The Bora Bora to Papeete overnight cruise was the rockiest – just as well because it was our last. Woke at 6am to the sounds of a busy Papeete Port. After a quick brekkie and last meal I bid farewell to my cabin buddies and I was out the gangplank at 7am sharp. It was a sad occasion because the cruise was superb but I was a man with a mission today. I had an apartment to find, a Mac to fix and an island to cruise to and drive. All got done.
I caught a taxi to the centre of town and a kind local agreed to ring my apartment landlord who turned up 20min later. Terrific. This two-bedroom apartment is huge with a full kitchen, big bathroom, giant lounge and TV and great views over central Papeete. Walking distance to everything. At 815am, I grabbed my Mac and headed to the only Apple Reseller in town only a 10min walk away. No new battery for my old 11 inch MacBook Air – not a surprise since it is from 2015. I could also not buy a new MacBook Air since I could not transfer the apps I need for my blog and film to a new Mac with an operating system that is 9 years ahead of mine !!! The technician then solved my problem. I needed a something to give my Mac a “jump start” if the battery dies again and the Mac powers down. I had a 60W charger. The technician recommended an 85W charger which would give me the extra AC I needed to restart my Mac from cold. Great solution. Charger cost $200AUD vs $2100AUD for a new Mac. Loved it. Grabbed it and skipped back to my unit !!!
I changed quickly and headed off to the local Port only 10min away. 15min later I was on a huge car ferry to Moorea only 30min cruise away. Moorea emerged like yet another Skull Island – a dramatic panorama of jungle covered lush green jagged saw-tooth peaks !!! The Port is by itself so I had to walk 10min in the heat to get to Vaiare Village where I expected to find a hire car company. This is the first time I did not plan car hire since I did not know what time our cruise would end. No worries. I found a Herz office and picked up a new manual Kia Picanto. I was off and it was only 11am. What a trip. What an island. Moorea is extremely green and scenic. The coral reef around it is to die for. I visited the following places: Toatea Lookout, Cook Bay, St Joseph Church, Taahiamanu Park & Beach, Opunohu Bay, Ofaitere Lookout, Tehau, Varari, Haapiti, St Famille Church, Atiha Bay, Mouaroa Peak Viewpoint, Maatea Viewpoint, Afareaitu. The highlight was definitely Cook Bay with huge jagged peaks overlooking a aqua green crystal clear narrow channel of water. At this point I shall let the photos do the writing and talking.
I drove a total of 68km around the entire coastline of Moorea and returned the car at 245pm. Lucky for me the boat out was at 315pm and after a very rocky ride back to Papeete I was in the unit and out the door again to stock up on olives, cheese and wine for my next 3 nights in Papeete.
So good to finally relax in a big apartment on dry land – this whole day I had “sea legs” and felt I was rocking back and forth everywhere I walked on hard dry land !!! An amazing phenomenon. I arrived “home” at 530pm and blogged away to wine, chees and olives until 8pm when I switched to my usual hot delicious supermarket local dishes and a Netflix movie – thanks to my big TV and powerful internet !!!
MOOREA STATS:
Distance from Papeete: 28km
Land Size compared to Sydney: 1.1% (15km by 9km)
Coastline: 72km
Population: 18,718
Highest Peak: 1,207m
Claim to Fame: Pineapple Juice
Fasten your seat belt and rive with me around the entire island of Moorea…
No comments:
Post a Comment