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Built at Venus Point in Mahina, the only lighthouse of Tahiti has more than a century and a half of life. It is, for 150 years, still in activity and today completely automated. At a height of 32.85 meters and 365 steps,this large building built in 1867 and inaugurated on April 23rd, 1868, watches over the north coast of Tahiti.
Venus Point owes its name to the memory of Captain Cook's mission in 1769, whose goal was to observe the planet Venus. The Bay of Matavai was also the anchorage of many sailors, including Wallis, the first European to arrive at the same place on June 23, 1767. The lighthouse was built in 1867 by workers from the island of Mangareva, with stones from farms sand of
the archipelago of Gambier. In the 19th century, those workers from Mangareva were indeed the only ones
to know how to build stone buildings, framed by the fathers and brothers of Picpus. Between 1834 and 1855,
they erected hundreds of religious buildings in Gambier, as well as the cathedral of Papeete. The lighthouse,
originally 25 meters high - it was raised 7 meters in 1963 - is a 7-storey square tower, built of rubble and coral. It was Count Emile de la Ronciere, "Commander Imperial Commissioner to the Islands of the Society" under the reign of Queen Pomare IV, who ordered the construction of this building. The lighthouse of Venus Point has been fulfilling its mission for 150 years, with one exception: during the 1939-1945 war, it is said that coconut trees had been painted on the four faces of the lighthouse - at the time, the lighthouse was located in a coconut grove. Thus camouflaged, it could no longer serve as a landmark for the enemy fleet ! An emblematic monument of the tangible cultural heritage of French Polynesia, the Pointe Venus lighthouse - the first lighthouse in the South Pacific! - is today protected and maintained by the Department of Lights and Beacons of the Equipment
Service. After being renovated several times inside and out, it is still closed to the general public for security
reasons. But one never tires of admiring its elegant silhouette which enlivens the horizon.
The polynesian Post is proud to honor Jean-Jacques MAHUTEAU, illustrator of most stamps in New
Caledonia, who designed the New Caledonian stamp commemorating the 150th anniversary of the lighting
of the Amédée lighthouse, issued in November 2015.
For the 150th anniversary of the inauguration of the Venus Point lighthouse, he did a goldsmith work not
only on the stamp and the envelope cover and first day postmark, but also on the outline of the 10 stamps full
sheet takes up all the highlights related to the birth and life of the lighthouse.
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| Unit price: 160 FCFP (1,34 €) |
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