Oceania

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Australia, Indonesia, Kiribati, Marshall Islands, Micronesia, Nauru, New Zealand, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tonga, Tuvalu, Vanuatu

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In the Corner of the World, Work and Play in Queensland

The Pearl of Moorea Part 3: Food & Fun

by Neil Woodburn on


For whatever reason, doing absolutely nothing on the other side of the word is always more enjoyable than doing absolutely nothing at home.

But of course, I exaggerate when I say that my girlfriend and I did absolutely nothing on the French Polynesian island of Moorea during our recent vacation. It was actually quite the opposite. We kept our days very busy eating, sleeping, and swimming. There was hardly any time to do anything else.

Dining in Moorea
Food in the South Pacific always seems to be a challenge–as we first discovered in the Cook Islands two years ago. The biggest complaint is that everything is always so horrifically expensive. We spent $100 for pizza and beer one afternoon, which was pretty much the average for every meal we ate on Moorea. Ouch!

What’s wonderful about the restaurant scene on Moorea, however, is that most restaurants will pick guests up from their resort for free–a very welcome surprise that helped to keep the already expensive cost of meals slightly lower by not having to pay for a taxi.

Ironically, our favorite restaurant that we frequented the most often was also the closest. Le Sud was just a five-minute walk from our resort. This quaint little eatery wraps around the outside porch of a small house where geckos scampered about on the walls in search of insects while we dined.

Le Sud serves tasty thin crust pizzas, a smattering of fish and meat dishes, and has a great wait staff that is serious about pairing the right wine with your food. My girlfriend usually ordered the pizzas while I opted for the tasty Mahi Mahi breaded in coconut shavings. We both finished off our meals with some outstanding home-made strawberry ice cream.

The food at the Moorea Pearl Resort and Spa, on the other hand, was strictly average. I blew through their lunch menu of club sandwiches, hamburgers, and panini, and was not too impressed. Dinner was slightly better with some decent chicken curry, cheese plates, and a surprising dish that turned out to be my favorite on the island: poisson cru. The kitchen prepared this Moorean raw fish specialty in three distinct styles served at the same time. It’s basically sushi salad with a medley of flavors and man, was it good!

The resort also served up some chocolate mousse that was very tasty–depending upon the day I ordered it. My first serving was delicious, served in a crisp cookie shell. The second time, however, the shell was mushy as though it had sat in the fridge for too long. The third and final time, there was no shell at all and the taste of the mousse seemed a little off.

Leisure Time
When we weren’t eating, sleeping, or reading, my girlfriend and I split off and did the things we each do best when vacationing: shop and snorkel.

The resort’s over-water bungalows sit on the edge of a nice little reef where I spent much of my time snorkeling with fish and coral and otherwise enjoying the perfect temperature of the water. The reef wasn’t the best I’ve ever seen, and the cloudy skies diminished the bright colors, but it was still very cool and entertaining. And, of course, it was conveniently located just off our balcony.

As for shopping, my girlfriend was determined to buy our resort’s namesake: a black pearl. I’ve never been a big fan of pearls, but black pearls, I learned, are beautifully mesmerizing. I discovered this at Eva Perles, a jewelry shop just down the street from the resort. It’s owned by a very nice French woman named Eva (naturally), who spent quite a bit of time showing my girlfriend a variety of pearl rings, necklaces, and earrings while I buried my nose in a fascinating book that described how black pearls are harvested in the South Pacific. I didn’t end up buying the book, but my girlfriend walked out with a pearl ring, necklace, and pair of earrings.

A Happy Ending
So, that’s about it. We shopped, snorkeled, ate, slept and read for seven days. Frankly, I’d love to tell you more about the island of Moorea but I haven’t anything else to report since the goal of this vacation was to do nothing at all. And, we did this quite well.

Yesterday: The Resort

The Pearl of Moorea Part 2: The Resort

by Neil Woodburn on


The intent of my recent vacation to Moorea was to do absolutely nothing. And, I lived up to these lofty goals admirably.

As I mentioned in yesterday’s post, the Christmas holidays are my time to relax and catch up on life. The first time I tried doing this a number of years ago I somehow ended up at a Club Med. I thought it would be the perfect escape, but instead there was non-stop pressure to drink, party, dance, play volleyball, shoot hoops, water ski, jet ski, kayak, dive, and participate in countless other activities. One couldn’t even relax at poolside with out some sun-damaged Bozo coaxing everyone up on their feet to sing some cultish song about the sun.

Sure, there is a time and place for Club Med, but not for me and my winter vacation.

And so, my girlfriend and I opted for a far mellower option and headed to the Moorea Pearl Resort and Spa in French Polynesia where my only obligation was to indulge in the total lack of any obligation whatsoever. I could do absolutely nothing, and not feel guilty about it at all.The resort certainly provided a slew of activities, but they weren’t shoved down our throats. A concierge in the lobby was there to arrange jeep treks, dives, and dolphin swims and a pool boy stood by to hand out snorkel gear and kayak paddles. But that was it. There were no bullhorns announcing aerobics classes or floatie races in the pool. There was just a pleasantly, slow-paced, do-as-you-please ambience. And I loved it.

The resort itself is gently nestled amongst coconut trees and grassy knolls, spilling ever so gracefully into the crystal clear waters of the South Pacific. Yes, that means that the Pearl Resort has over-water bungalows–every couple’s dream accommodation.

Unfortunately, we did not book any nights in the over-water bungalows because, like most dreams, they were prohibitively expensive. We did ask about them when we checked in, however, and a few days later received a surprise call from the front desk telling us that they had upgraded us for free. Our last three nights would be spent in the over-water bungalows. Sweet!

The bungalows were everything one might imagine from such a place: a thatched roof, dark wood interior, king-sized bed, our own private ladder directly into the water, great bath products, air conditioning, private deck, and my favorite, a glassed-off section of the floor which revealed the lagoon below. It was absolutely fantastic and something I was beginning to wonder if I’d ever experience in my lifetime.

Before moving into the over-water bungalows, we stayed the first few nights in a garden bungalow. I was a little concerned about this when we booked it, but the interior proved to be just as amazing as the over-water bungalow. We didn’t have an ocean view, but we did enjoy our own private little pool which was a great way to wake up in the morning and to cool off later when the weather heated up.


Oh, yes, the weather… This was one of the only disappointments of the trip. We had arrived during the rainy season and Moorea lived up to it. The sky was usually full of clouds and it rained every day in short, powerful bursts. Of course, it was a warm, tropical rain which did not prevent us from swimming and walking around, but it did prevent any possibility of returning home with a tan. I’m not complaining, however. The weather was very pleasant for relaxing on a beach chair and pulling out a book. Or, as we quickly learned, enjoying the pleasures of the spa.

Sun or rain, the Pearl Resort proved to be the perfect antidote for the big city woes which ailed us. It was beautiful, the staff was very friendly, the rooms were cleaned regularly, the grounds were immaculate, and the ambience heavenly. I wanted to get away from it all, and the Pearl Resort helped me do just that.

Yesterday: Getting There
Tomorrow: Food and Fun

The Pearl of Moorea Part One: Getting there

by Neil Woodburn on

Travel, when done right, is an active, engaging adventure during which every day reveals something new and exciting.

But every once in a while, travel is nothing more than a well deserved excuse to escape from the real world and do absolutely nothing. And this is exactly the way I usually feel at the end of the calendar year when I’m burnt out, overworked, and in desperate need of reinvigoration.

And so, my girlfriend and I headed to the South Pacific this last Christmas vacation for some well deserved R & R.

I wasn’t sure we would actually get there because I had waited too long to book anything and when my girlfriend started calling around in mid-December, a few travel agents actually laughed at her.

And then we found a gem. Laurel from True Tahiti Vacations took on the challenge and in less than a day, had done a phenomenal job of putting together the perfect package for our one-week escape to the Tahitian island of Moorea. She pulled off a minor miracle in the middle of high season and did everything imaginable for us-even offering the professional services of her husband, a local tattoo artist on Moorea who practices his art in the traditional Tahitian manner: with a wooden tapping stick and needles made of shark’s teeth. And don’t worry mom, this was one souvenir we both passed on.The Flight
The South Pacific is a surprisingly easy place to reach from the West Coast of America. A direct flight from Los Angeles to Tahiti is only eight hours and, if planned properly, can be arranged as a red eye. All you have to do is fall asleep on the tarmac and when you awake, you’re in paradise.

Our flight was a little less convenient, but not too bad. We left Los Angeles at 7 p.m. on Christmas night and arrived to balmy Papeete weather at 1:00 in the morning. It was my first time on Air Tahiti Nui and I was mostly impressed: we were treated to friendly service and were able to each enjoy our personal video screens-a huge plus in my book for any airline these days. The food, however, was a sad foreshadowing of what to expect once we arrived in Tahiti. The evening meal was sub par, but the snack they served before landing just might have been the worst food I’ve ever had on an airline, and I’ve flown Aeroflot. I’m not sure what whacked out cook thought he could prepare a quesadilla in a plane microwave, but the end product tasted like coagulated lard mushed between burnt sheets of wallpaper. Ugh!

Papeete
Since most international flights land in Papeete, on the main island of Tahiti, those traveling onwards to Moorea, Bora Bora, or any of the other paradisiacal islands of French Polynesia usually have a bit of a layover before their final destination.

Since we arrived at the unfortunate hour of 1:00 in the morning, our travel agent booked us a room at the Radisson so that we wouldn’t have to wait in the airport for the remainder of the night. This was a great call. Although it took 20 long minutes to reach the hotel, when we finally arrived, all the stress of travel and the toil of a busy life back home miraculously dissipated the moment we walked through the door of our room and into a South Pacific-themed, zen-like oasis. I really hadn’t expected much from the Radisson, and was therefore quite surprised at the quality of the room.

The only problem was having to wake up five hours later.


The Ferry
I had made sure to stay awake the entire flight so that I’d be on Tahitian time when I arrived and would then go promptly to bed. This was a great plan until I learned that we were booked for the 9 a.m. ferry the next day. This meant waking up at 7 a.m. to get breakfast, meet our driver, and head on over to the docks. This was horrible. DO NOT do this. Sleep in, enjoy a leisurely breakfast, and then catch the noon ferry or a later flight. Your body will thank you for it.

Although the flight to Moorea is only ten minutes, the hour-long ferry is actually a more enjoyable way, in my opinion, to get to the island. Just be sure to sit at the front of the boat and gaze out as the most luscious, green island you could ever imagine slowly grows larger and larger on the horizon until it completely dominates your view.

And that’s when you know you’ve finally made it.

Personally, I couldn’t help but think of the magical island in Lost and was filled with anticipation as I looked forward to being stranded here for the next seven days.

Tomorrow: The Resort

Rudolph’s on the loose above New Zealand

by Brett Atkinson on

Yep, eveyone’s favourite reindeer is on the loose, and a week out from Christmas has already been sighted above New Zealand’s capital, Wellington.

Click here to see a larger image of this Yuletide-friendly cloud formation that was snapped by Kiwi photographer Alan Blacklock as he sat in his back garden.

He’s adamant it’s not the result of some Photoshop jiggery pokery, a stance backed up by the boffins at New Zealand’s MetService. Apparently it’s the result of light cirrus clouds being blown by a few winds in different directions. Go figure.

Let us know if you’ve seen any other quirky cloud formations that made you look twice.

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Would you like coffee, tea or insightful travel information?

by Brett Atkinson on

A few months back we reported on a couple of special flights offered by Air New Zealand, one an inflight fashion show across the Tasman from Auckland to Sydney, and also a special gay-themed flight from San Francisco to Sydney in time for the Sydney Mardi Gras.

Now the little airline that could is launching a new service they’re describing as “in-flight concierges”. Basically the idea is have a dedicated person on board the plane whose sole role is to liaise with passengers and handle enquiries on “must-do” activities at their destinations, arranging onward bookings – even advising on wine selection with meals.

The in-flight know-it-alls will begin service on long haul flights from Auckland to North America and Asia in April 2008.