Cruise The World With Us

Sunday – February 23, 2025

The rooster in this photo enters our story soon – let me take you through our day on Moorea – a paradise unlike any we have seen to date.

The media starts with a view showing the location of Moorea in relation to Tahiti. We tendered today because there was no area deep enough for the ship to dock and no pier to which we could be anchored. The sunrise was beautiful and set the stage for what the remainder of the day would bring. There is a still of the sun breaking above the distant clouds and a time lapse that includes our transit to our point of anchor. Following that are a couple video clips that show how the reef acts as a barrier to the waves – the waves break on the reef so the water from their to shore is very calm and without waves. The bungalows you see are of the Hilton resort on Moorea – world famous (and they charge accordingly).

We boarded a tender and rode in to the dock. There is a video clip showing a portion of that trip – very smooth. At the dock we found many buses from the same tour company ready to take us around Moorea. Our driver was also our guide – Mikie. Fortunately we were the first of the buses to leave so we would arrive at the points of interest first (before all those pesky tourists spoiled the beauty of the attractions).

I took a snapshot of a map of Moorea with a “You are here” label so you can see where we started. The tour took us around the entire island on the only road that does circle the island. I have also sprinkled screenshots from MAPS to give you an idea where various stops were. We headed for Belvedere Lookout where we would have an elevated view of the Northern portion of Moorea.

Kelsey was able to get a good shot out the window on the way up the hill – my side of the bus was looking at tree trunks. Upon arrival at the top we took our first selfie of the day and a couple views from the lookout. There was a group of locals there selling fruit and drinks and there were chickens roaming free. We found during the day there were chickens all over the island. I got a photo of a hen with a couple chicks and found a rooster that was going crazy pecking at a coconut someone had cut in half and laid on the ground. I didn’t know chickens liked coconut but then I’ve never asked a chicken that question. There was also a cute girl who was helping her Mom and had just removed a glove that was covered with fruit juice. She stuck in in her mouth and was sucking on it when I took her photo. Both the rooster and girl were photos I submitted to PAzz and chosen by the judges to display for the entire ship.

Our next stop was the site of an ancient Polynesian temple. I took a photo of a map of the area – has text in French and English. As missionaries came to Moorea they discouraged worship at these temples and led the people to worship in churches. Another selfie at this site and a photo showing the basics of the temple area.

At the bottom of the hill was a meadow where we had a view of some of the mountains in the area. And, of course, a spot for another selfie. The bright white clouds against the blue sky made a great backdrop for photos of the meadow.

Next stop was Cook Bay and cause for 2 more selfies plus views including a pineapple field on the side of a hill and a nice panorama with shadows of the palm trees in the shallow, clear water. It was beginning to get warm – you’ll find a screenshot from the AccuWeather app with temps for today.

We headed to the Northeast corner of the island for a bathroom and gift shop stop and, of course, another selfie down on the beach. From that beach you could see good sized waves as they hit the reef and dispersed. You could also see the variety of blue colors of the water between the shore and the reef. In the sunlight that array was easy on the eyes.

We rounded the Northeast corner near Point Faaupo for an elevated view that included Tahiti and one of the several hotels with bungalows over the water – and another selfie. That was the seventh of the day – I think we need to enroll in a twelve step selfie reduction program! From the higher perspective you can see a clear line where the reef separates the dark blue water from the blue/green shallows. This spot also gave Jan and I a chance for a photo with Tahiti in the background. It was beautiful and is difficult to describe the experience of the environment – colors, warm wind, sound of the waves and trees rustling in the wind.

We followed the road South to a stop Mikie likes at a large Polynesian statue. Didn’t catch the name of the statue or what the statue was holding in his hand. This stop gave us the perfect opportunity for…….another selfie. Really – we need that twelve step program! Both above the statue and across the street were trees like we had seen on Tahiti with bright orange flowers. Mikie said these were flame trees and could have a variety of flower colors. Most on Morrea were either red or orange. We found a breadfruit tree across the street from the statue so Jan posed with it. It you zoom in you can see the fruit all over the branches.

Our tour ended in the parking lot where it began close to the dock and the tenders. We boarded a tender for the short ride back to the ship. I was able to get a photo of MSC Magnifica from my seat as well as a video of the ride back. Getting off the tender was an experience as it was bobbing up and down in fairly wide variations in height. The crew had to assist us one-by-one to exit the tender for the ship. I included a couple shots of Kelsey and Jan waiting in line to re-enter the ship. Everyone has to pass an ID verification (based on our cruise card), walk through a magnetometer and have your loose items x-ray’d. They are very safety conscious as we leave and return to the ship. Our ID’s are scanned both going and coming so they can be sure all who left do return.

We arrived in time to have lunch in the dining room (lunch is served 12:00 to 1:30). Our evening waiter – Subagia – was servicing the area where we were seated for lunch. Included in the media is a photo of him and the assistant waiter (whom we didn’t know). Since it seems we include photos of most of what we eat, there are some from this lunch – starters, entrees and dessert.

Following lunch I went to deck 14 to take some photos of the area where we anchored – Opunuhu Bay. Got more pics of the Hilton complex, tenders as they came and went, the empty pool area and the hills surrounding the bay. I would have liked to get a closer look at the Hilton bungalows but didn’t have the time or the inclination to spend over $1,000 each to stay there overnight as part of an excursion offered when we were in Tahiti. Perhaps in the future.

On entry to the restaurant for dinner we were greeted with a display of the fish that would be served as part of a Polynesian dinner. Mr. Ugo Sorrentino (restaurant manager) showed me a photo of what had been purchased fresh – 500 Kg of blue marlin. I doubt there will be any left but I could see if they would put some on ice we could bring back for you, Sharon. Media includes photos of some of what we ate. As we were having dinner we began our sail away from Moorea – a time-lapse video of that is in the media.

There were two shows we attended this evening. Included in the media are video and stills from the classical group in the theatre followed by a hula presentation on deck 13 by the pool. You can see the hula show from a couple angles as I was on deck 14 and Kelsey was on deck 13 closer to the action. When the hula dancing was complete people were invited to share dessert from an ice cream buffet.

Here is a link to video and photos for today.