Arriving into one of our favorite French Polynesian Bays, we sailed over from Tahiti to Cook’s Bay, Moorea. We did some initial recon and scoped out the small community around Cook’s Bay. We found a place to rent bikes and went for a pedal on the beach cruisers or velo de la plage (I just made that up). Moorea has two beautiful bays cutting into the north island, making it look like a dinosaur footprint or heart with an extra crevice which is great to cycle for a waterfront ride. We found the agricultural school where they offer samples of different jams that are made from the fruit grown on the island. We also tried a jam made out of tiare flower, the local gardenia and the national flower.
The “ride” home consisted of navigating a dirt track through the island called the routes des ananas. After the ride back to pavement we sought out from cold refreshments and called it a day.
The following day we wanted to explore a bit more of the island and go for a circumnavigation of Moorea a la scooter. We found a beautiful look-out, that the French call “points of view” that sums up the beauty of this area. Just down the road, we found a waterfront eatery and tried for the first time pearl oysters. We were not sure what we would be getting, but when it arrived, it was delicious. Much like conch, it was tough and had a more rubber-like texture compared to the oyster shooters we are used to. It was a beautiful Carpaccio style lunch that couldn’t have been any better. Before the scooters were due back the following day, we had a ride up to Mt Belvedere to get a view of the two bays in the morning, which I cannot think of a better word for than stunning.
The Wind Dancer Crew