This island called Moorea will go down as
being one of my all time favourite islands to have visited.
Furthermore, the bay ‘Opunohu Bay’ is
simply one of the most amazing visits we could have done by yacht … it was
worth every minute we spent here and we will definitely be visiting this piece
of paradise again.
Ana and I have wondered how so many sailors
cruising these islands can simply flitter past them without really spending
time to check out the beautiful nooks and cranny’s that are so special.
We took the dinghy and visited each
shore in both Opunohu Bay and that of ‘Cook’s Bay’.
Along the way we tucked in at the shore in
various places and got to speak with the local people and to discover the
wonders that make Moorea such a wonderfully popular tourist destination.
Discovered by Wallis in 1667 along with the
island of Tahiti, he initially gave this island the name of ‘York Island’.
When Cook arrived onboard the ‘Endevour’,
he anchored in Opunohu Bay
and visited the neighboring bay (now known as
‘Cook’s Bay’) by longboat.
Today, armed with a 30HP engine attached to
our inflatable dinghy, we did much the same route as he would have done in
those years.
It took my mind back to a time when the
island would have been without houses, supermarkets or the convenience of docks
with fresh water taps and so on …
SO intriguing was the beauty of Opunohu
Bay, that the ships artist, James Clevely, made a sketch of the bay which was
taken over by an English artist and shown to the public in London in 1787.
In 1777, the ‘Tahitian Clan’ had attacked
Moorea asking Cook for assistance … he wisely
declined to remain neutral and later, thanks to crew of the ship ‘Bounty’ who
left some guns behind when they departed in 1789, a further attack was
prevented.
In 2013, an invasion took place by a red
haired, salty dog, South African explorer, together with his beautiful blonde
French girl he had taken hostage … onboard a catamaran called ‘Impi’ ... and
following in this letter is a record of their activities and even some
photographs taken by what was known as the ‘digital camera’, a modern device in
its time, a time when our current ‘3D virtual laser statue technology’ was
unheard of.
Ana and I had departed from the beautiful
bay of Vaiare on the east coast of Moorea.
The wind had calmed to around 18 – 20 knots
and the seas were a little on the rough side, but Impi fared well and despite
an uncomfortable ride up to the NE corner of the island, things calmed down to
a smooth ride in a following sea as Impi turned west to scale the north shore.
Entering Opunohu Bay was pleasant enough
and although the skies were cloudy the bay looked amazingly beautiful with
steep mountainous surrounds and a tall ‘spire looking peak’ deep within.
Anchored on the east side of the bay we
observed a huge ship … the ‘Paul Gauguin’.
We kept hard to port and following the red
markers rounded the last that stands on the jutting point of the shallow reef
system to we enter the stunning anchorage facing ‘Point Vaipahu’ in stunningly clear
water and with a sandy bottom.
Ahead of us, north east, and over this sea
of beautiful clear turquoise blue, we could see the beautiful stilted rooms of
the ‘Hilton Resort and Spa’ with thatch roofs suspended over the water … today,
a symbol of leisure around many of the Society Islands in the Pacific, and of
course of the Tuamotu atolls as well.
And to our right lay a quaint sandy beach back
dropped by the steep rocky cliffs of mount Totui which separates ‘Baie D’
Opunohu from that of ‘Baie D’ Cook, a lovely coast line of the darks and greens
of many palm trees and snuggled in between these trees is a little yacht club
bearing hobie cats with pretty colourful sails.
To our left (north) … a stunning turquoise
transparent blue sea covering the shallows of the reef and corals which appear
as dark blotches (coral heads) and greens (sea grass and shallows) between …
I looked over to Ana … ‘Not too shabby’ I
said jest-fully.
Ana stood at the bow as we glided in, stood
there in her bikini soaking up the sun … the anchor winch control in her hand
she waited for my call …
Watching the depth meter ‘clock down’…. 3m,
2m, 1m, 0,7m … ‘Anchor aweigh!’
Anchor down now … Clang, clang, clang on
the chain as it went down … and as is usual for the Rocna, set firmly first
time in the white clear sands below … and then in perfect silence Impi found
itself presenting a stern view over the bay … ahhhh … this has got to be one of
the most spectacular places we have anchored in.
In the photo below when the sun was out and the water was clear, one could easily see the anchor chain leading to the well dug in Rocna below
On that note, of ‘spectacular places’ … I
have mentioned this before but do so again … weather plays a hugely important
role in ones assessment of a place. Where there is calm water and beautiful
sunlight with a gentle breeze, such days will present the feeling one has of a
place in a totally different manner to the same place experienced in ‘less than
perfect weather conditions’. However, Moorea has got to be admired no matter
the weather.
Ana poured some wine and put a few snacks
on the table … I placed my legs crossed over and feet up over one corner of the
table and glared into the beauty of Gods perfect creation … mesmerised by the
blues and greens and browns and the changing light as sun peaked briefly
through scattered clouds.
Now, having been here a few days already,
we must say that it is rare to find those crisp sunny days here … it usually
feels to be cloudy more often than not, yet the ambient air temperature is
warm, if not hot and, still … the views look spectacular.
Of course, when the sun shines and
illuminates skies of blue and dazzles across the turquoise waters, the feeling
one gets is … breathtaking!
Our first days were not without wind … we
recorded wind at anchor of just over 50 knots, yet despite the wind, the seas
remained calm enough within the anchorage and the views were as pretty as ever
and so we were happy.
The following day, and with wind gusting
strongly from time to time, we non-the less decided to lower the dinghy and
head for the HILTON. It was time to indulge in ‘landlubber activities’ and this
seemed as good a spot as any, to do so.
Access to the Hilton resort by dinghy was
not as easy as we had initially thought. The reef was shallow and soon we would
find ourselves becoming thoroughly ‘lost’ within the reef system of shallow
coral heads and rocks and it took a while to maneuver our dinghy back to
shallower waters.
We had not quite realized by this time,
that in fact by following the markers (Black and white) which cut a shallow
pass through the reef from Opunohu Bay to Cook’s Bay, that about half way along
there is a ‘cut’ straight toward the Hilton jetty. We realized this later
whilst studying Google Earth views taken by satellite.
When we had initially made way to the
markers, I turned back as it seemed too shallow for our dinghy engine to clear
the corals. I thought the markers must be there for some other reason, however,
on account of the water being so clear, this was an optical illusion and we
later discovered it was more than deep enough to pass.
In the meantime, we had discovered a little
concrete ‘walkway’ jutting out into the water by much higher than a foot or so,
and to this we made fast our dinghy.
From here we walked to the Hilton along a
picturesque roadside and looked back over the anchorage from time to time to
see the view of where Impi lay at anchor along with a few other yachts.
Along the way, Ana commented on beautiful
flowers and garden and I looked at the little houses and properties along the shoreline.
I was fascinated with how simply people
live here … little houses we would call shacks set on the most stunning beaches
of white and plenty of tall coconut trees …
Here the community lives side by side in a
‘simple’ yet practical lifestyle. The people seem happy and their lives are not
cluttered with all the hype, pomp and arrogance of the first world … they are
happy, live simply and are well fed.
Looking at this, I shook my head a number
of times, which eventually took the interest of Ana who asked what I was
thinking.
I told her that I cannot believe how we get
so brainwashed by ‘city life’ … how we
need to have all the flash and pizazz to ‘be successful’, wealthier and more
powerful than those around us. How is
it, that here in the same world, people have the wisdom to keep their lives so
uncluttered, to live so simply and yet to be so enriched by a natural
lifestyle. Ask them about audits by accountants and explanations to the IRS and
so on, and they look at you as if you are from another planet. I continued to
shake my head as I contemplated the folly of my lifestyle before taking to the
sea.
Moving on, we eventually came to the
entrance of the Hilton, greeted a friendly man at the gate and pretended to be
‘part of the first world community’ again … you know … look like you belong
here … quickly put on that cloak of ‘airs and graces’ …
Entering the reception lounge, which is all
done ‘Island style’, is magical …
I looked across at the ‘eager to know’
receptionist with one of those ‘If you ask me for my room number … again … ‘
looks … she smiled with one of those ‘I’d love to but wont’ and we sauntered on
with that pose … you know ,‘I own the place’ …
Walking out, one looks toward the ocean
over a beautiful swimming pool.
Of course everyone had vacated the premises
… you know, make way for the Impi celebs… well so it felt to us anyway …
perhaps the overcast weather had helped a bit.
Ana and I walked about the grounds a while
and sat on a the deck beside a beautifully kept beach overlooking beautiful
blues onto the stilted rooms …
Some of the staff greeted us and we engaged
with them. One was so fascinated we had sailed all the way from South Africa he
wanted to tell the others.
In quick succession we had many smiling
faces about and people were curious about us. It seemed many of the staff are
not originally from Moorea … some are from the atolls of the Tuamotu’s and were
fascinated we could tell them all about the various atolls we had visited, of
people they left behind when they went in search of a better future and so on.
We felt as if we belonged here … we were
welcomed over and over again and we made the place ‘home for a while’.
‘In for a penny, in for a pound’ … it was
lunch time and time to be at the little restaurant on the beach.
Wow … this place is amazing.
Here one sits in a semi closed structure of
dark woods and thatch … there is a beautiful bar at which to enjoy a cocktail
or two … Ana had the Mojito … I was jealous at this but on account of my recent
diagnosis of diabetes realized it has too much sugar in it and so stuck with
one glass of Rose’ Wine …
And our table was terrific … with views
over the beach, the turquoise blue seas and stilted quaint thatched rooms …
what a lazy feeling …
And now I could find some merit for all the
hard work and stress we as humans put ourselves through in our daily working lives
… get so wound up and uptight … hell …
we need places like this to unwind … right!
I guess the answer to a good life is all
about the balance … when do we hang up those gloves? At what time in our lives
do we retire and travel the world … at what time when travelling the world do
we do some work again … and so on … the art of balancing ones lifestyle … perhaps I should write a book about this one
day … one day when I understand it more
fully, that is …
Moorea has ‘soul’ … a place which has
prompted me to sit and ponder … made me reflect on the past … makes me reflect
on the present … to look at the future … this island, indeed this bay, has
opened the ‘eyes of my mind’ … makes me feel whole again, presents questions
and answers all at the same time … I find the place to be ‘soulful’.
The following day the sun came out more
frequently than before … the wind had calmed and it was a great day to cross
the bay to its western shore and beyond.
We were headed to buy some supplies in the
morning and following this, to do another trip even beyond this to visit a little
island known for its stingrays and beautiful snorkeling …
We arrived in a little bay called PAPETOAI
… more accurately the locals tell us is a little port, the port of Papetoai.
This particular bay has no specific beauty
about it. It has a small closed concrete area which I presume is ‘the port’ and
here we tied our dinghy.
Next door is a very prominent building in
the sense that its bright red roof is visible from miles away and is a hexagonal
shape building … a protestant church.
As we walked up the street we came across a
number of young people playing with a soccer ball … there was much laughter and
happiness in the air. The homes here are very basic and the community does not
have much, yet, there is a pleasant vibe here.
Ana and I walked on until we found a shop.
It was a basic store that looked rather ‘ram shackled’ but had the ‘bare essentials’
we needed.
Across the road was another ‘Magasin’
(Shop) owned by a Chinese gentleman where we were able to purchase more fresh
fruit and veg, and so on.
The village also has a post office, and an
infirmary.
Returning to Impi with an assortment of
foods and other essential supplies, we unloaded the dinghy and then headed off
in the same direction, this time with our dive gear.
A lot further on and along the way, we came
across another ‘resort complex’ with many stilted rooms over the water.
The place even has a ‘holding pond’ open to
a channel with dolphins that swim around the rooms and give guests to this
establishment the opportunity to swim with them.
In the photo below one can see the 'fenced area' beyond the reef
Ana and I felt sorry for these creatures …
to see them ‘caged’ like this, and although they probably have more space than
most dolphins kept in captivity, still, it must be very traumatic for them to
be fenced to a confined area, a fence shared with the limitless ocean just
beyond.
I immediately took a disliking for the
establishment despite its beautiful surrounds.
We stopped the dinghy as we crossed the
shallows of the reef … turned off the motor for a while and just drifted … my
goodness … such beauty, peace and serenity … I took a few photos
And soon we were at the island … Motu of
HAAPITI
How does one describe this place …
Crystal clear turquoise blue water, quaint white
sandy beaches, lush green vegetation and tall palms …
A PARADISE … A MUST SEE, MUST VISIT AND
MUST DIVE destination …
In the photo below, we dropped anchor on the sandy spit next to this boat
Here we dropped anchor on a shallow sandy
spit that had just covered with the tide, put on our snorkeling gear and spent
the rest of the day snorkeling with sting rays, observed the feeding of fish when
we came across a local dive company which provide underwater ‘helmets’ to
paying guests, lazed about on the sandy beaches and so on …
My underwater camera is not the best but one gets the idea
On our return we jotted in and out to
explore the surrounds … it is a magnificent place to be.
There is so much more to tell, but the internet is not the greatest and sadly I have to post on a 'paying site' which is frustrating when the 'feed keeps failing me', so I have decided to post the next section with photos tomorrow. Keep posted!
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