What to do in Moorea

I'm headed to Moorea in a couple weeks. Anybody got tips on things to see and do, places to stay, artists to check out?

Marvin is sooo lucky he's quite the world traveler

On 2009-09-05 10:57, Sophista-tiki wrote:
Marvin is sooo lucky he's quite the world traveler

I'm just happy he takes me with him!

On 2009-09-05 09:16, MarvinTheMonkey wrote:
What to do in Moorea ?

Nothing!?

Ask Mr. Smiley and Inky Louise. I think they went there on their honeymoon.

Go to the Club Bali Hai resort - there's still a Bali Hai boy in residence - at least last year there was.
Go for Bfast, Happy Hour - hang out a while - it has a beautiful view.

I believe the Moorea Pearl is on the site of the original Bali Hai. Has some interesting stone tikis & some nice carvings. All newer.

There is a beautiful private garden (I forget the name) with a wonderful woman who owns it who will give you a tour. Hard to find. & you have to make an advance appointment. It's worth the effort. A tiki with a story behind it, too.

Check out some of the Marae, too.

Go to the Jus de Fruits de Moorea - it's a juice plant, but they have sum, too. We didn't like their rum, but they have a coconut creme liquor that is so worth bringing home...& their juices were amazing, too.

Oh, yeah, and take time to enjoy the beauty, too :wink:

Don't go to the tiki village. Nothing so special, you'll see better shows at hotel anywhere for free (especially in tahiti, go to the tiki bar of the hotel ?).
Go to the Belvedere for some amazing view over the 2 bay.
You can visit the distillery, where you can taste and buy great fresh juices, or liqueur...
the best tattoo is artist is Chime I think
In the east, there's a great walk to do that goes to a cascade.
Go to the expensive hotels, not to get a room, but for the beaches that are open to everyone.
At Paopao, visit the jewel stores, and you might find yourself in front of a great Leeteg painting.

Hiking, drinking hinano, swimming with the dolphins if you want, enjoying the paradise...

On 2009-09-05 18:51, croe67 wrote:
Go to the Club Bali Hai resort - there's still a Bali Hai boy in residence - at least last year there was.
Go for Bfast, Happy Hour - hang out a while - it has a beautiful view.

F.Y.I. the Bali Hai Boys: Only briefly mentioned by me in the Book of Tiki, they are nevertheless THE quintessential Polynesia drop outs, who, right at the peak of the Tiki craze in 1960, put into practice what everybody else was just dreaming about (and very successfully so!): They quit their mainland jobs and built themselves a native hut in paradise: The first stilt bungalow resort in the South Seas.

http://www.tahiti-pacifique.com/Articles.divers/BaliHai/BaliHai.html

A 1962 LIFE article by Eugene Burdick (co-author of "The Ugly American") made them national heros.

Sabu dug up all the photos for it, many unpublished:

http://images.google.com/images?q=paradise+moorea&q=source%3Alife

[ Edited by: bigbrotiki 2009-09-06 00:03 ]

Take the lagoon snorkle trip for sure. Spend as much time as possible under water.
Go up into the the volcano crater and check out the orchid and pinapple plantations.
Really it's all fantastic!

Oh, yeah, what Virani said on the Tiki Village. Definitely skip it.

Thanks for all the fantastic tips - I knew I could count on you guys!

F.Y.I. the Bali Hai Boys: Only briefly mentioned by me in the Book of Tiki, they are nevertheless THE quintessential Polynesia drop outs, who, right at the peak of the Tiki craze in 1960, put into practice what everybody else was just dreaming about (and very successfully so!): They quit their mainland jobs and built themselves a native hut in paradise: The first stilt bungalow resort in the South Seas.

Thanks Bigbrotiki, that was quite the treasure trove of pics and info!

[ Edited by: MarvinTheMonkey 2009-09-06 12:25 ]

Track down Lily Moorea. She is a local artist who does huge paintings. She is a total character and worth the humor of her company.

On Behalf of Russell and Hubert...some specific advice for monkey mascots in Tahiti.

"I really enjoyed swimming on a glass top coffee table. Oof, you will not get wet." -H

"Tiki butts are good shade! " -R

" Oof. 4 wheelin' it is the good, hold on!" -H

"Shopping in Papette is fun but, make sure your people buy a bigger bag, we were crowded with tikis and tapa!" -R

"The fruit is juicy and tasty! Remember to pack a appropriate wardrobe." -R

Most excellent, Inkylouise (and Russell and Hubert)!!!

Don't let Marvin visit the island of Dr. Moorea!
If you must..please avoid the House of Pain!

have fun and just chill and explore!
locals will know where the artists are!
Ban VAYAJEE!
:)

oops! Moreau is the Dr.
Moorea is the island....
my bad.

Back from Moorea! Had a fantastic time, and thought I'd share some pics of tikis I ran into while I was there:

These two guys are from the airport in Papeete:

Here are some tiki from the Pearl Resort:

These are from Tiki Village:

Two pics from Kaveka:

More to come...

[ Edited by: MarvinTheMonkey 2009-09-27 15:26 ]

applause applause !!! wonderful tikis.

More tiki pics from Moorea:

These are from some great little seemingly abandoned place just south of Tiki Village:

Here's a 2-sided one from the same place:

...and some other assorted tiki from around the island:

And last, but by no means least, it's Muk - the last of the Bali Hai Boys:

Thanks MTM for the great reference shots.

I should be so lucky to travel to paradise. Awesome.

Wow, thanks a lot. So did the last Bali Hai boys told you stories of the old days ?
Is Kaveka the Kaveka hotel ? great pics.

On 2009-09-28 09:13, virani wrote:
Wow, thanks a lot. So did the last Bali Hai boys told you stories of the old days ?
Is Kaveka the Kaveka hotel ? great pics.

Thanks, Virani!

He sure did. That guy is quite the story teller - we went back a couple of times to hear his tales. A not-to-be-missed opportunity!

Yes, it's the Kaveka hotel.

Great Tikis!
Thanks for sharing!
and tell marvin i said ,"whussup?"

Great photo travelogue!

On 2009-10-20 23:25, christiki295 wrote:
Great photo travelogue!

Thanks!
There's more for your perusal over at:
http://www.marvinthemonkey.com/moorea/index.html

Great pics Marvin ...thanks for sharing .Did you drink lots of Hinano beer when you
were there ? Another destination I need to get back to for sure.
Did you go to Bora Bora also ?