Moorea, French Polynesia

07/06/2021

Moorea is an island of French Polynesia. It is a fifty minute boat ride away from Tahiti, French Polynesia's main island, where I've lived with my family for the past six years. I have a friend from Moorea who takes the boat each morning at 5h30 to make it to school by 7h15. Moorea is home to about 17 000 people, its population has more than tripled in the past 45 years. The word "Moorea" means yellow lizard. 

Long ago, on the small island of Maiao a woman gave birth to an egg. When it hatched, a yellow lizard came out. Its parents called it Moorea. But one day the lizard became too big for them to take care of so they decided to abandon him on a canoe. The lizard waited for its parents, however, seeing that they weren’t coming back, he understood that he had been abandoned.                                                              He then plunged into the sea and swam towards the sun. Moorea fought against three currents: Teara-Veri, with a path similar to that of a centipede, Tefara, which was as thorny as pandanus, and Tepua which was as foamy as soap. Moorea died in the third current.                                                                              His body then transformed into the island we now call Moorea.

I have visited Moorea many times with my family for week-end getaways. Most of the time, my family and I stay at the Sofitel for a night or two. It is located 20 minutes away from the port, on the glistening white sand beach, Temae. Moorea's lagoon is full of colourful coral, with shades ranging from dark indigo to flaming red. Snorkeling was our preferred activity. It is an unforgettable experience that transports you to a stunning marine world. We usually swam along the corals following fish that seemingly come out of nowhere. The water was warm and crystal clear with shades of cobalt, aqua, sapphire and turquoise. It slid across my skin as I floated over fish, manta rays and turtles. (make sure to wear special shoes to prevent from getting cut on coral)

We usually stayed in an overwater thatch roof bungalow. It had a two floor outside deck, with two deckchairs and a small table on the upper deck, we could access the water and a shower on the bottom deck. 

Another fun activity we did was feeding sting rays. We went to the Intercontinental hotel where we met up with a guide who gave us instructions and safety measures. Our group then boarded his boat and we sailed for about twenty minutes in the Cook bay to meet the stings rays. These elegant animals weren’t scared of us at all. We fed them fish as they curiously glided around us, their smooth skin feeling like slimy cream. 

If you aren’t a fan of hotels, another option is to rent a house through Airbnb. In April, we rented one along the Oponohu bay. This house had a huge garden, it included a swing, kayaks, bikes and a 10m long jetty that ended at the edge of a coral reef. From it we could observe sea turtles, black fin sharks (these usually aren’t dangerous, they prefer to keep a distance from us), and multi-coloured fish. On our second day there, I went kayaking with my dad across the bay. The sea was calm and we kept a steady pace half the time but on the way back we had to confront some salty wind smacking our faces. Which meant that for every meter you took, if you stopped, you would go backwards two metres.(Oh, so that’s why there was no one else around) My mum invited friends over for a picnic and we all dived into the water. Houses like this one are ideal for a group of friends (~ six people)

Check out Moorea's Coral Gardeners: Rising ocean temperature and water acidification kills thousands of corals each year. This NGO plants small fragments of coral to help renew the marine ecosystem.