Here are photos of the sunrise on Moorea. The trees made beautiful silhouette photos.



















Here is the Molakai restaurant where we had our lunches and a few dinners. The specialty item in French Polynesia is Poisson Cru. It is raw tuna steak diced, marinated in lemon juice with finely chopped fresh vegetables and covered in a fresh coconut milk sauce.






Sofitel Ia Ora Coralia.











Here are the girls relaxing in the pool that overlooks the ocean. The pool water was colder than the ocean!










This is Highway One on Moorea. They call it that because it is the ONLY one! The boys rented motor scooters and the girls rented a car to explore the island. Moorea is 37 miles around with one road, no traffic lights, and a speed limit of 60 kmph (35 mph), but everybody speeds and passes dangerously. What puzzled us is "If they're so laid back and relaxed, why do they always drive so fast? It's Tahitian time- you're supposed to be late!"











Touring the island by car is the best way to go. It was a lot of fun. We stopped frequently for photos and shopping. This is a view of Cook's Bay (yes, as in captain Cook. He visited Moorea twice before he visited Hawaii where Cook was cooked. He was eaten by cannibals.)



One of Moorea's main shopping centers. The most popular souvenirs from the islands are Black Pearls, which can only be grown in Tahitian waters, and pareos, a native piece of clothing that can be worn many ways.






Here's a fisheye view of the end of the Earth. The water was so clear and such vibrant shades of blue... it was amazing! Here I am with a cute native I met at the discotheque. Just kidding.











A Protestant church.





Here is another wonderful view. This is a Catholic church on Moorea. The majority of the population is Protestant.












This painted mural is located near the first church on Moorea. It depicts the colonization of French Polynesia by the Asians and Europeans. They destroyed the polytheistic temples and used those stones to build churches that preached monotheism. There is only one large stone remaining from the original temple. It serves as a monument and a reminder.






There were many mountain peaks on the island, but this was by far the most beautiful. It resembles the silhouette of a woman looking towards the heavens. See her? On the right is a photo of me conversing with some locals. "Bonjour Madame. Comment vous-appelez vous? Ah, oui. Je m'appelle Tracy. Ca va? C'est beau aujourd'hui, non? Il fait du soleil mais il ne fait pas chaud. A demain..."






AHHHH! CRASH! Just kidding- it wasn't me. The fire department on Moorea crashes cars into trees for training exercises. Then they leave the car there like a warning to drive safely. They have beaucoup de car accidents, injuries, and fatalities every year. Oh, and there are only 10 police officers on Moorea with only 2 police cars. What an entirely different world it is there.








Moorea produces 2,500 tons of pineapples each year. The island has its own juice factory, which is government run, that makes fresh fruit juices and fruit liquors. Our favorite with every meal was freshly squeezed pineapple juice- it's the best. Here is the pineapple plantation. Did you know pineapples grow on small bushes only a foot from the ground?





Here is another part of the fruit plantation with papaya trees. And here is the entire family getting some fresh air. Summer in the northern hemisphere means winter for the southern hemisphere. This is the "dry" season for the French Polynesian islands. That means it only rains 8-12 inches each week versus during their summer when they can get 20 inches of rain in one day!






The stone wall in front of these enormous trees is all that remains of the highland temple from the first indigenous peoples of the Polynesian islands. The trees grew later. That brings us to Belvedere Point. It's the highest point you can reach by car. From here you can see both Cook's Bay and Opunohu Bay.











Beautiful Cook's Bay







"There's no place like Home!"





1