The morning after we arrived in Moorea we dinghied ashore and started on a hike that we knew would get challenging as we went. Our first stop was called Pineapple Point and overlooked the pineapple plantations in all directions. Nice, but we wanted more.
We followed the map on our Pocket Earth app (a must have for world travelers — downloadable maps you can use offline; saved our bacon many times) and even when the physical trail seemed to disappear, the route on our iPhone got us out of trouble. The path tipped upward and narrowed to a dozen rocky switchbacks to Three Pines Point, a dramatic view of Cook’s Bay with our boat just a teeny speck in the distance.
We dropped back down to a gorgeous forest path that lead us to Belvedere, an view over both Cook’s Bay and Opunohu Bay.
As we came down the mountain we passed several archaeological sites.
By this time our legs were aching and our feet were begging for a rest. Luckily we found our way to the Lycée Agricole and fresh fruit juices and sorbets. Jack and I will rarely pass up frozen delights and these were quite special. I had a scoop each of ginger and passionfruit sorbets; Jack had mango and lime. All four were the best we’d had in recent memory and worth the mileage.
By the time we finally got back down to sea level and Escape Velocity we had hiked 10.77 miles (there’s an app for that too.) We were still feeling it for days afterward.
What a hike! Did you find the hot springs? 😉