Moorea - Cooks Bay Part 2

We are still enjoying the beauty here in Cooks Bay at Moorea. The original idea was to spend the first half of the week in Cooks Bay and then move over to the neighboring Opunohu Bay for the second half of the week, but we can't tear ourselves away from this amazing Cooks Bay. We have decided that it is the best anchorage we have ever been in and it is hard to leave. The anchorage itself is far enough inside the bay which is surrounded by the reef so that it is calm and easy to forget we are even on the water! While the depth is a little deeper than what we like at 50 feet, the mud makes for good holding and with the calm water there is no concern about dragging. The bay is large enough that there is plenty of room for the approximately ten boats that seem to remain here (seems cavernous after the hundreds of boats at Tahiti). Add to all this the most spectacular beauty and views of the lush, green mountain sides and we can easily see why Captain Cook and the rest of the world was (is) so captivated by the place!

Yesterday, we rented a scooter and toured the island. First stop was the view from Belvedere where we could see both bays at once with Mount Rotui in between - amazing! We stopped at the Tiki Village where Gail bought yet another pareo (where is she going to wear them in the states?) and the village also had an exhibit of the Paul Ganguin paintings who portrayed Polynesian culture through his artwork. Also had another amazing view towards Tahiti by To'atea Beach. Speaking of the beach, apparently the French enjoy their topless beaches in France and when we stopped by the beach, Dave got an eye full from the very young 10 year olds to the young in spirit 70 year olds. Enough said! We also toured the Mo'orea and Manutea Tahiti Juice factory where we stocked up on such exotic juices as banana vanilla and pineapple coconut and also some of the best vanilla beans. Last Sunday we attended the Protestant church (there is no Baptist, Methodist, Presbyterian, etc. - just Protestant and Catholic churches) and although we could not understand the sermon, the music was beautiful and inspiring. Many thanks to Matu who came and sat next to us and attempted to interpret for us!

So we are very much enjoying Cooks Bay.... However, the plan is to spend a least a night or two next door at Opunohu Bay before departing Sunday for Raiatea and boat maintenance such as bottom cleaning and head cleaning. But in the meantime, let me enjoy my few remaining days here in the most beautiful island so far in the world.....

Moorea - Cooks Bay

Friday we escaped the clutches of Tahiti and arrived in Moorea which took us about three hours and what a difference! The anchorage in Tahiti had hundreds of boats and the anchorage here in Cooks Bay at Moorea has only about ten boats with gorgeous scenery! Last night we discovered a Happy Hour at a local hotel with Polynesian dancing which was so much fun. After, we had a lovely dinner with friends Jerry and Gail at a fish restaurant. Note the picture where the owner was convincing us on the freshness of the Mahi Mahi. I had the coconut parrot fish entree which I had never heard of before (it is a reef fish) and it was amazingly delicious! We plan on renting a scooter later this week to tour the island so more to come on this delightful place, but I've posted a few pictures of our initial impressions.

Tahiti

We have arrived at Tahiti, island of dreams for many and I can certainly see why as the island is so beautiful. Congratulations Dave - you made it after 40 years in the making! Actually Dave has done an amazing job of getting us here as the Tuamotus atolls with their many narrow passes and pounding reefs were not easy to navigate. Dave was constantly researching and questioning the local tide tables for slack, low, and high tides as well as incoming and outgoing currents to determine the best time to make the pass through the narrow cuts in the reefs. And all that needed to be timed on when we would arrive at the next atoll as we did not want to arrive at night, so Dave had his work cut out for him, but like I said, he did an amazing job and he is actually still sane! So he has thankfully put that task behind him as we have now left the Tuamotus and are now officially in the Society Islands which include Tahiti, Moorea, Raitea, and Bora Bora along with others. Personally, I believe the Society Islands are the best of all as they encompass the dramatic lush mountain tops with sheer cliffs of the Marquesas along with the shallow beautiful blue lagoons of the Tuamotus.

The last two days have been spent sightseeing. Friday we spent the day touring the town of Papeete which included the municipal market and a pearl (not pearl farm) museum. This is a long weekend for the locals since tomorrow is a holiday (Pentecostal Monday) and Friday afternoon traffic was unbelievable - rivals LA traffic as we crawled along the one main road back to the marina! Yesterday, we toured the entire island by car (10 hours!) courtesy of a local guide. Corrine was wonderful as she grew up on this island and her ancestors go back many generations. She was so informative and provided so much local knowledge and legends. Thank you Corrine for your many stories and the view from your home! We now feel as though we have explored Tahiti and have a better idea and feel for this beautiful island. Of course, Dave and I think the best part of all is to watch the sunset every evening over the island of Moorea from the cockpit of our boat. With all that being said (and since I have internet), I will go ahead and let the pictures tell the story....