Samoa-Tahiti (1970s)

[Music] the jet age Roars in to a land which must be everybody's dream of paradise American Samoa heart of Polynesia and one of the islands of the South Pacific the luxury airport and terminal epitomizes the new but just a few miles from here jungle Villages keep all the flavor of Samoa's primitive past [Music] the seven islands which make up American Samoa lie about halfway between Hawaii and Sydney visitors to tutua the largest island of the group soon make for Pango Pango Bay one of the loveliest tropical island Harbors in the world this is no native Village though it could be Pango pongo's Hotel InterContinental is just another unexpected surprise from this dream Island built by Samoans using the ancient local techniques the hotel is an up to-the-minute Oasis in the tropics you can't help leading a fancy free existence here the unspoiled unhurried atmosphere of the place demands it for everything has a special Polynesian charm whether it's an elaborate tropical rum or the thatched Fades on the palm fringed seashore this is the life we all dream of and South Sea Island dreams become emphatic reality as we move on to Tahiti where the legend began garlands of exotic flowers grass skirts and Dusky maidens yes this is how we imagined it Tahiti is French and that Breakaway French artist Paul goar helped to spread its Fame with his own interpretation of traditional scenes like this but this is no hoola genuine tahan dancing is a performance you will always remember the music made on these Timeless instruments is all part of the tradition and so are men in Tahiti the girls aren't the only ones who can shake a leg Tahiti has its own inimitable Polynesian style but the French accent is pronounced just look around yet Paris is a world away and palm trees are just around the [Music] corner shop fronts add to the Parisian flavor and so do the jeand in papetti tahiti's capital and the tahitians have a truly French regard for fresh food fresh bread is delivered not daily but more often than the mail you never guess but this Fishing Harbor is a major port too it's not a large Town though as capital of the whole of French Polynesia and a social and tourist center it has a local urgency the main business area follows the Treeline Waterfront Road along the harbor and here there's a Cosmopolitan air European influences are strong but there's an oriental flavor too and Chinatown is not very far from papy's famed Market the shop window for the Island's color and Delight there's no need to buy a pineapple to be as stride local Trends in papy 18 they call these bikes laf and it's the way of getting about it's not obviously feminine but it's certainly fashionable and a good way to see the lovely girls who live in this Tropical [Music] Paradise but there are less pedestrian ways of taking in The Accidental beauty of the south sea Islands you can make spray while the sun shines and take a lazy trip from Tahiti to Maria this at last is the getaway island you've always [Music] imagined its calm bommy bays and Jagged Skyline give Moria an enchantment that is hard to match it's the past that the present insists on preserving for the future those Huts are built like native Villages but if you ask for a drink you'll probably be answered in friend the south sea mixup of ancient and modern is an intoxicating and [Music] delectable the islands have all you would wish of Nature's Own charms and the Beauties disclosed by Mora's translucent Waters can soon be shelled out you can really get back to the past with the Island's inhabitants on a sea Voyage as such things used to be [Music] [Music] you need a delicate sense of balance to canoe like this the south sea Islands themselves have a balance they want to keep between tradition and progress but beauty is their major offering that's why they make the simplest dreams come true [Music]