9 km in a straight line.