On May 4th, 1964, amidst the whirlwind of Beatlemania, John Lennon, Cynthia Lennon, George Harrison, and Pattie Boyd embarked on a much-needed escape from the pressures of fame. Their destination? The sun-soaked shores of Hawaii and Tahiti. Organized by the Beatles’ press officer Derek Taylor, the trip was cloaked in secrecy, complete with fake identities and decoys to evade the relentless press.
The group flew from London to Hawaii and then on to Tahiti, where they rented a sailing boat to explore the serene waters of the Pacific. To avoid unwanted attention, the famous quartet adopted pseudonyms for their adventure: John and Cynthia were the Leslies, George Harrison became Mr. Hargreaves, and Pattie Boyd was Miss Bond. Derek Taylor later described the extraordinary lengths taken to maintain their privacy, involving “code names, disguises, decoys, and unmarked cars.”
Though their holiday began with rough seas and sea-sickness for George and Cynthia, the weather soon cleared, revealing the breathtaking beauty of Tahiti. George Harrison described the experience in vivid detail:
“It was incredible; a smooth lagoon with the island in the background, with mountains and coconut palms. Five or six Tahitians were paddling an outrigger canoe, gliding across the calm sea. It blissed me out.”
Cynthia Lennon echoed this sense of tranquility:
“We lay on deck, swam, talked and ate and, best of all, the press never found us.”
Despite being on holiday, John Lennon couldn’t help but continue his creative work. He spent time on the boat writing material for his second book, A Spaniard in the Works. In true Lennon fashion, he and George also entertained themselves by borrowing the black wigs that Cynthia and Pattie had brought for their disguises. The two shot a playful 8mm film, with John playing the role of a missionary emerging from the ocean.
One memorable moment during the trip occurred when they went shopping in Papeete, Tahiti. John stumbled upon a collection of coconut figures that he found amusing and decided to purchase a few. These coconuts traveled back with him and eventually ended up in the basement of his estate at Tittenhurst Park. Years later, Apple Corps CEO Neil Aspinall, while helping sort through the belongings at Tittenhurst, came across the coconuts and asked John if he could keep them. John happily agreed.
In a funny twist of fate, as time passed, John began to bear an uncanny resemblance to one of the coconuts he had bought all those years ago!
Now, decades after this tropical getaway, the last two surviving coconuts from the trip have made their public debut at the Liverpool Beatles Museum. On September 26th these quirky souvenirs were unveiled to a select audience of dedicated Beatles fans at 23 Mathew Street. This is a must-see for any fan curious about the more light-hearted, hidden moments of Beatle history.
Come and witness a piece of Beatles history that has never been shown to the public before – the coconuts that travelled with John Lennon across the Pacific and remained a cherished memory of his island adventure.