PHOTO: Haapiti

To set the mood as I sit to write this blog post, I am playing "Moorea", the peppy Gipsy Kings song, through my earphones and clicking through my photos of this island in slideshow mode. An involuntary grin of reminiscence automatically takes over my face.

Of the islands we have visited thus far, Moorea is a chief contender for favorite. The heart-shaped island's natural splendor undersea is well balanced by its amenities and attractions ashore: evocative over-water thatched bungalows, gorgeous bays, great hikes, and plentiful sea life, plus easy ferry service to Papeete and reliable internet!!. The island is stunningly beautiful from both near and far - in my humble opinion, every bit if not more dramatic than Bora Bora. Not surprisingly, Moorea is said to have provided some of the backdrops for the film version of "South Pacific" and, even today, embodies the sailor's vision of Polynesian paradise. We first enjoyed her distinctive outline from our vantage roughly 15 miles away over our many days anchored on the west coast of Tahiti. And now, inside the protection of her reefs, the views of her jagged peaks and dense valleys contrasting with the breaking aqua waters are even more impressive. And there is much to explore....

Moorea has two major and adjacent bays - Cook's and Opunohu - on the north side of island where most cruisers congregate. We dropped our hook in Opunohu Bay and, wasting no time, launched the dinghy and followed the marked dinghy channel through the coral-laced water out to "Stingray City", as it is affectionate called. Here the local tour boats have trained these graceful fish to gather for food. Armed with canned sardines, they will eat out of your hands. I wasn't adventurous enough to try that, hearing that fingers can be bitten, but it was amazing to be in water so shallow we could stand while watching the eager rays climb on the backs of the sardine-holders. Dozens of stingrays swam around us, docile and comfortable with humans. I cautiously touched the back of one ray and was surprised to feel the velvety texture, not unlike a portabella mushroom. Then I turned to see the rather plump black tip sharks mere feet from us circling the ray-feeding activity, apparently awaiting the scraps. Had this endeavor not been created and fostered by the tour industry - where I could cling to at least the illusion of safety in numbers - the presence of this density of large, potentially dangerous sea creatures would have quite unnerved me. .... but, alas, the whole thing was actually wicked cool.

Opunohu Bay also gave us easy access to two great hikes. First we hiked about 5 km up the road ascending Mont Tohiea (3960 ft) to the "Belvedere" lookout. The trek up was mildly strenuous and just long enough to provide a sense of accomplishment and, once there, the vistas down both bays provided further reward for our efforts. Circling back down the road, we veered off to wander through a forested park that contained the many well-preserved archeological stone slabs of the Marea Tetiiroa. One in particular caught our eye for its unusual semi-circular cut-out, so designed for ceremonial archery exercises into the wooded hills. We slowly strolled among the ruins imaging the tribal life here before the explorers from the West arrived.

Fruits of all kinds grow liberally along these verdant slopes and indeed, during our descent, we stopped to sample the homemade jams produced by the agricultural school (le Lycee Agricole de Opunohu) located in this valley. We settled on a purchase of pineapple-papaya preserves to go. On another day we hiked the unpaved Route des Ananas through the pineapple plantations of the Paopao valley. Our hike was pleasant enough, but was greatly enhanced when a young man and his son, with spontaneous, unprompted Polynesian hospitality, stopped their car to point out a hidden trail. With this local knowledge, we retraced our steps, found the cut and climbed up to a dirt plateau for a panorama back onto the organized pineapple fields on the slope, the long views down the converging valleys and expansive Cook's Bay in the distance. It was the big money view we would have surely missed without their refreshing human-to-human happenstance help.

If the two hikes were not enough to get our unaccustomed muscles pumping, we also rented bicycles from the nearby Hilton Resort. On our pricey "comfort" cruisers - which were NOT - we struggled with the pot-holed roads and constant stream of aggressive drivers speeding past. We had deliberately decided against renting scooters as we had heard of many unfortunate accidents, but bikes also seemed not the way to see Moorea; at least not on this busy side of the island. I will not hold this against Moorea - I still think her inviting, intriguing and gorgeous - but we will just save our bicycle rental dollars for quieter islands. Nonetheless, while the ride was not pastoral or relaxing, my water-logged legs and lungs still very much welcomed the exercise. Before returning the bikes, we took a quick quarter-mile detour to Usine de Jus de Fruits de Moorea, the Rotui fruit juice factory. Sampling their chilled non-alcoholic (and alcoholic) juices in the showroom made for refreshing compensation for our tiring day.

And then there was Haapiti. On the southwest side of Moorea, miles from the popular and busy cruiser-centric bays, we made the cut through the frothy pass in an attempt to keep our two 25-year-olds happy. Eric - and now Robert - have become keenly focused on surfing Polynesian waves wherever possible....and Haapiti is a classic. With shallow waters and many "bommies" (coral heads) in this anchorage, we had to drop our hook quite close to the small handful of boats already set. Eric and Robert were happy to see the red catamaran arrive with an South African family who have three avid teenage surfers on board - guys they had already befriended in Tahiti. The boys ventured over to the pounding waves and had only marginal success with the just-a-bit-too large reef breaks, but - no worries - they especially enjoyed the repeat company of their spirited Cape Town friends as they shared celebratory beers each evening. David and I took a short walk ashore to the "village" finding not much more than a picturesque church (Eglise de la Sainte Famille) and a small magasin, but ironically, also freshly paved roads. Smooth roads, no traffic, miles of sunshine - THIS is where we should have ridden the bikes! Ultimately, keeping our "kids" happy proved a winning strategy as we found the exquisite backdrop of this quiet "surfer-anchorage" exceedingly striking, even by our new Moorea-elevated standards.

In the days since we left Haapiti, I now catch myself humming the Gipsy Kings song often; The upbeat rendition - along with the alluring images of beautiful Moorea - are stuck in my head. It's not a bad thing.