ADIEU MOOREA
Vaiaré (Moorea), March 29th, 2015
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| Adieu, Moorea |
Nothing beats Cook’s Bay and Opunohu Bay. The high mountains and “Pierced Mountain” are spectacular. However, we had not explored the area we first knew, 20 years ago, the site of the ancient Club Med.
PAPETOAI REEF – 17°29.29S – 149°52.7W (“Opunohu West”) – Since it is no longer OK to anchor off the PasseTaotoi, we entered through Passe Tareu into Opunohu Bay and turned west instead of going to our usual anchor spot on the east end of the bay. Keeping the black/white post on our port, we found anchorage into 6 meters, sandy bottom. There is enough to do here to spend 3 days happily. And you can get fresh baguettes from the store at the town dock at Papetoai.
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| Looking for shell is a major activity. I swim miles and miles, free-dive for hours looking for them. This green turban with black/white spots is not in my book and the locals don't know it. Found in Moorea. Anybody knows what it's called? |
The underwater Tiki garden is only a few yards away and snorkeling is good all around, from the anchorage all the way to the reef. I spent a whole day swimming around, finding a Turban shell that even the locals had never seen, and even taking home a Burgo (local sea snail, very big) for our dinner: Pasta with Burgo sauce!
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| How do we love a nice yacht! Zembra at anchor in Marina Taina |
Trying not to stare at the gorgeous Nordhavn 86’ Zembraanchored a few yards back from us, we took Do-miniaound the marked channel towards Passe Taotoi. OK, this is a major tourist spot, the Shark and Ray feeding attraction.
We went early to beat the crowd and dropped in with the rays, puppies who come close to get a friendly pat. Black tip reef sharks behave like kiddy cats, but I’m not even going to try to feed these kiddies. Accidents in Moorea happen often. In the last month, one tourist has been bit and one child killed, all during shark feeding operations. Always be careful and sensible, just don’t hand the shark his dinner!
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| In protected areas, these jacks grow to 3 feet long and come and graze at your snorkle if you let them |
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| Black tip reef sharks come close enough since they expect to be fed, but let the professionals do that! |
Continuing towards the Motu Tiahura along the well-marked channel. This is just across the location of the old Club Med, an area that we have enjoyed many years ago and that, sadly, has been ditched by the Club Med organization when the local landowners tried to send their lease sky-rocketing. Trigano said NO! The site is now embattled in a bitter dispute between landowners, those who want to sell to the Polynesian Territoire, and those who hold down to the idea of through-the-roof leases. There is a new “Comissaire for Big Projects,” a post created this week, to try and come to terms with this particular site and do something of it (a pod for the fishing industry? Aquaculture?) as well as, by the way, dealing with the project Mahana Beach by Marina Taina in Tahiti, a project that would fill the lagoon, build a hotel-cum-convention center, and of course put an end to the free, deep anchorage in Taina. Boo!!!!
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| One of the many splendid varieties of trigger fish: striped triggerfish |
Back to Motu Tiahura: excellent snorkeling there, with enormous blue jacks and a giant Moray eel that attacked JP not once, but 3 times!!!
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| This 2-meter long Giant Moray went after JP's camera 3 times in a row! |
“Unusual behavior,” said the divemaster on site. We had no idea what got the animal angry at JP.
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| Even the "Nemos" are big at the lagoonarium |
VAIARE South - 17°32S - 149°46.18W - It was time to move again and bid our Adieu to Mark and Liesbet on Irie. They were waiting for us in Vaire, hanging off the southern sand shelf while waiting for their spot at the local marina. They told us about the best snorkeling spot in all of French Polynesia: The Lagoonarium de Moorea.
Lagoonarium - Located just at the northern tip of Motu Ahi, south of Vaiare, the Lagoonarium of Moorea is an absolute MUST! And it’s FREE!!! From our anchorage at Pte. Patoe, we just dinghied over to Motu Ahi, following the black/white posts. When you get there, thread between the last buoy and the sand spit, grab a mooring ball and tie your dinghy up. Jump in the water and ENJOY!
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| Pinktail Triggerfish: one of our favorites |
Fish the size of like you’ve never seen in French Polynesia, at least not in the last 20 years! Shark, ray, jack, oodles of butterfly and surgeon fish and, if you look well and search a bit off the beaten path, an octopus might treat you to a color-morphing show!
If the current is strong, just hang on to the ropes and follow the track. I know, it sounds very touristy, but it’s by far the best underwater experience in the Society Islands.
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| This Long Nose Emperor reached 3'... not even in the Tuamotus did we see such an imposing specimen |
We took our leave of Mark and Liesbet, sounding our Pou (shell horn) and waving furiously to friends we’d been cruising with for the past 2 years. Next Adieu? Huahiné. Till then….
dominomarie
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| Coris are always fun to look at. Here, a Coris Clown |