In Mo'orea I've done so much above yet almost nothing below. My lack of being in the water on this journey inspired me to book a snorkelling tour with Moorea Miti Tours. How would snorkelling be here compared to elsewhere? The weather was nice today, and the past three snorkelling tours I've undertaken have been in the Maldives, Lord Howe Island, and Panama with foul weather each time, therefore it was refreshing to soak up the sun. We'd have an opportunity to swim with stingrays. "Could I end up like Steve Irwin?" I asked the guide curiously. He told me in all the years of operating tours in Mo'orea there's never been a fatality. Steve Irwin is one of those great guys I would have liked to have met. As we set off, the guide played the ukulele as we motored slowly along the north coast of Mo'orea. Cruising through the turquoise lagoon we spotted a whale.
I gave up on whale watching years ago in Iceland when I paid through the nose for a tour in which I saw nothing. My sister, Dannielle would later say "you're only guaranteed to see a whale at Sea World." Mo'orea appears just as dazzling from a boat.
The mountain appears on the coin. Cool, eh?
Stringrays swam under the boat as we dropped anchor. Ahhhh, the water is so warm it feels like bath water. The rays swim right up to you!
The guide showed us the barb and told us that's all we need to watch out for. Like practically everything else on my travels I had little to fear. It's even possible to pet the stingray. You'll never forget the rubbery feeling of one of these creatures.
Years ago, I must've been about six I asked my mother "what is a ray?" She asked "a ray gun? a stingray? a ray of sunshine?" meaning there are many types of rays. Though we could pet the stingrays we were advised to stay back whilst the sharks were fed bits of fish. Whilst snorkelling, even in warm places, I prefer to wear a wetsuit due to the protection it offers from sunburn and stings. Dozens of stingrays would leave us in awe before moving onto another spot.
Lunch was on a small motu (island) off the northwest coast. Whilst I've seen it done in Samoa and elsewhere, our guide gave us a hands-on demonstration of husking, cracking, and grating coconut.
With coconut milk, raw tuna, and little bits of spring onion he made a Tahitian delicacy.
Raw fish has never struck my fancy but I tried a little bit. For the less brave there was grilled chicken and potatoes on offer. In addition to husking coconuts, our guide is also skilled at making hats out of palm leaves.
On our way back the wind took a towel out to the sea and we had to turn around to grab it. The guide's son, who is maybe 8 years old, retrieved it easily.
An American couple took some photos of me with their GoPro, which they've agreed to send to me. We met up at the Hilton for a couple of happy hour drinks but I'll say I'd never go there for happy hour again. Only cocktails are part of happy hour and they don't seem to put any alcohol in them, so it's no wonder wine wasn't on happy hour. I ended up paying $17 (US) for a cuba libre and a pina colada, both of which were rum-less.
What a great day it was today! I don't normally do tours but I highly recommend Mo'orea Miti Tours. The excursion today was a nice finishing touch on a fantastic time in Mo'orea. You only live once so get on out there, get to Mo'orea, soak up some sun, jump into a turquoise lagoon, and pet a stingray.
