December 20, 2000

December 20, 2000

This morning we awoke moored off Moorea. It is a heart-shaped island just west of Tahiti. There are two narrow inlets on the north shore. We are anchored in the western one named Opunohu Bay. Captain Cook anchored here too when he visited in 1769 to observe the transit of Venus across the sun.

We tendered ashore and rented a car. We give ourselves the circle tour. But first we make a detour inland to Belvedere Lookout. On the road up we stop to see a couple Marae religious platforms hidden in the dense jungle of Banyan trees. At the lookout point we are rewarded with a great view of the famous bays and the jagged mountain peaks. The most famous peak is one that resembles a shark’s tooth (Mt Rotui). The rest of our journey follows the coast clockwise. We stop at a pineapple factory and distillery for a tour and tasting. We can’t help but buy a bottle of Coconut Rum hoping to bring some ambience (and Pina Coladas) back to Chicago with us.

We also stop at a couple of the nicer hotels to get a close up view of a typical upscale resort on Moorea for when we return in the future. The guest rooms are grass huts built on stilts over the water. Pretty Cool! We also stop at a roadside store/attraction called Aquarium de Moorea run by Teva Yrondi (Teva seems to be the John of Tahiti). It is an eccentric mix of water contraptions and patio trinkets set amongst flower gardens. On the east side of the island we stop in the village of Afareaitu and take a hike to a beautiful silky thin waterfall. It is getting late so we drive straight through the south and west shores to arrive back at the rental car outfit.