Moorea-A World Apart

travel

A Regular Rim Department

Reporting News Of South

Seas Tourism And Travel

From The Inside

the many thousands of tourists and cruise trippers who now visit Tahiti eacl year, probably no more than one in 20 takes the trouble to visit Moorea Tahiti’s craggy, picturesque sister island, about 10 miles from Papeete. Such £ visit, however, is well worth making, for Moorea, even though it is so close, i< a world apart from Tahiti. It still has much of the unhurried charm that Tahit had earlier this century—there being comparatively few motor vehicles (“le truck” pictured, being one of them) and little commercial activity. Besides that, Moorea’s scenery is more spectacular and romantic-looking than Tahiti’s. There are now

two easy ways of reaching Moorea from Tahiti. You can go over on the big diesel launch that leaves Papeete each morning at about 9 o’clock and returns about six in the afternoon. Or you can fly over at weekends in the RAI Bermuda flying-boat which recently inaugurated a package deal service in conjunc tion with the Hotels Aimeo and Bali Hai, and the Mediterranean Club (a French tourist organisa tion).

The flight in the Bermuda takes about eight minutes com pared with about two hours in the launch. It is particularly re commended for people prone to< sea-sickness, as the sea trip be tween Tahiti and Moorea is; almost invariably turbulent, noi matter how calm the sea may look from Tahiti (top picture).

The Bermuda lands within

150 yards of the Hotel Aimeo, which is near the head of Cook Bay (below, opposite) a fjord like inlet on Moorea’s northern >ide. The Hotel Aimeo is run by i Frenchwoman, Mrs. Christa Winkelstroeter (pictured being carried ashore from a small sea plane, a predecessor of the Ber mida). Three young Americans run the Bali Hai Hotel, which is about a quarter of a mile east of the entrance to Cook Bay. Its accommodation (lower picture) is in the form of attractive,

native-style huts.

Photos: Qantas, Rob Wright.