They Climbed Tahiti’s Highest Peak

A notable mountaineering event took place in the Pacific on September 28, when a Frenchman and two French- Tahitians succeeded in climbing Tahiti’s 7,339-foot pinnacle, Mount Orohena, for the first time. A number of atempts have been made in the past to climb this mountain, notably by the late Charles B.

Vordhoff and companions, but the honour aow falls to Monsieurs L. P. Alphonse Hollande, aged 46, Marcel Varuamana, »ged 27, and Raymond Tiaore, 22.

The Tahiti despatch describes Orohena as the highest mountain in the Pacific islands, but this statement must of course be modified—there are much higher peaks in the Solomons, New Britain, New Guinea, the Hawaiian Islands and New Zealand. Few people are aware, however, that Tahiti has a peak of this height.

The photo shows the conquerors of Mount Orohena—left to right: Marcel Varuamana, Alphonse Hollande, and Raymond Tiaore.