Tahiti of ocean, was made possible by using outrigger canoes that were up to twenty or thirty meters long and could transport families as well as domestic animals. In 1769, for instance, James Cook mentions a great traditional ship ("va'a") in Tahiti that was long, and could be propelled by sail or paddles. In 2010, an expedition on a simple outrigger canoe with a sail retraced the route back from Tahiti to Asia. Before the arrival of the Europeans the island was divided into different chiefdoms, very precise territories dominated by a single clan. These chiefdoms were linked to each other
Air Tahiti Nui Air Tahiti Nui Air Tahiti Nui is a French airline with its head office in Papeete, Tahiti, French Polynesia, France. It operates long-haul flights from its home base at Faa'a International Airport. Air Tahiti Nui was established on 31 October 1996 and commenced flight operations on 20 November 1998. It is the first international airline based in Papeete, Tahiti, formed to develop inbound tourism. The government of French Polynesia is the major shareholder (84.4%) along with other local investors. Currently, Air Tahiti Nui has 782 employees. In May 2015, Air Tahiti Nui announced its intention to replace its entire fleet,