We were sad to say goodbye to our last hotel in Tahiti but looked forward to discovering the island we stared at every day from our room. Moorea is an island about a third of Tahiti's size that can be reached by a 30-minute ferry from Tahiti's main town, Papeete. The island mirrors Tahiti's jagged mountain spires and palm-lined coast, but it has one more tropical element—that picturesque minty, aqua water that one visualizes when thinking of tropical paradise.
As we tagged Moorea's ferry dock and got an up-close view of the landscape, we were not disappointed. Before we set out on our drive in search of our Airbnb, we needed to take care of some business, just in case our accommodation turned out to be in a remote area. The host didn't give us an address because the Airbnb has no address—just an old-school map with a few landmarks on it to guide us! How's that for a island treasure hunt?!
First, we needed to rent a car because it wasn't cost-effective to drive our prior rental onto the ferry. We signed over our name for the largest car left in the tiny rental car lot. It's the size of an extended recliner and has the power of a lawnmower, but we were able to all squeeze in with our luggage.
Roadside pineapples for sale at the gas station.
The ferry dock was one of the two locations with an ATM on Moorea, where we made sure we had enough cash for the small, family-owned businesses on the island—no big chains here! Then we stopped at a grocery store and bought as much food as we could fit around our feet and on our laps. Store hours are so sporadic here that we wanted to be sure we had something to eat if we couldn't find anything else open on the other side of the island.
Sweating like pigs, we made one more stop at Moorea's hospital because it's the only location that offers COVID tests. Our next flight requires a COVID test, so once again, we were on the hunt for a place where we can get test results in time. The rustic, roadside hospital luckily had one English speaking nurse who gave us the info we needed to book appointments.
Got my COVID info in hand at Moorea's hospital and COVID test site.
Now we could put business aside for a while and enjoy our new destination. With errands done, we circled half of the island to our Airbnb. One can't get lost because there is only one road around the perimeter of the island. The drive was absolutely gorgeous!
Our Airbnb resembles an Ewok village with many 2-bedroom guesthouses scattered on the side of a lush hill. One word describes the inside of our place... lizards!!! Ok, they are really geckos, but these small prehistoric-looking beasts have a lot of girth to them! They are meaty, averaging 4-6 inches in length and dark-colored, not the sweet little lime green ones I've seen scurrying across ceilings in Mexico. These geckos resemble large "wall art" and were seen in every room upon our arrival, causing our heads to swivel at any slight movement or dark shadow. We find ourselves talking loudly and stomping into every room to scare the beefy creatures away so we don't feel one underfoot. I find comfort in knowing they are eating the pesky mosquitos that also like living here, but they still keep us on edge. I shake and examine the sheets before entering and check the pillows before I sit on the couch. Kate had a gecko take a break on her computer screen while watching a school video. Besides our tropical roommates, the place is nice and has a beautiful peek-a-boo view of the ocean and a grand view of a mountain. I can't take my eyes off of its layers of green vegetation.
View of our Ewok village at sunset
FUN FACTS: I sleep better at night knowing there are no poisonous insects or snakes in French Polynesia—it really is paradise! The biggest danger is a getting a sunburn or, worse, being hit by a coconut. Falling coconuts kill 150 people worldwide each year. The United States Postal Service views a coconut as a self-contained unit that cannot be easily tampered with, allowing it to be mailed without any additional packaging. How's that for a postcard?!
We've been looking up lots of shark facts.
The mosquito net should have been our sign!
Pretty deck with jacuzzi. Stargazing is incredible at night until the mosquitos get you.
The Airbnb came was a bonus prize—a paddle board and other beach accessories to use!
One of our roommates. Austin keeps thinking one of them is going to turn its head and start rambling off a Geico insurance commercial to us.