Considered a hot spot of tourism (in more ways than one), the Windward island of Moorea is our port of call today. Known as Tahiti's little sister, this island is square kilometers with 17,816 natives. The circumference is 37 miles with the highest mountain being Mont Tohiea at 3959 feet in elevation. Mt. Rotui at 2948 feet is considered the sacred mountain of the ancient Polynesians. Belvedere Point is a stop on most tours at 790 feet high. Mou'a Puta Mt. has a hole through the peak and is 2722 feet high. It can be summited on foot, but it is highly suggested that you use an experienced local guide. Not a worry for us, as we would have no intentions of doing that.
The Zaandam sailed into Opunohu Bay, less famous than Cook's Bay, but where Captain Cook first anchored in 1777. The anchor was dropped and the tenders would take the folks to shore at a dock at Papetoai. There are no traffic jams here like you see in Papeete. However, we do recall on a previous visit years ago, we had taken a ferry from Papeete on a tour with our travel host at that time. At the ferry dock, we took an island bus that took us to a beach for the day. We did encounter bumper-to-bumper traffic later that afternoon, making our host a nervous wreck. If we had missed the last ferry to Papeete and back to our ship, we would have been stuck overnight on the island with no place to stay. It turned out OK, but that was something we did remember……leave early. By the way, there are two local buses that leave from the ferry dock to Petit Village. One goes east and the other goes west. The fare is 300 Pacific French Francs or close to $3 USD. They run Monday through Friday, and the last bus is at 3:30pm.
There were a total of 10 ship tours offered today. One was a lagoon cruise in both Cook's and Opunohu Bays for 1 ½ hours for $60. Discover Moorea was 2 ½ hours for $80, while a snorkel safari was 3 hours for $100. An island drive and Belvedere point was 3 ½ hours for $100 and Moorea highlites was $110 for 3 ¾ hours. A ride on the Ohana Catamaran was $160 for 3 ½ hour, while a dolphin watch was 3 hours for $170. The last three tours were all $180 and 3 ½ to 5 hours. One was a photo expedition and the other was a safari adventure. Last there was a motu picnic and ray feeding. No mention of sharks.
A couple of days ago while we were in Raiatea, we were offered two different tours from the locals. Both included Belvedere lookout, the pineapple plantation, fruit juice factory, the agricultural school, Opunohu and Cook's Bay. The one for $40 used a 4x4 jeep. The second tour took in a marae and a circle island by bus for $50. Neither one gave a time for the duration of the tour.
As for us, we left the ship about a half hour after open tenders were announced. That was after 10:30am. Down on A deck, we joined the short line of people waiting for the next boat. Loading was easy and we left before the tender was full. To say it was brutally hot and humid today would be an understatement. We don't remember it ever being so hot in the past. Today we would have welcomed some showers, but it never rained. Perhaps high in those mountains peaks it may have rained, but not down by the lagoon.
Over the years, things sure have changed at this tender pier in the village of Papetoai. We have always had the traditional Tahitian dancers greeting us, but now there is a very nicely built roof-covered patio that is full of local vendors. One such vendor is an elderly lady that we have visited each and every time we have been here. She is one of the few that actually creates her seashell necklaces on the premises with matching earrings. We always buy a set from her, and somehow with all of the ships that stop here annually, she still remembers us. She speaks little to no English, and we understand very little French. But somehow we seem to communicate on a basic level that leaves us all smiling. She wished us well when we left later on, and we sure hope we see her again next year….God-willing.
Going to the main road, we took a right turn and continued hiking past Mos Pizzeria that opened at dinnertime. A small supermarket was on the corner as well as an older church on the waterside. Many homes line this part of Papetoai, one of the major villages on this island. They are basic with open-air windows and narrow driveways. Some have gardens with every tropical flower you an imagine. Smart folks grow pineapples and breadfruit as well as bananas and coconuts. This produce is sold on some make-shift stands along the roadside. It is as fresh as you can get….but you have to ignore the flies.
We passed by a few eateries that were not opened yet, but were full of local cars. One family was having a birthday party for one of the kids. They had one of those bouncy blow-up structures for the little ones. And loud music. It was nice to see how many young moms and a few dads and their kids were there. No doubt they would have a good picnic.
Did we mention the heat and humidity today? It was awful and there was little wind to cool things off. We prayed for clouds, even showers, but it never happened. It was a good thing there were many trees and coconut palms to provide much needed shade along the way. Practically none of the locals walk anywhere if they do not have to. More often they will be driving motor scooters or bicycles. Some bikes were electric and there were many cars and trucks.
We always went to the Intercontinental Resort which is tiered off of the mountainsides as well as bungalows over the water. It was a beautiful setting with a restaurant patio that over-looked the lagoon. However, after Covid hit, this property shut down and has since deteriorated terribly. So sad to see, we had hoped another company would have bought it and brought it back new. So far, that has not happened.
A bit further up the road is the Holy Steak Restaurant, built above the road. We hoped they were still opened, but there did not appear to be any activity that we could see. So we walked up the steep driveway and checked inside. If we had not ventured deeper into the restaurant, we would have suspected they were not opened. There happened to be a young gal sitting behind the reception area, who never made a sound when we walked inside. We guess she was hoping we would go away. Nope, once we saw her, we asked if they were opened and she said yes. Drinks or lunch she asked? Both we said both, and then she seated us at a table by the veranda over-looking the lagoon below.
We ordered Hinano beers, the big ones, since we were in dire need of something cold and wet. So good…..we added a cheeseburger with fries, followed by a brownie dessert with ice cream, that turned out to be a lemon sorbet. Shortly after we arrived two more groups of local guests joined us in the patio off of the dining room. There still was not much of a breeze, but we had the fan which helped a lot.
Then we headed back, passing Albert's Pearl Shop. Most times when a ship is in the bay, they provide a free shuttle to this store. Of course, they are hoping people are going to buy the precious black pearl designs or even loose pearls. If nothing else, it is a free ride to this point. Today we did not see their shuttle, so it may not have been happening.
Going from tree to tree for shade, and resting on the bus bunches, we made it back to the pier. We did a little more shopping, buying a different type of jewelry set unique to this area. Very affordable with one black pearl in the center of the turtle design. The tender boat was waiting so we boarded and went back to the ship arriving by 3:30pm.
The way the ship was anchored, we had the afternoon sun beaming in the room. The veranda was almost unusable until later in the day. Captain Smit came on for his late PM talk saying that we would leave Opunohu Bay by 5pm, and head out to sea, but not directly to Tahiti, since it was only ½ mile away. He must have taken the ship out to sea, and did circles all night at 8 knots. There was a nice sunset as we left the bay in Moorea.
Dinner was good with a varied menu keeping in mind we were down to the basics of food left. There was no lettuce to be seen anywhere. Not even Caesar salad which has been available every day. We both enjoyed the shrimp cocktails with the red sauce. Making one of us very happy was the return of pork belly on the Club Orange menu. With just a mention of that last night to Pulung…here it appeared this evening. We are certain he pre-ordered it. The other entrée was a stuffed cheese manicotti, which was also just right. Desserts were one hot fudge sundae and one scoop of sorbet.
Two movies were shown this evening. In the World Stage, there was The Blue Angels, and in the Wajang they showed Top Gun Maverick. With today's heat and many water excursions, we bet neither venue was crowded. This weather has a way of draining your energy.
Tomorrow we will be in Papeete, Tahiti…..a two day stay.
Bill & Mary Ann
