Moʻorea

Prehistory

According to recent archaeological evidence, the Society Islands were probably settled from Samoa and Tonga around 200 CE.^[7]

Nine tribal principalities emerged in the enclosed valleys, which in turn were subdivided into individual clans. The stratified society was characterized by a hierarchical leadership whose elite combined both political and religious power. The leading families of Moʻorea remained linked by marriage and kinship for centuries with those of the neighboring island of Tahiti. These connections led to important alliances, but at other times were also the source of bloody conflicts.^[8]

Intensive research on the Opunohu Valley, which continues to this day, initiated by Kenneth P. Emory in the 1920s and continued in the 1960s by archaeologist Roger C. Green of the University of Auckland, provides an exemplary picture of the evolution of Moʻorean society. The interaction between increasing population density and human modification of the environment resulted in major changes in the form of society.

The so-called Pre-Atiroʻo phase, prior to 1000 CE, is characterized by extensive clearing and cultivation of the valley slopes, which by the end of the period had led to erosion and the formation of alluvial soils. Society was not yet stratified, but was relatively homogeneous.^[9]

In the Atiroʻo period (1000–1650 CE), artificial cultivation terraces were built on the slopes and simple stone buildings, such as the Marae Tapauruʻuru. The remains of rectangular houses (fare haupape) and those with elongated oval floor plans (fare poteʻe), reserved for the power elite, indicate a strictly stratified and hierarchical form of society.^[10]

The later Marama period (1650–1788 CE) is marked by the conquest of the Opunohu Valley by the chiefs (ariki) of the Marama tribe, originally settled on the coast, who succeeded in uniting all the other clans in the valley under their rule. In addition to a further increase in population, this phase also saw a lively construction activity of representative religious structures - large marae in the style of a step pyramid. Towards the end of this period, the Opunohu valley became a refuge for the Ariki who resisted European influence.^[7]

Early European influence

The first European to sight the island was Pedro Fernandes de Queirós, in 1606.^[11] The first European settlers arrived during the 18th century. The first Europeans to arrive on the island were the Englishmen Samuel Wallis and James Cook. Captain James Cook first landed on Tahiti, where he planned the 1769 Transit of Venus observed from Tahiti and Moʻorea. At Moʻorea, where Taʻaroa was chief, Cook first landed in ʻŌpūnohu Bay, Cook's Bay was later named in his honor. Spanish sailor Domingo de Bonechea visited it in 1774 and named it Santo Domingo.^[6][12]

It is likely that Teraura, a Polynesian woman who accompanied the Bounty mutineers to Pitcairn Island, was from Moʻorea.^[13]

The island was among those visited by the United States Exploring Expedition on its tour of the South Pacific in 1839.^[14]

Charles Darwin found inspiration for his theory regarding the formation of coral atolls when looking down upon Moʻorea while standing on a peak on Tahiti. He described it as a "picture in a frame", referring to the barrier reef encircling the island.^[15]

Don the Beachcomber lived here briefly in the late 1920s. His houseboat was destroyed by tropical cyclones after he moved it from Waikiki after 1947.^[15]

On October 7, 1967, construction was completed on the Moʻorea Airport, which opened the following month.^[16]

Geology

Moʻorea is an atoll whose main island consists mainly of igneous rocks. The island, like neighboring Tahiti, formed as part of the "Society Chain" from a hot spot on the Pacific Plate and is between 1.5 and 2 million years old.^[17][18] The enclosed reef surrounds the entire island, but has several navigable passages. The reef is relatively close to the island, so Moʻorea has formed only a narrow lagoon.

Climate

Moʻorea is located in the Earth's tropical belt. The climate is tropical-warm and very humid, which favors the lush vegetation of the island. The average temperature ranges between 28 and 30 °C, with little difference between months. The rainiest months are from December to February, the (winter) months from July to September are drier. There is a constant wind that moderates temperatures. However, an occasional cyclone cannot be ruled out. In the 1982–83 season, a series of cyclones in the Society Islands also caused considerable property damage in Moʻorea.

Demographics

The island had a population of 14,226 inhabitants in the 2002 census which increased to 17,718 in 2017, distributed in the associated communes of Afareaitu, Haʻapiti, Paopao, Papetōʻai, and Teavaro. Together with Maiʻao it forms the commune of Moʻorea-Maiʻao, which had 14,550 inhabitants by 2002.

The evolution of the number of inhabitants is known through population censuses conducted in the municipality since 1977. Since 2006, the INSEE publishes annually the legal populations of the municipalities, but the law on local democracy of February 27, 2002, in its articles dedicated to the population census, introduced population censuses every five years in New Caledonia, French Polynesia, Mayotte and the Wallis and Futuna islands, which was not the case before. For the municipality, the first comprehensive census under the new system was conducted in 2002; previous censuses took place in 1996, 1988, 1983, 1977 and 1971.

Bays

The most famous sight of Moʻorea is Cook's Bay,^[19] where cruise ships regularly anchor. It is a deep blue bay that often has white sailing yachts and in the background the 830 m high Mount Mouaputa, this being probably the most photographed South Seas image. Next door is Opunohu Bay, where many exterior shots of the 1984 movie The Bounty were filmed.

The two bays are connected by a steep, winding scenic road. In the once densely populated Opunohu Valley, the indigenous Polynesians built numerous worship platforms (marae). The remains of these religious sites can be found everywhere off the road, some of them are signposted. Marae Titiroa is surrounded by banyan trees and was reconstructed in the late 1960s. A few hundred meters away is the multi-level Marae Ahu-o-Mahine, also well preserved. The trail continues to the Belvédère lookout overlooking Mount Rotui, Cook Bay and Opunohu Bay.^[20]

Flora and fauna

Due to the short distance to Tahiti and similarities in climate and soil structure, the flora of Moʻorea is comparable to that of Tahiti. The narrow coastal strip is dominated by anthropic plants, due to dense settlement and centuries of human use. However, significant remnants of the original plant communities have survived in the uninhabited and partially inaccessible interior of the island. The University of California at Berkeley maintains a permanent research institute on Moʻorea, Gump Station, to study tropical biodiversity and interactions between cultural processes and the ecosystem. From 2008 to 2010, Moʻorea was the site of the Moʻorea Biocode project, the first comprehensive inventory of all macroscopic (>2mm) life in an ecosystem.^[21] They collected specimens, photographs, and genetic barcodes for over 5,700 species of plants, animals, and fungi.^[22]

Terrestrial mammals did not originally exist on the Society Islands; they were introduced exclusively by humans.^[23] Early Polynesian settlers brought dogs, pigs, chickens and the Polynesian rat as food animals, while Europeans introduced goats, cows, sheep and horses. The indigenous land animals are only insects, land crabs, snails and lizards.

Many Moʻorean endemic species that have gone extinct or been extirpated. The Polynesian tree snails of the genus Partula were largely wiped out after the rosy wolf snail was introduced in 1977,^[24] although captive and small refuge populations on Tahiti still exist.^[25] In 2019 both Partula rosea and Partula varia were reintroduced to the island.^[26] Until the 1980s, the Moʻorea reed warbler, an endemic species, was recorded on the island. This songbird was closely related to the Tahiti reed warbler and may have been displaced by the common myna.^[27] Another bird species extinct on Moʻorea is the Moʻorea sandpiper, of which only two specimens are known from 1777. The tree Glochidion nadeaudii is endemic to the island, growing in montane rain forests above 400 meters elevation.^[28]

There are no animals on Moʻorea that are dangerous to humans. Sand fleas on the beach and mosquitoes, which are everywhere in the interior of the island, can be unpleasant. The marine fauna of the lagoon and coral reef is very rich in species. In addition to more than 500 species of coral fish, divers and snorkelers can observe numerous molluscs, echinoderms, and crustaceans of the tropical sea. Behind the fringing reef are sharks, rays, swordfish, and sea turtles. From July to October, humpback whales pass by the island. Whale and dolphin watching is offered to tourists.

Tourism

Moʻorea is visited by many western tourists who travel to French Polynesia. Especially popular as a honeymoon destination, Moʻorea can often be seen in advertisements in American wedding magazines. Arthur Frommer declared in Frommer's travel guide that he considered it "the most beautiful island in the world".^[30]

The main source of income is the tourism from the decade of 1960. An American company constructed in 1961 the Bali Shark Hotel, the first hotel of luxury of Moʻorea, in the north coast, near the town of Maharepa. Since then, the tourism has continuously increased, so that at the present time - according to affirm some guides^[which?] of trips - Moʻorea has even more tourist hotels than Tahiti. The hotel complex are located mainly on the north and northwest coast. Most of the beaches on the northwest coast belong to hotels and are not open to the public. On the northeast coast, in Temaʻe, near the airfield, there is a public beach.

Moʻorea is sometimes visited by cruise ships.

On the west coast, a traditional Polynesian village, the Tiki Village, has been rebuilt for tourists. There are dance performances, demonstrations of Polynesian handicrafts, and souvenir stores.

The race called the Moʻorea Marathon, held annually in February, is promoted by the tourism industry as the most beautiful in the world. Another international sporting event is the Aitoman Triathlon, held in October each year.

Agriculture

Until the end of the 20th century, coffee was still grown on Moʻorea.^[31] Due to falling coffee prices, this is no longer profitable and the cultivation of agricultural export crops has shifted to pineapple and Tahitian vanilla. Some small family farms continue to produce copra in the traditional way. Breadfruit, yams, taro, sweet potatoes, bananas, coconuts, and other tropical and subtropical fruits are grown for home consumption and hotel kitchens. Fishing continues to play an important, though declining, role in the island's economy.