TravelQuest International
305 Double D Drive
Prescott, AZ 86303 USA
With this, Venus’ final pass
across the Sun for another 105
years, we invite you to join us
on an 8-day adventure to the
Polynesian Island of Tahiti and
its sister island, Moorea. On
June 5th, we will witness the
transit of Venus from near the
very site where Captain Cook
viewed this extremely rare event
in 1769.
Exotic French Polynesia is a
group of 118 islands and atolls
in the South Pacific, with
Tahiti being the largest.
Sailing from Indonesia and the
Philippines, the Polynesians
settled these islands between
1000 and 3000 years ago.
Although initially discovered by
the Spanish in 1595, it wasn’t
until the English encountered
Tahiti in 1767 that the island
was given much attention.
On August 12, 1768, His
Majesty’s Bark Endeavour
slipped out of harbor — Lt.
James Cook commanding — bound
for Tahiti. To find this speck
of land a mere
20 miles
wide, he would have to steer across
thousands of miles of open ocean. It was
worth the risk, he felt, to observe the
coming transit of Venus.
By the time Cook reached Tahiti on April
13, 1769 — almost two months before the
transit — he’d been sailing west for
eight months. On June 3rd, Cook and his
officers viewed Venus’ little black
disk, which could be seen gliding across
the blinding Sun only through special
telescopes brought from England.
(Text courtesy NASA Science News.)
Among the great scientific
undertakings of the 19th century were
the long journeys made by astronomers to
witness and study celestial phenomena.
The rarest of these were Venus’ passages
across the Sun’s disk in 1874 and 1882 —
historic events with much at stake
scientifically. Armed with precise
timings of these two transits,
astronomers were finally able to
determine a fundamental quantity — the
Earth-Sun distance — with unprecedented
accuracy.
On June 8, 2004, for the first time in
122 years, Venus crossed the Sun’s
brilliant face again. This long-anticipated
spectacle was not visible in its
entirety from the Western Hemisphere, so TravelQuest created two historically
rich trips to Italy to witness this
amazing event.
Now, just 8 years later, TravelQuest is
pleased to offer this rare event to you
once again!
Tahiti and Moorea boast spectacular
natural beauty and intimate resorts,
making them a worldwide tropical resort
destination. Visitors delight in the
secluded beaches, snorkeling, diving,
hiking, and island tours, and make it a
point to include a “tama’ara’a”
(Tahitian feast) and dance show in their
vacation plans. Day trips to area reefs
and islands, showcase similarities among
these small outcroppings of paradise
and throw into relief the unique
features that make each locale so very
special.
Do not miss this rare opportunity. Only
your grandchildren or
great-grandchildren will see the next
transit of Venus 105 years from now.
Copyright 2012 TravelQuest International. All rights reserved.
Revised: January 09, 2012.
Information in this document is subject to change without notice.
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their respective companies or trademark holders.
