Last Day in Moorea

Te’Mae Beach and the Beach Dog

I can see a lot of larger shark fins in front of our patio this morning.

We head back to Te’Mae Beach. As soon as we arrive it starts to cloud over. Weather changes very quickly here.

I go in first and the snorkeling is great. So many different kinds of fish. It’s like a magical kingdom in the reefs under the water. There are also lots of multi-coloured corals which you don’t usually find so close to shore.

By the time I get out, it is starting to rain and everything is covered in cloud. You cannot even see the nearby island of Tahiti. After a brief shower John goes in the water to snorkel.

On shore, I am about to pick up a little shell and it starts to move…hermit crabs. Click here for a video of the hermit crabs and clouded over beach.

A beige, heavily matted beach dog joins us. He looks like a beige version of my dog Molly. His tongue hangs out of the side of his mouth.

Twenty minutes later the clouds have blown to the sides and it’s getting clearer and sunnier by the minute. Click here for a short video that includes the beach dog.

We take a walk to the Sofitel resort that has the overwater bungalows. Beach dog joins us.
A worker at the resort says that someone nearby owns the dog but it likes to hang out around the resort

Chickens at the Cafe

By this time the sun is shining brightly. John is having coffee withdrawal so we head to an outdoor cafe. He gets a second one. Chickens skulk around the tables in hopes of dropped scraps.

After five days of no coffee, then two cups in a row, John is on a caffeine high. I don’t notice much of a difference.

Snack Mahana Again

Our next stop is Snack Mahana. John says to not expect we’ll get a waterside table like yesterday. So while John is parking the car, I run in to scout tables…some women get up and I move in on the waterside table like a black widow spider.

(Note from editor: Kimberly’s phrase of “moving like a black widow spider” is her own invention, the meaning of which is not clear as black widow spiders are known for their lethal venom not their speed. Perhaps Kimberly means that she would have poisoned/killed the ladies had they not given up their table.)

I look down into the water from our table and the fish scenery is better than yesterday. As I sit down a stingray swims past. The water is calmer so I see better.

Today I choose raw tuna marinated in lime, coconut with ginger mixed with cucumber, onion and tomato and a side bowl of rice. There is so much that I cannot finish all my rice…the fish enjoy my left overs.

The Snack Mahana bathroom could do with a reno and paint job but I love how the sink, floor and even the toilet are decorated with hisbiscus floral arrangements… And they are different than yesterday’s arrangements.

Les Tipaniers Beach

We head to Les Tipaniers Beach. The plan is to rent kayaks and paddle boards but we find a sign on the rental place loosely translated to say “closed due to family”.

That is ok. The beach is gorgeous however the current is strong. We watch a few people go to one end of the beach, float on their backs and let the current take them to the other end of the beach. Then they get out and do it again. I must admit I did it as well .

Too soon it was time to head back and pack for tomorrow’s flight to Bora Bora.