Moorea

Moorea is a small, heart-shaped island that is very close to Tahiti, just to the West.  There is a lot of tourism there also, which is understandable since it is very easily accessed by air or by ferry from Tahiti.  It was the most picturesque of all the Society Islands we visited, but the shoreline is dotted with all of the over water bungalow hotels, and there’s quite a bit of traffic on the road along the water that circles the island.  We had a four-hour motor sail from Papeete to Baie d’Opunohu on the north side of Moorea. This is a stunning location.  The first place we anchored was just inside the fringing reef, but outside the mouth of the bay, and we were there with probably 20 other boats.  The water was a gorgeous blue, and seemed crystal clear from the surface, but compared to the Tuamotus, the snorkeling was crappy.  Poor visibility.  Dead coral.  Not many fish.  Fortunately, there was a very nice public beach with a large grassy area right near where we were anchored, so we spent some time there hanging out and playing football and soccer.  Well, the four boys played.  I mostly walked around looking for stores and doing general recon.  From here was also a very easy dinghy ride across the mouth of the bay to the other side to the site where you can swim with sting rays and reef sharks.  The intercontinental hotel is also right near there, and they didn’t care that we tied our dinghy up to their dock, walked around, and hung out by their pool.  Drinks and snacks were ridiculously expensive there, but it was just about a mile walk from there up the main road to a small shopping center and a few restaurants.  

For a change of scenery, we moved anchor locations to deep inside Baie d’Opunohu to a spot referred to as Robinson’s cove.  Here, the holding was not great as it is deep soft mud, and while setting the anchor we actually dragged a bit before digging in.  But we held firm as a front blew over with strong winds and pouring rain.  There was so much rain in such a short period of time that the deep water in the bay went from its usual dark blue color to a gross brown from the land runoff.

From this location we had easy shore access to a “trail head” to go up the hill to The Belvedere (which I think means lookout or view in French).  Trail head is in quotes, because it wasn’t a trail but a road, and it wasn’t so much a hike as an uphill walk.  But the five of us were together as a family, and we had a great day.  Along the way there is an agricultural school that has a little outdoor cafe where they sell juices and sorbet, and we all enjoyed a snack and a rest from our grueling hike.  Once we got all the way to the top, we realized why all the guidebooks say you must do this, because the view was absolutely stunning.  It overlooked both Opunohu Bay and Cooks bay to the East.  We enjoyed some peanut butter crackers, chased some wild chickens around (OK, that was only Brenden), and got wet in the rain before heading back down the hill.   

Moorea is a small island, so we decided to rent a car for the day to drive around and see the sights.  We picked it up at the Intercontinental Hotel, and there was either no notice or no concern that my CA driver’s license is expired.  So, we circumnavigated the island on four wheels, and to be honest there wasn’t a whole lot to see.  I think overall we made just three stops: 1) A mock traditional Tahitian village where they do dinners and shows for tourists.  There was no activity while we were there, so we just wandered around, snapped a few photos, and made fun of ourselves for stopping at such a tourist trap.  2) The Champion grocery store.  Since we had the car and all I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to get some heavy provisions like UHT milk.  3) A lookout point facing East with a view of Tahiti.  OK, this was worth it.  There were amazing views of the Moorea reef as well as of Tahiti and the ocean beyond.  This almost made the cost of the rental car worth it.  When we got back to the boat there was still a lot of daylight, but we really couldn’t think of any other use for the car.  We offered it to Lady Carolina, but they didn’t need it either, so Tim ended up using the time to go to the gas station to fill some jerry cans with gasoline.  I’m pretty sure Steve went with him, you know, because errands like that need moral support.  And maybe they stopped for a beer.  Maybe.