MOOREA
26 August 2007
Ronel
ROMANE, ROCHELLE and FLORANCE feeding the rays
Only 12 miles away from Tahiti, across the Sea of the Moon (very romantic name!) lies Moorea.
Moorea is the heart-shaped sister island of Tahiti and because it is so close to Tahiti, often mentioned and thought of as being one island. We have been to Moorea several times during our 2 year stay in Tahiti, sometimes by yacht and a few times by ferry.
All around Moorea are white beaches (not a lot of those in Tahiti) and it is possible to anchor in the lagoon in various places under 5 meters, in water so clear and blue that you can see everything under the boat and having a white beach within swimming distance. Moorea is the getaway place for yachtsmen from Tahiti, probably why there are now restrictions on the times anchored in various spots; especially where there are coral gardens. We have anchored on various occasions in Cook's Bay and Openue Bay, two long deep bays on the northern side of the island , which although deep and with dark water, have the fish very easy to catch and very tasty to eat - ATURE or MACKEREL! As in Bay Phaeton, Tahiti, the Ature come into the bays to spawn and are then caught using a long line of small feathered hooks. Even Rochelle pulled out a line with 8 or more Atures on it ! We enjoy the Ature barbecued with a lemon, garlic butter , sometimes with a BBQ sauce and have tried it as the locals and the French do-cru (raw) , sliced into paper thin slices and marinated with lemon.
Ature are pelagic fish and we ate them confidently, knowing that they are free from ciguatera.
AIMEHO, the former name for Moorea, has lemon, orange and pineapple plantations lining the slopes of the lush mountains and at the juice factory it is possible to learn all about the processing of fruit, making juices and liquors.
So, there is a lot to see and do at Moorea. The ferry trip from Papeete takes about 45 minutes, depending on which ferry you take. Taking a ferry to Moorea and back was definitely a highlight for us. In fact, it is a normal way of living for hundreds of commuters, taking cars, bicycles, trucks loaded with goods back and forth across the channel, getting to and from work.
Forgot to mention the ray and shark feeding. Bit of a controversial subject and with many people having feelings for and against this tourist practice. On the reef are various places where sharks (black- and white tip sharks) and rays are being handfed. Boats filled with tourists, anchor in the lagoon and the operators then start chumming the water with small live bait. Soon the water around the boats are like an aquarium with hundreds of small reef fishes, turtles, rays and sharks all happily feeding on the free meal whilst being observed underwater by the ecstatic tourists.
So, it may sound corny and artificial, but I can assure you that it is an amazing feeling to be surrounded by lots of sharks and fish. In fact, if you take your fish bait and rub it onto your body, the rays will locate the fish scented area of your body and proceed to suck on that area! Hard to believe that the wild can be so tame... are they being exploited or is it an opportunity for humans, to learn about Nature...?
It is 80 miles from Moorea to HUAHINE. This passage was our first overnight sail in over two years and although the seas were calm and the wind favourable, I think it was a combination of all our mixed emotions, sadness at leaving Tahiti but also the promise of new adventure and places that made the passage relatively uncomfortable. We had a fast, boisterous trip which did not set easy on our stomachs. And so, when we saw HUAHINE for the first time the next morning, we were very happy, looking forward to our stop and exploring the island.