The 3rd post of a trip (here) which started on May 10/2022
At the Moorea Hilton
The morning wake-up call at the hotel, is done the traditional way.
Many roosters freely roam around the attractive landscape, making sure the guests
wake-up timely, in the early morning hours as so they make it to breakfast, without lingering or extending the dinning, beyond 10:00 am.sharp!
Other creatures of nature decorate the verdant landscape
At the Fish Pond
The Cat at the Lobby
Exotic Floura
And those bigger than life
Between the Beach and the Pool
Meeting Sabrina , David and Nat
Apparently this lovely family from San Diego CA , that we already encountered and struck a lively conversation at the LAX airport's check-in line, not only flew with us, on the same flight, and had stayed at the same Hilton Hotel, but also was familiar with a dear relative of mine
Dr. Paul Tierstein - Chief Cardiologist at the La-Jolla's Scripps hospital , who treated
their family member.... small world...
Hike along the Beach 2 days of swimming, lazying at the beach and over -eating , compelled me to take a hike down the narrow path, along the shore to the left side of the hotel's entrance.. The enjoyable 2 km hike, in the refreshing morning sea breeze, which took 40 minutes, landed us for a visit of the :
Manutea Tahiti juice company, and a little bit further down the road at the
Gumps Berkeley Research Station -a visit point, mentioned by dear freind Donna.
Inna - another lovely guest whom we befriended at the hotel, and who also resides in the Bay area Ca, joined us on the hike, without her husband George..
A short initial conversation with Inna and George revealed that, like us, they too
lived in Minneapolis- St Paul Minnesota, during the same years, in the beginning
of the 1980th,upon arriving to the US.
Hiking along the water
The Mountains side
Catch of the day on the way
Visits to:
Manutea Tahiti juice company 689 40552000 routi@rotui.pf
This industrial company created in 1983 which manufactures a large number of tropical juices of the brand Rotui, has 30 staffs and supports more than 200 growers and producers.
No fresh, only pasteurized mixed tropical fruit juices and several liqueurs are sold at the company's fancy store, next to the plant, which we stepped into, for the self guide free tour of the facility.
Marine Biology Research Station
Richard B. Gump Station, a Field Station of the University of California at Berkeley
No formal sign indicates the existence of the Station,, and most locals are not familiar with it, or if they do they know it by the name "Berkley Center"
The Station was established in 1985 after Richard Gump (owner of the now closed famous SF museum -like furniture store) donated his property of 33 acres on the shore of Moorea Cook's Bay to the University of California.
Facilities include: a dock, boats (small skiffs to a 26 foot research boat), wet lab with flow-through seawater system, SCUBA facilities, and a fleet of vehicles.
A large air-conditioned research building contains general use labs, molecular laboratory, conference room, and office space for visiting researchers.
Up to 50 people can be housed on-site in various accommodation options.
The Main Station's building.
The mission of the Gump Station is to promote research, education, and public service in global change science, tropical biocomplexity, and sustainable development.
With its local and international partners, the University of California is working to develop the island of Moorea as a model system to understand how physical, biological, and cultural processes interact to shape tropical socio-ecosystems, particularly coral reefs.
Visits of tourists inside the facilities is not aloud.
However after calling Aaiana - the hospitable Office Manager of the Station,, she graciously agreed to spend some time, out-doors with us, and pointed to the Station's facilities on both side of the road : bungalows dormitories, offices and labs at the main building's structure at the Station..
Exceptional (and idealistic) graduate students of UC's Marine Biology departments, whom few of them we met and conversed with, are chosen by their Professors, in groups of about 10, to take a 6 weeks of research course, at the Station, as part of their graduate studies. Professors of the UC system, take turns in teaching there.
A high volcanic island, as Moorea is, with a well-developed coral reef system and tropical terrestrial environment, as well as great beaches, are definitely most luring factors, in the attraction of these youngsters to the island.
Aaiana apologized not having more time, since she needed to take care of
preparation concerning the "Blue Climate Summit" taking place as of May 14th in the Island, attracting not just the students..
This global convening 250+ carefully selected ocean leaders, among them :
From CA, Marl BeinHoff -Founder, Chairman& CEO, Salesforce & Owner, Time Magazine
Prince Albert II of Monaco, and Eduard Fritge- President of French Polynesia
The purpose of the Summit is to accelerate ocean-related solutions to climate change, launch major announcements, galvanize task forces, present impact investment opportunities, and provide an international forum for Pacific Islanders to spearhead action on ocean and climate issues. It brings together scientists, environmental activists, business leaders, policy makers, financial experts, community leaders, influenceres, and youth leaders to accelerate solutions to some of the greatest challenges facing humankind. It is an endorsed action of the United Nations Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development and is co-hosted with the Government of French Polynesia alongside other public and private institutions.
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By the time we were done with the morning's hike and exploration, the heat of the day discouraged us from walking the 2 km back to the hotel,
A local friendly guy we encountered, by chance, on the hike down and who agreed to pick us up and bring us to the hotel, once we call, gladly arrived at the Station with his antic striped-down jeep, and gave us a lift back to the hotel..
On the drive back, he shared that he is also a guide who offers excursions in his
roof covered private Speed- Boat rides to observe the Sting-Rays and Sharks at the further sea reef.
If interested you can contact : Yanik +689 89 70 07 20
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Swiming with Sting-Rays & Sharks
On our last day stay at the Moorea Hilton we joined 6 other hotel guests
on a snorkeling activity experience, at another part of the Island.
The hotel contracts the Moorea Mahana Tour Company, which sends its boats and guides, collecting the guests from the hotel's pier
Ari - The Happiest Guide
Opunohau Bay - "Stone Fish Bay" was the first boat stop
Opunohu Bay is a 3-km long bay est of Cook's Bay (where the Hilton is)
Sailboats and tour boats regularly enter the bay, to watch the Dolphins swimming
Second Stop was Swimming with the Fish
The Moorea InterContinental that sadly closed down in 2022
The Club-Med Site (which burnt and closed) in 2004
The third and final stop at the Moto small Islets (Coco Beach)
The Moto - Islets are a popular destination of the local Tahitian over the weekend, where they come to dip in the bluish turquoise calm water, having good time playing music or have their traditional Polynesian cooked meal, shared also with the tourists
Apparently during the weekdays the islets are not as mobbed according to other hotel's guests, who did the same activity earlier in the week
We took only the 3 hours snorkeling tour, without the picnic, which serves
a Polynesian traditional long cooking of underground (covered with sand) barbecue pork, as the photos demonstrate
The final product - Polynesian "Delicatessen"....
On the way back to the hotel
The night time Sharks Guests at the Hotel
To be continued....