On August 5th early in the morning we drove to Papeete. We just missed the first ferry to Mo’orea. The next one to leave was the Terevau, a large catamaran that also takes (small) cars on board. And we rented a small car here. The ship left Papeete at 11.30 am, half an hour later we arrived at the harbor in Mo’orea. Shallow lagoons shimmered in all shades of turquoise. Palm-covered bungalows of a hotel stood in the lagoon, which is protected by a reef. It was like arriving in paradise. (No wonder James Cook liked it here when he anchored in Opunohu Bay in 1769!)

We circled the island clockwise and made a detour to the viewpoint, which led us through large pineapple fields. Mo’orea used to produce copra (dried coconut) and vanilla; but today it is known for its sweet and juicy pineapples, which it exports throughout French Polynesia.

PS. Today we visited the distillery, which produces excellent juices and liqueurs from tropical fruits. And in the Tropical Garden we bought some vanilla pods – what a nice day today …