MOOREA, FRENCH POLYNESIA

 January 23, 2023


Moorea, (Mo-oh-rea) is one of the “Society Islands” of French Polynesia which includes Bora and Tahiti.   French Polynesia includes some 120 islands and atolls that stretch some 1,200 miles in the South Pacific Ocean.   As we understand it, French Polynesia is like a U.S. Territory. France provides funding of about $1.5B/year and collects taxes on goods and services sold on the islands.   Citizens get free heath care and education through high school (which is mandatory).   Moorea is about 10 miles from Tahiti and some residents commute daily to Tahiti by ferry for work.


Moorea, an island formed by a volcano a million or so years ago is known for its jagged mountains and pristine beaches.  There is a crater in the center of the island where pineapple and sugar plantations are located.   They export pineapple juice but consume everything else raised there.   The island is surrounded by a coral reef that has three openings where rivers from the mountains flow to the sea.   We learned that coral doesn’t like fresh water and so these areas provide natural channels for ships to enter and exit while preserving the reefs.  Moorea is about 50 square miles, has a population of about 20,000, and because of a very low crime rate they only have 20 policemen for the whole island!  Moorea is less populated and less touristy than Bora Bora, so the natural beauty is more preserved.


There are three seasons:   Rainy Season: November - February (we can attest to that); Summer: March - June; Winter: July - October.   


Tourism is the primary industry.   There are a number of resorts around the island, though several closed recently (including Club Med) because of the impact of Covid-19.   In 2019 they had some 300,000 tourists, but that declined to about 30,000/year during the pandemic years.   People are very friendly and the place is exceptionally devoid of trash.   There are essentially no panhandlers on the island.   Our guide said the unemployed can essentially live “off the land” as mangos, coconuts, bananas and fish can provide ample sustenance.  And like the other islands, there are feral chickens everywhere. 


We took a bus tour up in the mountains and around the island with a very informative guide who grew up on the island.   It is a beautiful, peaceful place that we would gladly return too.   


                                        As taken from the front of our ship where we anchored


 A display of the Island of Moorea taken from bus window.   Note the crater in the center and the two bays/inlets (there is a smaller one which is hard to see.  


                             A mango tree.   Lots of ripe mangos on the ground


                                                    Pineapple ready for picking


                                           Hilton hotel on the beach


                                                    Pineapple bloom. 


                                            Tahiti ceremonial village


                                                   Tahiti ceremonial village


                                                   



Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

BARCELONA, SPAIN

Image
April 30, 2023 Partly cloudy, high 68 deg F Barcelona is one of our favorite cities in the world.   It is a very walkable city with distinct neighborhoods such as the Old Town where Picasso’s museum and former residence is located, Gothic Quarter, an extensive beach and harbor area and the modern area where Gaudi’s basilica, La Sagrada Familia, is located.   Barcelona has some of the most striking architecture in the world. It is the Capital of the community of Catalonia, a part of Spain that has a distinct culture.   Many Catalonians speak their own language - Catalan - that some say sounds like a combination of French and Spanish. We have had the good fortune to visit Barcelona twice before.   We decided to go on our own in the morning and walked about a mile each way on the street called La Rambla in the Gothic Quarter.   It is a favorite for tourists and locals alike with shops, hotels, restaurants lining both sides of a fairly wide treelined walkway.   In the afternoon we toured L
Read more

END OF JOURNEY - FRANCE AND ENGLAND

Image
May 6 through May 8, 2023 Overcast and in the 60s Well all good things must come to an end.   Rich caught a cold and we decided not to do the 10 hour tour of Normandy from LaHavre France.    We really wanted to see the WWII Memorial and the beaches where the Allies landed and turned the tide of the war, but we’re sure our fellow guests wouldn’t have liked a 2 hour - each way - bus ride with Rich hacking away.      Our next stop was Dover England on Sunday and we took a tour of Canterbury, the town that has so many stories to tell.   Romans built the town around 200 AD and later abandoned it.   In the late 6th century, the King of the region where Canterbury is located converted to Christianity and supported the building of the first cathedral in Canterbury.   It became one of the most important centers of Christian religion outside of Rome.   In 1174 Archbishop Thomas Becket was murdered in the cathedral.  For his followers Canterbury became the most important destination for pilgrims
Read more

COSTA RICA

Image
 December 31, 2022 Our ship docked in Puntarenas, the primary port city on the Pacific side of Costa Rica. Costa Rica is a small country, about the size of Switzerland with a population of about 5.2 million people.  It has a long standing and stable democracy and according to the World Happiness Report is the 12th happiest nation in the world!  Costa Rica abolished their military in 1949 and is one of a few countries in the world that doesn't have a standing army. A bus took us from Puntarenas up, up into a rain forest in near-by mountains where a guide led us on a walk through the forest(jungle) and across hanging bridges, one of which was said to be the longest in Costa Rica.   We lucked out with the weather as it was mostly sunny.   Most days rain, drizzle or mist is the order of the day.  We saw howler monkeys, beautiful birds, a mean-looking tarantula and lush vegetation of all kinds.   After the walk we boarded a tram that took us higher into the mountains where we could loo
Read more