A visit to Temae Beach

Winter in Mo'orea > winter in Melbourne.

It’s the end of June, the start of winter. Here on Mo’orea it’s a balmy 25ºC with a bright blue sky, a few fluffy clouds in the sky, and a bit of a breeze.

We drive along the road that circles the island, past the quay and the incoming ferry, past the hotel, up the hill that has the phenomenal view of turquoise blue water and distant reef.

At the bottom of the hill, we turn right onto a dirt path riddled with potholes. Bounce, bounce, bounce. On one side is swampy jungle, full of mosquitoes after a week of rain. On the other side is a coconut grove, trees swaying in the wind, and beyond that, white sand and blue water.

The water is cool. But it’s not cold. In fact, it’s slightly warmer in the water than out of it, once you’re wet. Compared to Melbourne where the water is Antarctic all year round… it’s heaven.

As I swim I’m joined by two little white and yellow angel fish. They circle my ankles coming almost close enough to touch.

We used to come here early in the morning, close to sunrise, to snorkel along the reef. I’d see fish, giant clams with psychedelic patterns, rays, sharks, the colourful spiral worms that disappear when you go to touch them, one time an octopus camouflaging itself in castles made of coral.

A few times the current was too strong to swim out to the reef and I’d just give up and float towards shore. Today, I’m just floating aimlessly.

The future of Temae is uncertain. The owner of the Sofitel bought the land adjacent and the plans are to level everything into more bungalows and landscaped gardens. So far, the request for more overwater bungalows (charged out at $1,000 per night) has been rejected due to the environmental protections of the reef. However, the skeptic in me wonders whether a few well-greased palms will get those protections waved.

As one of only three public beaches on the island, I hope the locals will fight to retain their access to this little slice of paradise.

For now, the beach is available to everyone. The elderly doing gentle exercise by walking up and down in the shallows, the tourists, the locals celebrating a birthday.

And me. I float in crystal clear water, I bury my feet in soft white sand and I appreciate the fact that I’m not in grey, blustery Melbourne this winter.

June art download - tranquil Temae

I made this gouache painting of the little waves at Temae, which is now available available to download as a print!

If you’re a free subscriber (or not subscribed at all) and you’d like access to the download, consider supporting my work by becoming a paid subscriber. You’ll get one free download per month along with the satisfaction of knowing that you’re helping me make more art. You’ll also get access to all of the previous free artworks… if that’s not good value for money I don’t know what is!