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Published: January 27th 2009
Majestic Moorea
The island is glowing with its stunning beauty January 21st
Daniel, Katherine and I woke at 5am because today was the day we wanted to make a push to visit the island of Moorea. We left the lodge at 6 and were on a bus 15 minutes later once we had realised that we needed to flag the buses down. It is one of those lessons one forgets at this hour, fun though.
The bus ride was a new experience for us; there were people with no shoes but who had a mobile phone and an ipod. Katherine had noted earlier that the economic disparity here is small, so I guess that these are the people who buy the best gadgets or just drink their money away.
We arrived at the ferry dock and bought our tickets just in time for the 0725 ferry to Moorea. It was a pleasant half an hour ride to the island. We arrived and realised that there was no way of travelling the island without a car, so we rented a 5-door Fiat after a bit of haggling for the day for $70. Moorea was far less built up than Tahiti
Sweeet
This was the first postcard photo and it happened after 5 minutes from getting in the car with even more picturesque beaches.
First port of call was their best beach, according to the bumpf that had been placed in the car. The beach was covered in white sands, palm trees, wooden huts with banana leaf roofs situated over the water and the clearest of blue waters. We changed in the car park all not looking at each other and a hop, skip and a jump we were in the ‘piss warm’ waters as Daniel literally translates from colloquial German.
After a nice chunk of laughing and complaining that life really isn't all that bad while wallowing in the shallows, we donned our snorkelling gear. We ‘pikeyed’ (‘nicked’ for those who haven’t seen the film Snatch) 'our' gear from Ralph, Taaroa’s boss, without telling him. He didn’t mind, he spent most of his days surfing and one corner in the lodge is full of photos of him with dreads leaning out of his wagon and trophies for his efforts on the waves littered all around the place.
Daniel rather cunningly brought an underwater case for his camera that was the best!! As you can see the photos were worth
it and before we left, we swapped all of our pics. The beach was mostly white sand with the occasional big rock, which was so cool because there were no sea urchins. Every big rock that we went to we would find a small array of fish all chillin’ in its shadows, it was hard to take ones eyes off the fish.
Afterwards we cruised into a 5-star hotel and took some of the best photos of paradise you will ever see on any postcard and Katherine had a microsleep in a hammock, which made both Daniel and I quite jealous that there weren’t any more hammocks.
Back on the road and Katherine wants a black pearl, which is a rare thing. I had not heard of black pearls until we visited Tahiti. We stopped at a ‘no-name’ place that sold mostly tat and a few pearls. Katherine saw such a beautiful one and managed to haggle the woman down. Then we cruised up to the highest point we could drive a massive 220m above sea level. The highest hills were over 1000m (fyi) and our little fiat was struggling to get up the
Hovis - best of both
Shot is half underwater - thanks Daniel! dirt road, which was surrounded by jungle if you will.
There were huge trees with hanging roots that once reached the ground bore themselves into the reddish brown dirt. First gear was a must and, as it was a rental car, I let the revs go much higher than if it were my car. About half way up, we were rewarded with tarmac and I was then taking the racing line around tight hairpins and chicanes, it was a lot of fun. We reached the top and were rewarded with a cracking view of two bays, namely Cooks and Opunohu. There were some juvenile delinquents learning to ride a motorbike, one of them just kept stalling the thing and I remembered learning to drive and Dad saying, “Give it more welly”. We got snappy happy and then an agent for the Tiki Village told us all about the island and, naturally, told us to go to the Tiki Village, he promised burgers at US$5. We were sold.
So, back in the car we got and held the car in second gear letting the engine do the braking, it kind of felt like we were
Tee hee
I have water up my nose and it's awesome back in LA in Universal Studios on one of there rides again. We got back down safely and headed round the island to this Tiki Village because we were now proper hank marvin (starvin)!
We arrived and to our surprise, I don’t know what we were expecting, it was a whole village made from wood and had sun bleached leaf roofs. There were lots of arts and crafts huts, a few shop huts, huts with just black and white photos in them and then we arrived at one huge hut that was beautifully sat right by the beach and overlooking two boat houses and reefs going out to the edge of a lagoon where at the edge of the lagoon waves were crashing with quite a force. I don’t think one photo does it justice.
While we were eating our burgers, which were $5 and delicious, we were entertained by Maori dances in time with the beating of drums. I’ll remember their outfits; they were so colourful and outrageous. Then after our meal one guy, who mentioned he was going to Manchester soon to play his music, took us three out on a home
made catamaran and told us all about the black pearl trade and how they’re made. They can’t have too much fresh water, so note where the rivers fall into the sea, and are naturally found around 15-30m deep. It takes four years for a little one! Poor things.
Then we had a little snorkel at the Tiki Village but Katherine didn’t like the seaweed so a quick shower and back into the car to find a better snorkelling place. We stopped once more before we completed a lap of the island but it too was not that ideal. So, we quickly razzed it to the first idyllic beach we went to. We only had half an hour or so in the water before we needed to drop off the car and catch the last ferry back to Tahiti, which was at 1650. This was done with probably 10 minutes to spare and before we knew it, we were off looking back at Moorea and sad to leave.
We had a quick wander in Papeete but it is a bit of a hole, especially after being on Moorea, all built up with spray paint everywhere
and dirty compared to the pristine Moorea. The last bus left at 5 so we had to take a taxi, we haggled and got a good price. It was then supper and then due to a ridicously early start we were in bed by 8. It was one of the best days of our lives, a day like no other and will remain in all of our memories forever.
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mum
non-member comment
wow
So great to get another entry - now that we are hooked you have to keep sending them! Sounds like you are having an amazing time - meanwhile here the temperature hovers around minus 15! Lucky you. Please send more pictures - we haven't had any from Tahiti. On the home front, as I write this Jack and the boys are hammering in the basement. George you wouldn't recognize it - beautiful, smooth concrete floor! love to you both mum