SOUTH PACIFIC CRUISE: MOOREA

Statendam anchored at Moorea

Moorea is known as "The Magical Island" but actually means "Yellow Lizard" in Tahitian.  It is what one thinks of when one imagines an exotic South Pacific Island.  The ancient volcano has eroded into a heart shaped island of jagged peaks covered in lush greenery and surrounded by turquoise bays.  It is quite rural in feeling (a relief after bustling Papeete) with no large harbor.  Our ship anchored and we tendered to a dock about a mile from town.

 I wanted to mail some postcards so my objective was the post office, which was in town, a hot and muggy mile walk.  As we were debating how to get there a nice lady offered to drive us to her brother's pearl store which was near town.  She said if we bought something in the store she would take us on to town for free, otherwise it would be $5.  I figured that was better than walking  in the heat.  The store wasn't large but is a well known and respected pearl outlet called Ron Hall Tahitian Pearls.  This You Tube video gives you a great feel for this fun little shop and their beautiful black pearls.  We were not in the market for pearls but Jim found a great Tiki T-shirt so we got our "free" ride anyway.  This shell was on display in the store.  It is typical of shells in the South Pacific and I found it quite exotic looking.


In the little town we were standing on the side of the road trying to decide which restaurant to go to for coffee when a beater car stopped next to us and a blonde American looking woman leaned out to ask if we needed help finding something.  We got talking.  She was from Eureka, California.  She told us, "I came here for 10 days 27 years ago and haven't left."  She looked very happy, as did the Tahitian man grinning next to her.

We found our restaurant and settled down to watch to world go by.  First we saw this wonderful bird in the tree which I believe is a red-vented bulbul.  Apparently these are native to India and were first introduced to Fiji in the early 1900s by indentured Indian workers. 

 Then we were lucky also to see (and hear) this great looking (loud) mynah bird.

Our village had a local feel to it rather than a tourist feel.  There were lots of little handicraft shops and art galleries, in addition to the post office, which was closed.  We saw very few people from our ship there and the store owners assumed we were visiting from the nearby resort.  We found some real bargains - I got a pair of shell earrings for 500F (roughly $5) and saw the exact same earrings for sale at the pier for 2,500F! 

Moorea is a laid back, beautiful island with a population of only 16,000.  Even though it is a popular tourist destination, it certainly doesn't feel over run with visitors. It is close enough to Tahiti for commuting and weekend getaways but miles away in energy.

Bora Bora in the distance

Hilton Moorea Lagoon Resort and Spa

Once again we were treated to a spectacular South Pacific sunset as we sailed away.

Moorea was our favorite South Pacific island thus far:  a good artistic vibe, a slow pace and really, really nice people.

Next, Rangiroa and dolphins!

Audrey