Day 2: French Polynesia - Moorea: Snorkeling with rays and black tip sharks!

After spending a leisurely morning, following our host's, Laure's, suggestion, we head down to the hotel Les Tipaniers to snorkel with rays and black tip sharks. Being a bit nervous about snorkeling with these beautiful but a little scary creatures by ourselves, we finally opt to upgrade from the kayak we were meant to rent to a guided boat tour...only to find Sylvia, another Couch Surfer staying with Laure, comfortably hanging out in the shark channel with dozens of sharks below, having kayaked out there by herself! We are certainly impresssed! I, on the other hand, am hanging on to Mike for fear that the current drags me too close to all these sharks that just keep swimming by...

In the evening we share some of Laure's yummy homemade passion fruit rum with Laure, Sylvia and some of Laure's friends from the hotel.

The next day it's another adventure getting to the ferry when the bus doesn't turn up, but back in Papeete we do end up finding the bus to the airport for our quick flight to Huahine, the "wildest" island in French Polynesia.

 

Sylvia

Yikes - better get my feet out of the way of its mouth...

Day 1 (PM): French Polynesia - Moorea

We drive back to Papeete that afternoon to take the ferry for Moorea. When we arrive, Mike heads over to pick up his surfboard and I notice that the two buses which had been waiting at the ferry both take off as soon as everyone has disembarked. It appears that we've missed the last bus... I approach a young girl to ask her whether there are any other ways to get to the Intercontinental Hotel...which is a 40 minute drive away... and she offers to give us a ride with her father in law who is picking her up. People are so very kind here! We make it to the Intercontinental and call Laure, our Couch Surfing host, as planned. Turns out she works here and we'll basically be lodging on the grounds of the hotel :)