Mo’orea is bigger than Bora Bora, and the island itself is prettier. It just doesn’t have the fabulous lagoon.

We approached in the early morning, past the reef in beautiful calm conditions.

The sun came up, and here we anchored in the safe harbour called Cook Inlet.

We went ashore and found a guy to drive us for a three and a half round the island tour in his very comfortable taxi van. He spoke very knowledgeably and fluently about his homeland for the whole time, non-stop. A great experience. History, geology, missionaries(!) and religion, politics, medicine, raising families, Tahitian pornograhpy – nothing was missed.

They grow a lot of pineapples and other stuff in the inland valleys.

We went up to the Belevedere Lookout and looked down on the ship in the right hand inlet …

… and up at the so called Bali Hai mountain.

Here we found a teacher giving her kids a lesson outdoors …

Then to a resort for the requisite stop. Jan did some of what she does best, at a stall in the foyer.

A stop by the lagoon.

And another, overlooking the Sofitel Resort, and across to the island of Tahiti itself, just 18km or so away.

Back to the ship in the gorgeous harbour, and farewell to Mo’orea in the afternoon.