Moorea

 

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Welcome To MOOREA.

Moorea is the sister island of Tahiti in French Polynesia. The island itself is an ancient Vulcano crater.Half of the rim is completely submerged in the ocean. The part that is still above sealevel is now surrounded by beautiful lagoons and covered in tropical vegetation.There are no dangerous animals on the islands , although the Mosquitoes and No-No's can be quite a pest sometimes.

There is a direct flight connection between Paris - Los Angeles and Papeete about 3 times a week.Once you arrive in Tahiti you have to take an inland flight (5 minutes )to arrive on Moorea.

On the island itself are about 5 big hotels and a number of privately owned places you can stay.I Spent my time at the Club Med resort which is in the West point of the island. Straight in front of the Club are two little island called Motu's. One of them is uninhabited. There is a pirogue ( small boat ) between the resort and this island every 20 minutes. In between the islands is a lagoon that offers superb snorkeling capabilities. The abundance of the multicolored fish life is a true snorkelers paradise. Once a week there is a picnic organized on this island as well.

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Image18s.jpg (35433 bytes) The resort is a typical club Med style village. You have a comfortable wooden bungalow in the pristine gardens of the domain. Some of these bungalows are offered with beachfront location. There is no airco but the breeze coming from the sea makes the temperature drop at night. Ice machines can be found scattered around the club site. Besides diving,snorkeling ,surfing the club has a number of tennis courts , there is bocce ball , volleyball and numerous other activities. Once a week there is a local market set up in the theatre. The local people come sell handcrafted items which make a great souvenir.

 

Image10s.jpg (18785 bytes) Upon entering the site you run straight into the main hall , which holds the reception, excursion desk, bank, boutique , bar and the theatre. Show are organized by the GO's ( Gentle organizers or Club Med employees ) and once a week also by the GM's ( That's the Gentle Members or you ) Image20s.jpg (22302 bytes)
Image12s.jpg (21560 bytes) On the same location are two restaurants. The main which serves all 3 meals buffet style and one 'a-la-carte' which is only open at night. At noon and in the evenings there is also the possibility to eat Japanese food. Image11s.jpg (17826 bytes)
Since the vegetation in the club is natural ( not planted ). it is recommended to stay on the pathways. If you leave the pathways please check above . There is always the chance that coconuts come falling down. And you wouldn't want to ruin your holiday by getting hit by one. Typically the people who maintain the gardens try to remove the nearly ripe coconuts. but some of them are simply to high. You will find warning signs around these locations. Image13s.jpg (20112 bytes)

The club offers several excursions , like a guided tour of the island , helicopter flights over the island , snorkeling , feeding the rays and much more. In particular the island tour is very interesting. They take you up to the mountain where you have a nice overview of the 2 bays Cooks bay and Opunohu bay ( where the film 'Mutiny on the bounty' was shot ). You also get to visit the only factory on the island : a fruit juice factory. There you can taste all sorts of juices and some local spirits distilled from ananas and mango. The tour takes half a day and goes completely around the island. You also visit one of the waterfalls in the jungle.

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The Falls

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Statue at Tiki village

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Polynesian Art

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Sunset looking toward the motu

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Another sunset

DIVING :

The Club Med has it's own diving facilities. They have 3 boats that go out twice in the morning.There is one night dive a week. There is possibility for a special dive excursion   ( weather permitting : the currents can be strong ). They have about 12 different sites within 20 minutes reach of the club.

Opunohu,pass left ,pass right ,  : lots of nice coral, trigger fish ,moray's and turtles If you are lucky : Napoleon Fish . A huge friendly fish which you play with. Image22s.jpg (14923 bytes)
Vaipahu roses : Lot's of Rose coral can be found here , the crevices are hideouts for Lion and dragonfish.
Tiki : The shark site. They are all over the place , white tip ,black tip , reef ,lemon and the occasional tiger shark.
Image21s.jpg (20139 bytes) The excursion takes you all the way to the airport where you make a drift dive. Lots of anemone with clownfish can be found here. then the boat enters the lagoon where you have a picnic. Finally they take you to Tiki for a meeting with the sharks. You are back just before noon.

Right in front of the club's site is a shopping mall ( okay it's not like in USA ) but there are some shops that sell local stuff. There is a paper shop , pharmacy and the doctor's office.

Some Tahitian phrases:

Iano'rana : Good morning

E Aha te Huru : How are you

Ae Te Pea pea : Don't Worry

Maruru : Thank you

Image19s.gif (5260 bytes) For more info surf to Club med's Website www.clubmed.com