Our Day in Moorea...

This famous mountain view dominated the landscape this morning as we anchored in a bay very near to where Captain Cook landed. I can imagine the feeling of those English sailors seeing the lush hills after months at sea. That mountain was the one used in South Pacific, Bali Hai, they called it.

The Cutlers and Robins team decided to take a snorkel/sail/shark feeding/swim with rays/BBQ picnic/ package with "Hiro's" Tours. Hiro handed us a flyer on the dock in Papeete the day before. Of course we kept our expectations low and our hopes high, these 'on the dock' deals can be a crap-shoot.

We were off the tender at a very primitive landing site that had some craft stalls and a variety of buses waiting for Ships Tours people. And then there was us, looking for Hiro. Wow, there he is, soon off on a breezy bus, us and another 1/2 doz. ships deserters. 20 minutes of driving through a tropical paradise and to a modernish beach hotel where the "Liki Tiki" awaited us.




This was the actual bay where Cook landed. We had an interesting time getting out of the bay because of wind and surf. 20 minutes later we were in the water 'feeding the sharks' as advertised. It was sensational! The craft secures itself to coral and then fastens another rope extending out from the bow and that is what we snorkel-clad tourists hang onto. The crew feed hunks of fish to the circling 'black-tipped reef sharks'. We accepted his advice and stayed on the rope and kept out of their 'restaurant'.





Then, we pulled up anchor and moved another few kilometres past the anchored Amsterdam that was posing for us against the beautiful backdrop, to another anchorage, this time by a reef with about four feet of crystal clear water.


Time to play with the sting-rays! I was somewhat more relaxed this time. Plus I had my own snorkel and mask that fits me well. We seem to turn into little kids when with the rays. They are so curious and friendly and tolerant of our stroking and touching. Jim becomes somewhat amorous with them, having kissed them in the Caymans. He would play with them forever I believe, but it was time to move on.







While heading to the BBQ site we were distracted for 15 minutes to 'rescue' a sailboarder that had run into a little grief in the water quite far out. He had lost his sail in the water and could not get it back into the air. So he was stuck out there dependant upon the current to take him wherever because he could not possibly swim with all this fabric and gear. He was happy and it added some drama to our day.

Soon we were beached on an island that is 'everybody's private island'. Lunch time. It was like a scene from a B movie, the lagoon, the reef and surf with palm trees and all. Some of us had an attempt at snorkelling in the lagoon before lunch was ready. Chicken fish, rice, noodles, beer, rum punch and of course French bread.

We had a stunning display of acrobatic sailboarding on the way to lunch. Obviously these locals are not too concerned about the stock market melt-down.



It was an idyllic day as far as we were concerned. Our trip was better than expected for 1/2 the price of a ships tour. One bonus on getting out on your own is that you get away from the same faces as on the ship. It was a wonderful day for us. We dragged ourselves back to the ship around 3.30. In spite of sun screen precautions we suffered a bit on that front. I had taken over 120 photos that needed thinning out. Gail and Jim invited us down to compare pics before dinner and then the four of us had dinner alone upstairs.

Moe meanwhile took the tender ashore and hooked up with acquaintances and went to the Intercontinental Hotel and sat on their groomed grounds and watched all the activity taking place in front of the hotel. The hotel is shown in one of those pictures with the cottages on the water. [Cottages cost $180/day.] If you go to Moorea, you better make sure you like water sports folks!



If the pictures get through, there is one of Jim in the red shirt talking to our keep-fit instructor. She is the blonde [South African] waving.


Now you know why we are all regular attendees of that class and disappointed when the the bloke appears instead of her! (That's from a man's point of view, the ladies wait for the Aussie bloke).

We are anchoring off of Bora Bora now and I must go! See you.