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Ia Orana! We left off last week after touring around the island of Tahiti and its capital city, Papeete. This week we travel across the Sea of Moon to the island of Moorea! If you want to see one of the world's most gorgeous islands, then pack your bathing suit, sunscreen, and let's go--the ferry is leaving. If Moorea is too touristy for you, then be sure to check out part two of writer/photographer Jerome Shaw's story about his multi-week cruise on a cargo ship that makes stops at French Polynesia's remote islands.

PAPEETE TO MOOREA
The island of Moorea is 12 miles from Papeete, and travelers can either take an exciting six-minute flight (on Air Tahiti or Air Moorea) or take a ferry across the Sea of Moon. The slow ferry takes an hour, and the fast one cuts the time almost in half. No reservation is needed; a one-way adult ticket for the 30-minute ferry goes for 1,800 XPF (US$20). Here's the ferry schedule.



CURRENCY
Currently, the conversion is US$1 = 91.6 XPF.

AREMITI FERRY
Our ferry left right at 4 p.m. --how's that for island time? Actually, pretty much everything (guides, vans, boats, planes . . . ) left when it was scheduled to, which is unusual in a tropical place. Usually, the locals are so laid-back that they take their sweet old time and create their own schedules. But that doesn't seem to be the case here. The name of the high-speed car ferry was Aremiti 5 catamaran. It's huge with comfortable seats, air-conditioning, bathrooms, and a snack bar. The top deck has open-air seating, and it's so nice to sit outside.

NO SEASICKNESS HERE
The boat did rock a bit, but it's only a 30-minute trip. To combat feeling seasick, the best thing to do (besides taking medication or using gadgets) is to sit upstairs and stare out at the horizon. FYI: I didn't see anyone get sick, so I wouldn't really worry about it.

ABOUT MOOREA
Also known as the Island of Love, Moorea is a Windward Island and part of a larger archipelago of islands called the Society Islands. It's simply one of the most beautiful places on earth with its jagged, lush green mountain ranges, palm trees, flowers, and, of course, the incredible shades of blue water. It's not only breathtaking; it's surreal. It's no wonder that it was the inspiration for many works by French impressionist artist Paul Gauguin.

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