Tropical Travel Girl
Tahiti and Tuamotus: Moorea
While author James Michener famously called Bora Bora the most beautiful island in the world, world traveler and guidebook author, Arthur Frommer, considers Moorea the most beautiful. While Bora Bora’s blue lagoon encircling its volcanic peaks is a stunner, the volcanic beauty of Moorea with its lush green interiors, pineapple fields, jagged mountain peaks and scenic overlooks make it worthy of accolades as well.
Mouaputa is also known as “Bali Hai,” or the “Shark’s Tooth, since it a small hole can be seen going through the very top of the mountain.
Moorea was the last port of call on our 10-day Windstar Cruises’ Tahiti and Tuamotus cruise before we would return to Papeete, Tahiti, the starting point of our amazing journey through the South Pacific.
This lovely lady welcomed us to Moorea at the port.
This little girl handed out tiare flowers to visitors.
Island music put us in the Moorea mood.
Tiare flowers (Tahitian gardenia) are the emblem of French Polynesia.. If you place the bud behind your left ear, you’re taken, behind the right means you are available.
The tiare flower, known as the Tahitian gardenia, is a symbol of French Polynesia.
While the surrounding waters are perfect for scuba diving, snorkeling and swimming, we decided to explore Moorea by land via a 4×4 half day safari tour I booked independently. I toured Moorea seven years earlier in a similar way when I was with other travel writers on a press trip and this time I wanted to share the beauty of the island with my husband.
If you choose to tour only one island by land, this is the one.
One road circles the island, with interior roads leading up to Belvedere Lookout, the island’s highest point at 720 feet. From the summit, we had amazing views of surrounding peaks and looked down to Opunohu and Cook’s Bays where we saw our Windstar ship in the distance.
Another tour group arrived while we were at Belvedere Lookout.
We stopped at the Manutea Juice Factory for a free tasting of some of the 18 juices and beverages it produces, including Tahiti Punch and spirits made with vanilla, coconut and pineapple. In business since 1981, it is open Monday through Saturday, 8-4, and also stocks a selection of gift items and souvenirs.
Stephen checking out the Liqueur Ananas (Pineapple Liqueur) bottle.
Tasting hostess at Manutea displays the liqueur made from pineapples.
Moorea is known as the pineapple center of French Polynesia, producing more than 2,600 tons of pineapple each year. We stopped at a pineapple field to see them in various stages of growth.
Our guide struck a pose for us in the pineapple field.
Next we moved on to the Opunohu Agricultural college (called the Lycée Argricole in French; it’s French Polynesia’s only agricultural school) where we could sample the many fruit jams produced here and grab a cold beverage. Students sometimes give free guided tours of the college’s vanilla and coffee tree plantations and tropical flower gardens but it was closed when we were there.
I was reminded of my earlier visit in 2010 when I purchased a jar of lime jam that I packed to take home. Unfortunately, it was taken away from me when I went through Security at the airport since it was considered a “liquid!” At the time, I had no idea jellies and jams are considered liquids and must be put in checked luggage. My checked luggage couldn’t be retrieved so I watched it be thrown into the trash bin. I learned my lesson about what is and is not allowed to be in carry-on luggage!
Our next stop was at the site of sacred open air temples called marae. The one we visited is called Tetiiroa, often referred to as the Belvedere marae and is at the edge of a forested area in the Oponohu valley. Our guide explained how the temples were used in ancient times, with rituals involving making offerings to the gods, sometimes including human sacrifices.
We also visited marae on our “Sacred Sites and Cultural Walk” excursion on Huahine, which I covered in a previous post. They have a fascinating history for those interested in learning more… (Taputapuatea, one of the largest marae in French Polynesia is on Raiatea, which was not a stop on our cruise but is included on some Windstar Tahiti itineraries.)
Tetiiroa,, the site of sacred open air temples called marae. (Wikipedia Commons)
Our guide showed us where the priest would have sat inside the marae on an upright stone.
This sign displays all of Moorea’s mountain peaks and marea sites.
Moorea’s mountains, despite their relatively low altitude, are among the most rugged in the world.
“…peaks which can never be forgotten…the jagged saw-edges that look like the spines of a forgotten dinosaur” — James Michener, Tales of the South Pacific
Moorea’s “Bali Hai” mountain seen in the distance…
As our half day tour ended, our guide dropped us off at Snack Mahana for lunch, which had been highly recommended as a popular spot with locals and visitors alike. We were informed credit cards are not accepted, so we made sure we had enough U.S. dollars with us (no need to have local currency).
We ordered grilled tuna steak with rice, a glass of French rosé and ended with coconut ice cream. All of it was delicious! I took photos of the food at a neighboring table — poisson cru and tuna sashimi salad — which made me wish we had time to sample more of its dishes. If you visit Moorea, don’t miss the opportunity to dine here! (See the Slideshow below)
SLIDESHOW – SNACK MAHANA:
After lunch, our guide returned for us and then dropped us off in town where we were able to browse a few shops and check out other restaurants. We talked with a few cruise ship passengers who were entering a great-looking waterfront restaurant, MBC Yacht Club – Moorea Beach Cafe that had interesting sounding pizzas with grilled octopus and shrimp. We bought t-shirts and checked out a pearl shop before walking back to the port, where I purchased a few items from local jewelry vendors who had set up tables to sell their wares before returning to our ship.
SLIDESHOW
All photos © Debbra Dunning Brouillette unless otherwise credited.
Last in the series: Tahiti and Tuamotus – Tahiti
PREVIOUS POSTS IN THE SERIES:
Tahiti and Tuamotus: Choosing to cruise
Tahiti and Tuamotus: On board Windstar’s Wind Spirit
Tahiti and Tuamotus: Fakarava — our first port of call
Tahiti and Tuamotus: Rangiroa — our second port of call
Tahiti and Tuamotus: Taha’a and Motu Mahaea
Tahiti and Tuamotus: Huahine
Tahiti and Tuamotus: Bora Bora
MAN!!! I want to go here! I’ve always had an interest in Tahiti, but your post has given me visions that are now permanently implanted in my brain. I shall have to talk to my travel agent!
I’m enjoying reliving my trip in these posts, Doreen, but it’s also making me want to go back. I’ll go with you! 🙂
Moorea hadn’t been on my radar, much less my bucket list. But now it is! I grew up listening to the sound track to South Pacific, so the haunting melody with lyrics extolling Bali Hai has been with me many years now. Thanks for your lovely photos, such a treat!
The South Pacific soundtrack comes to life when you visit French Polynesia, Jean! I hope you do get to visit Moorea. I’m glad, too, that you enjoyed the images I captured while there.
I love islands with diverse landscapes, and Moorea sounds like that with its volcanic peaks and green interiors. While you did the land journey, I would have chosen scuba diving and swimming. But would have wanted another day to explore the interior.
I had Australian honey that was packed in my checked suitcase taken away from me at the airport in Fiji.
We have been to the South Pacific islands but not to Tahiti. When we go back, Moorea will be a top choice!
Hi Wendy, thanks for your comment! Unfortunately, we didn’t have an extra day to do both land and sea excursions on the cruise so, knowing how beautiful Moorea is, I wanted to see it again with my husband by land. We’d already had several wonderful scuba diving excursions on Fakarava, Rangiroa and Bora Bora, so it was a good choice for us!
I adore islands, and Moorea has been on my bucket list for a while. I so enjoyed this preview with you.
If you are an island-lover, you would love this 10-day cruise with Windstar! Moorea is definitely one of the most beautiful but they all have their treasures both above and below the sea!
A juice tasting! Now that’s something that makes sense but I’ve never done one. Sounds perfect on a tropical island. I’ve really enjoyed tagging along on your trip but now have some serious wanderlust to start planning a trip!
So glad you’ve enjoyed the posts, Lori! One more to go and then I’ll be ready to plan another trip to the South Pacific. Hope you get to go.
I had very little knowledge of Moorea and have never traveled the South Pacific. Your photos and story are so enticing. One of these days…! Would the Windstar Cruise be a good way to start, or focus on one island?
Yes, I think a Windstar cruise would be an excellent way to see several of the islands. If you don’t want to do the 10-day itinerary, the 7-day cruise would give you a great introduction to the Society Islands. You could then do a pre- or post-cruise stay on Tahiti, Moorea or Bora Bora if you have more time (and money!).
We are definately considering an 11-day Tahitian cruise with Windstar, leaving March 14, 2019. We would also like to stay put for a few days on an island to make all of that traveling from Canada worthwhile. If you were to do this trip again, what are the top 3 places you would recommend to stay? Would you change anything the next time you go? We are former divers but now snorkel everywhere we go (husband burst his eardrum and can’t equalize) and this cruise seems the perfect way to enjoy amazing sea life. Can you give us any suggestions, tips?
I envy you, Jane, at the thought of doing the 11-day cruise in March. You will love it! If you are thinking of booking a pre- or post-cruise stay, Tahiti, Moorea or Bora Bora would be ideal choices, since you will be flying in and out of Papeete and could either stay there, take the ferry or a short flight to Moorea, or take a flight on to Bora Bora, a bit farther away, for your land-based stay. You could also book the overnight romance package through Windstar in Bora Bora while on the cruise. If you didn’t read my post about Bora Bora, I’d suggest you check it out. The 11-night cruise should already build in a night both pre- and post-cruise in Tahiti as ours did, so in that case, maybe you’d want to choose another island for your additional land-based stay. There are multiple opportunities for snorkeling throughout the cruise, including the day the ship spends off Taha’a at the private Motu Mahaea. You may also want to book the Motu Picnic excursion on Huahine instead of the Sacred Sites & Cultural Walk excursion we booked.
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