Harrison Smith Botanical Garden: A South Pacific Oasis

The Harrison Smith Botanical Garden, also known as Jardin Botanique de Papeari, is located on the west coast of Tahiti. This garden's unusual story began in the early 1900s with Harrison Willard Smith, an American physics professor who, after inheriting money, sought a simpler life in Tahiti. From 1920 to 1925, he purchased land and established Motu Ovini (Wild Islet), a 137-hectare domain where he planted hundreds of varieties of flowers, plants, and exotic trees from the Americas, Asia, and Africa. Smith, known as the “Grandfather of the Trees,” freely shared his botanical knowledge and plants with the local community. The garden became a meeting place for sharing plants and botanical knowledge. Although some of Smith's introduced species became invasive, impacting the local ecosystem, the garden remains a testament to his vision and passion for tropical flora. The garden features meandering pathways through water lily ponds, a swampy mape forest, palms, ferns, and exotic blooms. While the garden faced neglect and disrepair at times, it was renovated and restored in 2017. Today, visitors can explore this botanical time capsule and experience the serene beauty of Tahiti's flora.