Polynesian legend declares that Moorea was formed as the second dorsal fin of the fish that became Tahiti. This off-shoot was called by the poetic name « Aimeo i te rara varu », for the eight mountain ridges that separate the island. Also known as Eimeo or Aimeho, the island’s name was later changed to Moorea –yellow lizard-following a dream by one of the high priests.
Moorea’s mountains and valleys present a scene that only the lavish colors of the tropics can furnish. Here the artist has spilled all his shades of green upon the palette, and so delicately blended them that they melt into one another in an enchantment of green.
Mooea is Tahiti’s little sister island, just 17 Km. (11 miles) across the Sea of Moons. Moorea’s magnificent beauty covers an area of 136 sq.km (53 sq.miles), with a paved coastal road extending 60 km. (37 miles) around the island.
Exploring Moorea’s terrestrial charms can be the highlight of your vacation on this island blessed by Nature’s finest gifts. This can be accomplished by taxi, guided bus tours, rental car, jeep, « fun car », scooter or bicycle. Rental agencies are located at the airport, the boat dock and near all the big hotels.
The passing montage includes pretty pastel-painted houses, often built of bamboo and thatched roofs, surrounded by flower gardens of myriad hue. Most of island’s 11,682 inhabitants live in the small villages between the lagoon and the mountains, and you’ll see some luxurious modern homes on the mountain slopes overlooking the sea.
The interior island safari tours show you Moorea’s most breathtaking scenery, with views from Le Belevedere Lookout of Mt. Rotui, Cook’s Bay, Opunohu Bay and the fertile Opunohu Valley, with its agricultural farms and miles of spiky green pineapple plants that decorate the mountain slopes. Under the towering basaltic cliffs of the dinosaur ridges cattle graze peacefully on bright green grass, while the nearby river stream gurgles its way toward the sea. The island tour can take you to the waterfalls of Afareaitu, and to visit Moorea’s restored marae. Thes stone temples, as well as the adjacent archery platforms, represent a culture that once flourished among the proud Polynesians. Groves of Tahitian mape chestnut trees add to the quiet and regal beauty of this sacred ground.
Most of the activities in Moorea are arranged by your hotel, and are sometimes included in their program or sold as optional choices. The opalescent lagoons surrounding the island provide a gigantic liquid playground. Here you can swim, snorkel, scuba dive, water-ski and jet-ski, surf and windsurf, paddle an outrigger canoe or ride a surf bike, go sailing or deep-sea fishing, and picnic on the motu. You can also soar above the lagoon on a parasail or helicopter ride, and watch the diamonds dancing on the sunlit waters below.
Moorea has a number of excellent restaurants and snack bars. And the environment on this lovely island is the cleanest in French Polynesia. Moorea represents the South Pacific resort island you expect to find.
