However, the foundations of some buildings had been constructed with stones from the great marae of Mahaiatea. For the former subjects of Teva, even those who had converted to Christianity since the 1820s, this affront to the gods boded ill.
However, between 1869-1874, the price of cotton collapsed. By 1872, the bankruptcy of the company was inevitable: it was declared by the Papeete court in 1873. The estate was sold on August 31, 1875, and became a sugar cane plantation under the ownership of Laharrague, Robin et Cie.
In 1898, the Agricultural Bank (future Socredo) bought the estate, which was dismantled into several lots. One of the shareholders of the French Company, Victor Raoulx, revived the sugar cane production at the beginning of the 20th century, while also setting up a rum distillery. By the time of his death in 1914, the business was thriving, and the Papara Rum Distillery was famous throughout Polynesia.
Sources: The chronological data in this article are mostly from the website www.tahitiheritage.pf.
Comentarios