Sunsets, Snorkels and Snacks

Sunsets, Snorkels and Snacks
Moorea, French Polynesia

Moorea, French Polynesia

When we were debating which island in Polynesia to visit a Facebook straw poll put Moorea right at the top of our list. It was quick and easy to get there from Tahiti and from looking at the online pictures of crystal clear waters full of sharks and rays how could we possibly not visit.

We booked ourselves on the beautiful brand new ferry for the short 40 minute crossing and like good backpackers we dragged our giant backpacks onto the bus and spent the next hour starring out of the window hoping and praying for a sign that we were headed in the right direction. After about 50 minutes we were beginning to sweat as there were just two other tourists on the bus and we had still seen no sign of our hotel. Thankfully around the next corner I saw the hotel and the bus driver pulled over without us having to run, screaming and shouting to the front.

As with everywhere accommodation in Moorea was expensive and so we decided to pay that slight bit more than the basic hostels were offering and stay in a hotel with its own little beach and reef. What a treat it was, our room was gorgeous and aside from two offset villas and a palm tree we had a sea view. We really had gone up in the world. However our going up in the world stopped there as when we looked at the pricelist for the restaurant we decided that we would need to locate a grocery store and feed ourselves for the next few days. Thankfully a short stroll down the road was a little shop where we stocked up on bottled water, French baguettes, cheese, pate, Doritos and sunset drinks to last the next four days.

Moorea was an absolute slice of paradise, the ocean was clear, the sand white, the sun shone from dawn to dusk, we had a spectacular sunset every evening and we generally just relaxed and enjoyed our time.

Despite our best efforts snorkelling the reef in front of the hotel was just an absolute nightmare, we constantly had the battle of either strong currents or too shallow waters so we called it quits and booked a boat tour to take us to the infamous Moorea Lagoon. Little did we realise that this lagoon was actually right outside our hotel and we could have hired kayaks to get there but hey ho, the boat trip was fantastic so we had no complaints.

The Moorea Lagoon was as good if not better than any place that we have ever snorkelled in our lives. Whilst it is called a lagoon it is open ocean and it just happens to be a shallow sand patch where rays and sharks gather. Unfortunately French Polynesia is a little behind the times and they do feed the rays to bring them closer which I think was totally unnecessary, especially because it makes the rays clamber over the people and having been climbed on by a huge slimy ray, I can confirm that it is not a pleasant experience. We kept our distance from the ray feeding and just floated as 20 or more black tip reef sharks just circled and darted between us. In the shallow clear warm blue water of the lagoon this experience was just mind blowing. We could have stayed here all day but sadly we had an island lunch which was a welcome break from cheese sandwiches and Doritos to be had.

Our afternoon on the island was amazing, we made and ate amazing fresh tuna ceviche, we learned how to tie a sarong for at least 10 different occasions, we drank coconut milk and swam in the clear calm ocean. On our journey around the island we drove past everyone relaxing (as much as you can with scores of speedboats full of tourists gawping at you) staying at the overwater bungalows at the Hilton and Intercontinental Resorts. My heart sank a little when in this island paradise with oceans full of magnificent creatures I saw a pool of captive dolphins for tourists to swim with in the middle of the Intercontinental hotel. So so sad, it breaks my heart. It has been a while since I have had a rant about it but I would urge everyone to seek out a copy of Blackfish and The Cove and I am sure that you too will have a different view of these kind of captive centres afterwards.

Every night we made the most of the sun until the very last second and had a drink on the pier to watch the beautiful sunset. Before we knew it our time on Moorea was over and we were stood in the road hoping and praying that the bus would pass us and take us back to the ferry as we really didn’t want to be paying taxi prices. We did get sun burned and attacked by mosquitos whilst waiting but eventually the bus came and delivered us in plenty of time for the ferry back to Tahiti.

As we were waiting for the ferry we were suddenly overwhelmed by the sheer number of large matching suitcases all bearing Oceania Cruise tags. Looking around the average age of the cruisers was definitely over 60 as we had predicted. We had nervous butterflies as we decided to follow the crowds and added our very own Oceania Cruise tags to our backpacks.

We had a perfect smooth sailing back to Tahiti and on our arrival we could see our home for the next 17 days, the huge, shiny, immaculate Oceania Marina was towering over the other boats moored in the harbour.

We had thought that we would be drinking coffee in the ferry terminal to burn up time before we could get on the cruise but it turned out that following the masses with their matching oversized cases we could go straight on board.

So here we were about to experience our very first real cruise island hopping around French Polynesia and onwards to Pitcairn Island, Easter Island and Lima, Peru.

All Aboard, anchors away Captain!!!