Lagoonarium in Moorea

[twilsoncrow]

Hi

Has anyone recently been to the Lagoonarium in Moorea or does anyone have an email address for them?

 

Their website isnt working and I am just after some info about times that they offer the transfers to their motu or if there is some way I can visit without having to rent a car at the pier.

 

Thanks

Teresa

[Tikiintahiti]

There is rumor that it has closed. I can't confirm but it has been mentioned on other forums.

Edited August 31, 2012 by Tikiintahiti

[Ahab10]

We were there in January. They picked us up at the pier by boat.:)

[Tikiintahiti]

This is something that has been reported over the last few months.

[ColoradoMike9999]

My wife and I were there Sept 11, 2012. I think it was the best snorkeling on the trip. It was definitely worth the trip. PG should add an itinerary to do this.

 

Our first day in Moorea, we tried to get a cab ride, but since it is all the way on the other side of the island from where the ship docks (35 km), no one wanted to drive us. They said it would cost 4,000 XFP (@ $50). The next day we rented a car for the entire day for 8,000 XFP (@ $100). The travel desk arranged the car, but they are in limited supply, so you might want to try to book one in advance.

 

Given the difficulty getting a cab over the first day, we did not want to have to worry about trying to get a ride back.

 

It is very close to the hospital, but easy to miss if you are driving. Once you get there, you pay to get a ride out to the motu with Wilfred on his outrigger. He will run you back to the main island any time. The fish / shark feedings are at 11 am and 2pm. We caught the 2pm feeding and it was amazing.

 

You also get a private bungalow to leave any bags or get changed. Wilfred has plastic shoes you can use. You can get by without fins, since there are buoys with lines run around the are so that you can pull yourself through the water.

 

The motu is open to the sea, so the fish that are there are not caged, but they do get fed twice a day.

 

Tell Wilfred that Michael and Shannon from Colorado say "Hi!"

[Familygoboston]

Thanks for the report! I find first hand accounts helpful! Just to get a handle on costs- it was 100 for the car and how much for the Lagoonarium?

[Tikiintahiti]

Things can change quickly in FP. Most land is owned by several family members together. When they make a decision affecting the land all must be in agreement, if one does not agree it legally holds up anything going on at the property. This has often lead to some real in-fighting in the family circle. I say this because it would not ne un-common for a business to be open one week and closed another and then re-opened again a week later. I could go into the reasoning but it isn't going to change the question here.

 

Glad to hear all the family is in agreement again :)

[Familygoboston]

Things can change quickly in FP. Most land is owned by several family members together. When they make a decision affecting the land all must be in agreement, if one does not agree it legally holds up anything going on at the property. This has often lead to some real in-fighting in the family circle. I say this because it would not ne un-common for a business to be open one week and closed another and then re-opened again a week later. I could go into the reasoning but it isn't going to change the question here.

 

Glad to hear all the family is in agreement again :)

 

I get that! We see it in Maine a lot, where one family member is "shopping" the store w/o paying or the one that was "supposed" to pay taxes didnt:rolleyes: . Even here in my hometown an item will show up in the police blotter that the sisters in laws at the local thai restuaraunt are arrested for going at eachother with knives, and we know the kitchen will be closed for a few days till they make bail and make up:eek:

 

This might explain why their business is not offered as a ships shore excursion!

Edited September 28, 2012 by Familygoboston

[ColoradoMike9999]

Thanks for the report! I find first hand accounts helpful! Just to get a handle on costs- it was 100 for the car and how much for the Lagoonarium?

 

I am pretty sure it was 2500 XFP (@$25-30) per person for the whole day. We had the car on the second day in Moorea, and had to be back at the dock by 5pm. In retrospect, if we had gotten it the first day, we could have also used it into the evening. We stopped at a grocery store to get a picnic lunch to take out to the motu, which was under $10.

 

This really was some of the best snorkeling, on par with the Bora Bora sting ray ballet. There are fewer rays at the Moorea Lagoonarium, but plenty of black tipped sharks. During the feeding, it was like looking at a wall of fish, and Wilfred was as terrific host.

[Tikiintahiti]

I already have a car booked for 2 days on Moorea so I'll check it out this December

[Anemix]

I read in tripadvisor you can get a boat from the port to Lagoonarium which is much faster than driving. Any one knows anything about this? I wonder how could I make arrangements ahead of time if possible, where they are located compared to where the ship docks, etc.

 

Mahalo in advance for any tip or information!

[luvhanalei]

Hi Anemix, I haven't read anything about being able to get a boat from the dock to the Lagoonarium. It's my impression that you need to either rent a car or take a taxi to PK 8 in Afareaitu where a shuttle boat will take you to the motu. We plan on renting a car for the day to spend time exploring the island after a few hours at the Lagoonarium. Here's a recent post on Trip Advisor that might be helpful. http://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowTopic-g309685-i1796-k6432443-MOOREA_Lagoonarium-Moorea_Society_Islands.html#49018257

Maybe others will have more info.

[Tikiintahiti]

Unless something has changed recently that is the correct way of getting to the lagoonarium. Over the last 18 months there appears to have been a family feud over the control of the lagoonarium with some people reporting that they couldn't get over to the location.

 

I would make sure you make contact with them to know for sure what the current situation is.