Saturday, July 17, 2010

Opunohu Bay - Moorea

Moorea, Society Archipelago, French Polynesia

Moorea is another beautiful island in the Windward Group of Islands. We arrived to the tall spires of a series of bold mountain tops, and two bays that push deep inland. We anchored in Opunohu Bay, reputed to be the more beautiful of the two, although somewhat more remote. We're on the outside edge of the bay, protected from the swell by the coral lagoon, but within reach of the winds that are howling by. Comfortingly, our anchor is set better than ever, dug deeply into the sand, and completely invisible!

There are about 8 other boats here, some that we've seen continually throughout our journey, and others that are new to us. Last night we enjoyed happy hour on the beach with a few other boats, and tonight we've organized a beach bbq. Luckily, SV Dignity offered to pick up some more beer for us at their last anchorage! We're down to our last few cans.

Yesterday, we hiked to a few archaeological ruins, and then to a stunning viewpoint. Although the marae were quite ancient and interesting, they were not as impressive as the ruins in the Marquesas. But...there were interpretive signs, in French, Tahitian, and English, so at least we were able to learn something of the activities that happened here. We also made our way to a more touristy area of the island, and poked through some of the shops. Although it was only 4:30 when we wanted to return, all the buses had stopped for the day, and it took forever to get a ride back to the bay where our dinghy was! We think that hitchhiking must be illegal here, as it is much more difficult to catch a ride with the locals.


Our Position: 17°29.35'S and 149°51.05'W

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Hi - thanks for leaving a comment on the blog! Cheers - John and Naomi