Māhina is a commune in the north of Tahiti in French Polynesia, an overseas territory of France in the Pacific Ocean. Māhina is located on the island of Tahiti, in the administrative subdivision of the Windward Islands, themselves part of the Society Islands. Māhina is the 5th most populous commune in French Polynesia with a population of 14,764 (2017 census), in an area of 52 km2. Mount Orohena is a nearby mountain. History The area of Māhina was first settled by early Polynesians. Large, double-hulled canoes made out of tree trunks were used to sail across the Pacific, some vessels making it to Tahiti. In 1768, Captain James Cook was sent to Tahiti to observe the Transit of Venus. He set up his observatory in Māhina, on the black sand beach at the end of Matavai Bay, now called Pointe Vénus. He later sailed off to nearby Moʻoreʻa and a few years later, he sailed to New Zealand and Australia. Charles Darwin had later come to Tahiti on his expedition. Don the Beachcomber had lived in Tahiti until his house was destroyed by a cyclone. The Faʻaʻā International Airport in Faʻaʻā was built in 1962, 16 km away from Māhina. In 2007, Air Moorea flight 1121 crashed right after take of from Faʻaʻā Airport on its way to Moʻoreʻa, killing all 20 people on board. Transportation Tahiti's 5 km west coast freeway called RDO (Route de Dégagement Ouest) ends in nearby Papeʻete and smaller 2-lane roads lead to the ending of the freeway through the city of Papeʻete. The main roads in Māhina are paved, while some roads further inside the island turn into dirt tracks and lead deep into valleys. Geography Māhina is on the northern coast of Tahiti about 9 meters above mean sea level. The commune of Arue is located to the west of Māhina. Mount Orohena is the tallest mountain in French Polynesia at 7,300 feet. Point Venus is a nearby lighthouse on the coast and people are able to view Moʻoreʻa. Papenoo is a nearby commune that is home of the mouth of the Papenoo River. Education The University of French Polynesia is the only university in all of French Polynesia. Students from many other islands come to this university. The University of French Polynesia is a relatively small university with around 2,000 students. High schools are found throughout Tahiti. Some students in Māhina will