Many cruising friends are anchored near us during our stay in Opunohu Bay, Mo’orea. We have Steve and Lili on “Liward,” Josh and Rachel on “Agape,” Octavia and Peter on “Bella Marina” and a few others. Which makes it so much fun to explore.
Mystique Magic Mountain
Believe it or not, Magic Mountain Mo’orea has its own Facebook page! Its peak is more than 300 meters high located in Papetoai. It is private property owned by a local family. They charge a mere 200 francs ($2) to enter their property and make the steep incline up the path.
There are two paths to the summit. The path to the left is longer, but not as steep. The path to the right is faster, but much steeper. Once at the top of the summit you are rewarded with a 360-degree view of Baie De Opunohu.
The family has a small eatery at the entrance to Magic Mountain where they will sell you tourist stuff, cold beverages, food, and more. Makes for a nice stop at the end of your hike.
Steve, Lili, Octavia, Matt and I set off conquer the mountain. Lower right photo has the boys pointing to the top of the summit (so does the middle left photo with the blue arrow).
Magic Mountain Hike
There is a decent cement path that leads up the mountain (we took the shorter, super steep path). It is more frequently used by the ATV tours and 4×4 tours. Every once in awhile you get a tourist taking a rental car up which is more than amusing to watch.
There are several view points where you can rest on a super uncomfortable, solid, concrete benches.
The views at the summit are gorgeous. To the right is the anchorage in Opunohu Bay.
To the left is the Tiki anchorage.
The summit
Summit at Magic Mountain
Coco Beach for Lunch
We decide to take a long lunch by heading to Coco Beach. You might check out our previous post on Coco Beach for fabulous photos. Steve, Lili, Josh, Matt and I get a table by the water and under a shady tree. Such a great time with pitchers of Mojitos and tasty food.
Side Trip to Tahiti
My friend Krista needed to go to Tahiti to get her PCR test done. I decide to tag along because “why not?” We meet at the ferry dock and arrive in Tahiti around 0900 in the morning. We had so much fun stopping by the artisan markets, local tourist stores, and Papeete Market. I take her to pick out her own pearl to add to the collection of pearls she bought from me. We then head to a jewelry store where they drill her 4 pearls, sell her the black line to make her a bracelet and necklace and then assemble the pieces for her. She walked out of the store with two pretty pieces of jewelry for a total of $16 (that included the price of the pearls, drilling the pearls, and all the pieces to make the jewelry).
We head back on the ferry and hitch hike back to Opunohu Bay. The great thing about Mo’orea is that the locals are super generous with lifts. They will stop, pick you up and deliver you where you need to go with a smile on their face. For no money, just the pleasure of helping you out.
Pretty Sunset Photo – Mo’orea
I go on a tour in search of the humpback whales in our last blog.. Events from this blog post occurred early October. Our blog posts run 10-12 weeks behind our adventures.
