Baked Papaya and Coconut Pudding

On Moorea, my friend Tépoé took me to an arearea raa, a Tahitian feast. She knew I wanted to see a genuine ahima’a, or earth-pit oven, in action. I had phoned her from Papeete and she suggested I take the ferry over and stay the night because the feast would last well into the evening, probably after the departure of the last ferry. (Before we go further, I must tell you that Tépoé is beautiful, one exquisite product of interracial marriages in the Society Islands. Tépoé, herself, is