French Polynesia island of Rekareka to the southeast of Tahiti. Over a century later, British explorer Samuel Wallis visited Tahiti in 1767. French explorer Louis Antoine de Bougainville also visited Tahiti in 1768, while British explorer James Cook arrived in 1769. In 1772, the Spanish Viceroy of Peru Don Manuel de Amat ordered a number of expeditions to Tahiti under the command of Domingo de Bonechea who was the first European to explore all of the main islands beyond Tahiti. A short-lived Spanish settlement was created in 1774, and for a time some maps bore the name "Isla de Amat" after Viceroy
Tahiti and connected by a short isthmus named after the small town of Taravao which is situated there. The northwestern portion is known as "Tahiti Nui" ("big Tahiti"), while the much smaller southeastern portion is known as "Tahiti Iti" ("small Tahiti") or "Tai'arapū". "Tahiti Nui" is heavily populated along the coast, especially around the capital, Papeete. The interior of "Tahiti Nui" is almost entirely uninhabited. "Tahiti Iti" has remained isolated, as its southeastern half ("Te Pari") is accessible only to those travelling by boat or on foot. The rest of the island is encircled by a main road which cuts between