MO’ OREA –

MICHENER'S BALI Ha’i?

“Achingly exquisite heart-shaped island that is simply paradise found”; that’s how TripAdvisor describes Moorea Island. It is thought to be the inspiration for Michner’s Bali Ha’i. Although the movie wasn’t filmed on Moorea, the distant island called Bali Ha’i in the film was Moorea.

If Papeete disappointed, Moorea did not! We were greeted with musicians, dancers, flowers, and an especially adorable four-legged “greeter”! Shopping is always a big part of any trip ashore, and Moorea was no exception. There was a market at the pier with many local vendors. We are not big shoppers, but we could not resist this charming vendor and her shell necklaces. John bought one for me.

Moorea is smaller than Papeete, Tahiti. A trip around the island is 32 miles, a trip we took on our “Moorea Highlights” tour. There are 18,000 inhabitants and no traffic issues (and according to our guide, no crime either). The twelve taxis on the island are listed in the phone directory by name, not company, i.e., Jane, Bob, etc. On the trip, we passed through many small villages, each with an elementary school and a church. The houses were all well-tended, with gardens in the backyard and chickens and roosters roaming freely. The overall impression is positive, with a strong sense of community. No tour would be complete without Polynesian Dancers and, in this case, a tie-dye demonstration!

One of John’s favorite sites was Mount Mou’aputa, which means “Pierced Mountain”. It’s a prominent peak on the island famous for the hole near its summit. It’s a popular hiking trail. It seems like there should be a Polynesian legend explaining the hole but we couldn’t find any. John said he could make up one, but in the interest of “journalistic integrity”, he won’t (but maybe over a wee dram in the future).

Tourism is the largest “industry” on the island and has been for many years. There was a large Club Med Resort, which has been closed for 35 years, so, obviously, it was big business in the 60’ – 70’s. Just because we’ve never heard of it doesn’t mean many other people weren’t aware of this island paradise. Part of the property that belonged to Club Med has been purchased by the Island and turned into a public beach area. There are many resorts, large and small, on the island. Several we saw offered individual cottages over the water. There are several new construction resorts. An article comparing Moorea and nearby Bora Bora preferred Moorea, saying it was more laidback and affordable.

Don’t see a return trip to French Polynesia in our future, but if we had to choose a place, Moorea would be our destination.