Heart-shaped Moorea is 48 square miles, with two distinct bays at its north end, Cook's Bay (named after Captain James Cook, who visited in 1777), and sacred Opunohu Bay. Polynesian legend has it that an octupus living on Mount Totui split the island to create the two bays, and if you drive to Belvedere Point, you can see both at the same time. With luck, friendly dogs will romp around in your foreground shot as well.
On the way to this incredible view, you can also visit ancient Polynesian ceremonial sites, called marae. Marae Titiroa was probably built in the 12th to 14th century and used in some way until the 19th century. Here you see Steven next to a rectangular rock wall, with a small platform at one end. Chiefs and priests sat on the platform and received gifts of tubers, fish, dogs, and pigs (and according to some sources, human sacrifices of captured enemies!). Nearby is a "council platform" where chiefs convened.
The sites are surrounded bya very humid jungle with tangled roots and branches that reach up twenty feet and trees that grow in thin half circles.
Many hike here, but start early to avoid the worst of the humidity.
Having seen some interior, we headed back to the island ring road. Nearby is the Manatua Distillery where you can sample fruit flavored liquers, rum, and wine, and top it off with some pineapple vanilla fruit juice.
The liquor is flavored with sugar cane, grown right on the island. There is a self guided tour of the factory where you can watch juice boxes being filled on an assembly line. We took home some "Anacoc" liquer to remember our visit (pineapple coconut).
Our VBRO hostess, Nathalie, vouched for Bloody Mary's, a Bora Bora institution since 1979. Make a reservation, she advised. So we did. We were treated to an open air restaurant built out of bamboo and thatch, with sand for a floor.
Two excellent Polynesian musicians completed the vibe.
I had their signature Bloody Mary cocktail (spicy!) to start and then we were ushered to a ice bed displaying the catch of the day, plus fresh meats from New Zealand. Once you make your selection, they grill it up for you. We both selected mahi mahi that was then cooked in coconut milk in a foil packet. Quite delicious.
We also left a souvenir of our visit with the restaurant. My sister Alyce gifts me $2 bills every birthday, and I decided to add my $2 to the wall of dollars (and a few British pounds).
The bulletin board was a good four feet by twelve feet. That's a lot of dollars.
We are now enjoying the beautiful island of Moorea. After a slight flight delay in Bora Bora, occupied by drinking cafe au lait at the Pora Pora coffee shop while looking out at turquoise lagoon, we flew Air Tahiti to the island of Moorea to explore one more island.
Moorea (Tahitian for "yellow lizard") has 18,000 inhabitants, versus 10,000 for Bora Board. It is also just a 30 minute ferry ride away from the big island of Tahiti. Like Bora Bora, it has a range of volcanic mountains with dramatic craggy peaks. It too has an atoll that rings the island, though not as dramatically as Bora Bora.
But every island in the chain has it's own special attributes, and Moorea is known for its visits by about a thousand humpback whales every winter (our summer).
After fattening up in Antarctica, they swim over 3,000 miles to Moorea, to give birth, mate and rest. They don't eat at all while visiting French Polynesia (unlike the human tourists), losing about a third of their weight before returning to Antarctica. They come singly (juveniles not ready to breed), as mother and calf, and sometimes, as "hit and runs" - one female pursued by many males.
While never guaranteed, we hoped to see one or more humpback whales on a snorkel boat tour. And bonne chance, after two tries of patiently scanning the water outside the atoll (the whales can stay submerged up to 20 minutes at a time), our tour guides found a juvenile humpback whale, out playing with dolphins. She (or he) circled near our boat, and gave us a nice tale flip. I've included some stock footage here, as you blink and you will often miss their above water antics. While we had hoped to actually swim with the whales, the Tahitian government has decided it's in the whales' best interest to limit human contact, which is now permitted only starting in August. In July, boats must stay 300 meters away.
That was tour excitement number one. Tour excitement numbers two, three and four, was swimming with green sea turtles, black tipped reef sharks, and finally, and most incredibly, petting friendly stingrays.
While being surrounded by sharks that are 3-5 feet long gives you a few tingles, they do not compare to having a stingray come up to you for a rub. The stingrays have become so habituated to humans, they gather as soon as they hear a boat engine, expecting food. (However, "chumming" is no longer practiced.) We stopped in turquoise water about four feet deep and stepped down into a colony of stingrays, with reef sharks circling at a polite distance. You are allowed to touch the sides of the stingrays, which are smooth and rubbery. Our tour guide held one up, to show us the ray's mouth. And while they do have a long tail that can also sting, you are perfectly safe. (Steve Irwin's death by a stingray was a very rare aberration. But ironically, our son Samuel was stung by a stingray in San Diego while we were frolicing with our own stingrays. He recovered, but it was painful.)
Our tour operator was Moorea Moana Tours. Highly recommend.
It is now 9:43 a.m. local time on the island of Moorea, and it is raining. Hard. We are perfectly dry under our thatched roof on the patio of our overwater bungalow. Off in the distance is the Paul Gaugin tour ship, sailboats, and mountain peaks, obscured by rain. I've just snorkeled off our dock, a pleasant 15 minute glide over shoulder high waters. I managed to step out just before the deluge.
Now I ask for your indulgence as I peruse my water resistant snorkeling guide, Les Poisson de Tahiti, and list all the fish of Tahiti I have seen so far, in no particular order.
Moorfish Idols,
Whitebanded Triggerfishs,
Flutemouths,
Black Triggerfishs (hundreds, swimming with black tipped sharks),
Scissor-Tail Sergeants,
Banded Sereant (easily confused with Scissor-Tail Sergeants),
Firefish (the fins end in spikes, not to be touched!),
Puffer fish of various kinds,
Black-tipped sharks,
Manta rays,
Spotted eagle rays,
Stingrays,
Snappers (I think),
Squaretail Mullets (they look like they're swimming upside down),
Flounders (white, and beneath the stingrays),
Flying Gurnard (yes, they fly out of the water),
Threadfin Butterflyfish,
Greasy groupers,
and many more not in my guide that I hope to identify, like the guy above.
p.s. I must add green sea turtles, and sea cucumbers, though they are not fish.
You can spend $2,000 a night for an overwater bungalow in Bora Bora, and Vincent, our Bora Bora snorkel tour guide (see previous post), has ferried the likes of Justin Beiber and Jeff Bezos to some of them.
We elected to stay in a home rented out by VBRO, far cheaper and homier. "Coco's Place" is built on stilts in a hillside across from the lagoon in the northern end of the main island, in the Fanuui district. From our living room window we could see five bungalows that, it turns out, were occupied by the likes of Marlon Brando and Jack Nicholson.
Our VBRO host, Barthelemey, a Bora Bora native, knew all about the association with Brando when we asked. He told us that he was either an actual relative of Brando (Brando apparently had a Polynesian girlfriend), or there were relatives of Brando's still on the island. Hard to really confirm which is which, given my rusty French. He also slipped in that Jack Nicholson and friends had stayed at three of the bungalows. And to think, the famous had lived across the road from us. Four of the five are available for vacation rentals, at about $400 a night.
While there is some shore side snorkeling in Bora Bora (south side of Matira Beach is great), to see rays, sharks, and maybe a humpback whale, you need a guide. We got a great one in Vincent, a French man with Tahitian tatoos, and island resident of 25 years. OUr group included three French tourists and four Americans, so Vincent happily narrated in both languages.
Starting mid-island in Vaitape, we circumnavigated the island looking for choice snorkeling spots. Our first stop was a coral nursery in shallow turquoise water, with blue and purple clams (as they open, the inside is bright blue or purple), and iridiscent juvenile fish. Much of the coral was also purple, but Vincent told us this color was a sign of stress. Healthy Tahitian coral is normally mustard colored. But the lagoon has been three degrees warmer than normal over the last several winters (July is winter in Tahiti), and parts of Bora Bora's coral beds are stressed.
Vincent next took us to deeper water to see manta rays, the largest rays in Bora Bora. Vincent told us there is a manta ray in the area that is 21 feet long, though she lives outside the lagoon. Manta rays can also jump eight feet or more out of the water; Vincent has seen it himself twice. But for us, today, it was love season for the manta rays, with the males chasing the females. The females are bigger and faster, but really, it all looks like an elegant underwater dance. Depths change abruptly at this location, from six inches to 90 feet. (Another good reason to go with a guide.)
Last, we went to a spot Vincent knew was frequented by the smaller, dotted eagle rays. From our boat, they look like black rocks that glide. And bonne chance, we found a group. In we went again. A group of five or six were circling about in turquoise clear water. And then, not too far away, I spotted a black tipped reef shark. Our boatmates from Texas estimated it was five feet long, though hard to say.
After that, well exhausted, we finished our tour at Matira Beach. We had worked up an appetite, and had Poisson Cru du Coco (raw tuna in coconut milk, a famous Polynesian dish) at a small snack shop near by with a view of white sand and turquoise water.
The tour we used was Tohora Bora Bora and our guide was Vincent. He's out on these waters five days a week, and snorkels with you (along with his bright red life ring, to guide you and save you, should that be necessary). Highly recommend!
Tahiti is known for its inexpensive and tasty foodtrucks (roulettes), staffed by friendly locals. We had a chance to try one in Vaitape, the main village of Bora Bora. The parking lot of the Bora Home Depot* had been transformed at night into a food court (Bora Home BBQ) serving chicken, steak, and thon (that's French for tuna).
Friendly dogs roam at will on this island, and one pup (I'll call him Roving Rufus) visited us, waiting patiently for scraps. He could sense we were easy targets, ignoring all the locals. I'm not sure what the protocol is on begging dogs in Bora Bora. They all look well fed and happy. But let's just say some chicken may have slipped from my plate anyway.
*While the signage for the Bora Home Depot sign has the same orange shade of the U.S. Home Depot, we strongly suspect there is no affiliation between the two companies. Here you see that same parking lot in daylight hours.
How do you find a trailhead in Bora Bora? My guidebook said Tereia Pont was 5 miles north of the main village of Vaitape. Not a lot to go on there, so a link to alltrails.com was thoughtfully provided. Alltrails.com was no help (perhaps because we had the free version?). After driving past the trailhead multiple times, we consulted the oracle that is the Internet. Finally, some kind soul posted that it was 30m from the Pearl resort ferry pickup. And voila, the trailhead was this incredibly steep driveway, apparently used as a tsunami exit route. However, to exit the tsunami in your vehicle you would need a four wheel drive and courage. But low and behold, we spotted a four wheel drive doing just that. (We suspect a tour guide was at the wheel; don't try this in your rental car).
So we sweated our way to the top of the tsunumi exit driveway, where our guidebook assured us it then "levels out." I think "levels out" is a bit of an overstatement, but we sailored on, because not too away was the point of the hike, to see abandoned WWII naval guns.
After Pearl Harbour, a race was on by the U.S. Army and Navy to provide refueling and safe harbour for sailors and soldiers fighting in the South Pacific. On February 17, 1942, the 1,500 inhabitants of Bora Bora awakened to find over 4,000 American G.I.'s landing on their tiny island. Over the next four years, the G.I.'s constructed an oil depot, an airstrip, a seaplane base, and defensive fortifications. That included finding a way to haul the heavy gun you see here up a steep cliff.
After hauling that gun up, the G.I.'s were rewarded with a spectacular view of the lagoon that encircles the mainland. Steven is admiring the view here next to a concrete lookout. Bora Bora never saw military action. The G.I.'s that landed here spent the war in a safe paradise.
Yesterday we flew Air Tahiti to one of the most famous islands in the world - Bora Bora. The two islands are about 170 miles apart, hence our puddle hopper flight, though those with more time take one of the several ferries that hop between islands. Our plane appeared to be of an older French design, with tray tables held up by a rubber band and directions in Tahitian, French and English. At 45 minutes in duration, there was only time for some local fruit juice refreshment. Mostly we were gawking at the scenery, as we passed other islands in the archipelago.
We disembarked on a motu,a reef islet formed by broken coral and sand, surrounding an atoll. In other words, it’s a very small island, and it's across from the mainland of Bora Bora. So our flight also includes a boat ride from that motu to the main village of Vaitape.
Amidst this jaw dropping scenery, I was struck by the quotidien task of unloading all that luggage. It's all old school.
Sweating burly Polynesians take off the suitcases from the plane, bring them over to be claimed, then we roll them a few yards to another cart, where the same burly sweating Polynesians load them on rolling carts to be stowed in our ferry. But then, how many claim they have jobs that give them views like this?
Having purchased the phone sim card, and comfy sneakers for Steven, we were free to wander about downtown Papeete like the tourists we were. Many locals were here too, dressed in vibrant Polynesian prints and flip flops. Here, in the middle of downtown, was also a cathedral. Named Notre Dame, but not to be confused with the Parisian edifice, it was built between 1867 and 1875 and is the oldest standing Catholic church on Tahiti.
Outside, two local girls ate their McDonald Happy Meals on the steps, and roosters and stray dogs wandered freely about. Inside is a lovely handcarved wooden Madonna, Tahitian style.
Not far away is the famoue Papeete Market on Rue Francois Cardella. My guidebook says it's not to be missed. It opens at the uncivilized hour of 5:30 a.m., mostly for the sale of fresh fish, but you can also get fresh produce, lunch, and local handicrafts here. I picked up a handcarved shell necklace of a manta ray (1600 CFP), moloi oils (1500 CFP) and a locally made pereu (sarong) (1200 CFP).
Unless you come in by boat (and even then, I suspect), everyone starts their Tahiti vacation in Papeete, flying into the Faa'a airport.
Papeete, pronounced pa-pay-EH-tay, is the capital of Tahiti and the biggest city around. According to our taxi driver, it has 200,000 residents, an impressive number for an island just 28 miles across and over 3,000 nautical miles away from any big land mass (that would be Australia).
We explored Papeete yesterday as both tourist and a husband in need of new tennis shoes. This lead us to Carrefour Le Plaza, the elegant mall across from our hotel, frequented by Pappeetean locals. Here Steven viewed and rejected tennis shoes at the local sports store, got a phone sim card from Vini, a French phone company, and I wandered the isles of Carrefour, the French hypermarche, which has absolutely everything a person needs - underwear, electronics, pareos (sarongs), croissants, etc. And because this was also in the mall, we stopped at Brioche Doree for coffee, quiches and croissants. Here I tried my high school French while ordering. The cashier put me out of my misery by replying in English.
Fortified with our petit dejeuner, we headed off for the 30 minute walk to downtown Papeete, our final goal the Papeete Market, the largest "farmer's market" in French Polynesia. On the way we encountered napping dogs and crowing roosters, both free to move about the island. We also walked through the Paofai Gardens, a shady stretch of park along the Pacific, filled with locals and their kids.
Here we encountered this monument to the 1984 Autonomie. According to Wikipedia, "in 1977, French Polynesia was granted partial internal autonomy from France; in 1984, the autonomy was extended. French Polynesia became a full overseas collectivity of France in 2003." I am not clear what a "collectivity" is; sounds like "colony" to me, but I will study this further.
In any event, we did make it to downtown Papeete and bought some comfy Skechers for Steven. Next up, Papeete like a tourist.
In an unusual turn of events, I am up at 6 a.m. This is possible because Steven and I are on our bucket list trip to Tahiti, and French Polynesia is three hours behind California (and a mere 4,100 miles away). We arrived last night at the Fa'aa airport on Papeete, Tahiti's capital, after a pleasant 8 hour flight from SFO. We stepped out into balmy 75 degree weather, then were greeted by Polynesian musicians and ladies in floor length pareus, who most pleasantly took our immigration forms. A native taxi driver taught us some French Polynesian (aka Tahitian) as he took us to our hotel. We then lounged by the pool, cocktails in hand. Now I'm up early to have some coffee while I watch the sun rise over the Pacific.
I think this is going to be a most excellent vacation.
