#71574 - 03/31/08 09:45 AM
Gendarmes shut down Moorea's Lagoonarium. Sad news!
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trip1
Member
Registered: 08/05/07
Posts: 94
Loc: Alexandria, VA, 22304
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I found this news in today's Tahitipresse.
Gendarmes shut down Moorea's Lagoonarium after 7-year legal battle.
(Tahitipresse) - Some 20 gendarmes carried out a court order Friday calling for the expulsion of Teiki Pambrun from the Ahi motu, shutting down the tourist site Moorea Lagoonarium after a seven-year legal battle.
Tamara Bopp Dupont, the mayor of the Moorea village of Afareaitu, intervened in vain as a mediator between Pambrun and Georges Handerson, the owner of the islet and the father of the former French Polynesia environment minister, who has the same name.
"Le Lagoonarium de Moorea", as it was officially known, was located off the east coast of Tahiti's sister island, operating a shuttle boat service for visitors. It offered a marine park, swimming, picnics, rental use of kayaks and scuba diving equipment, free snorkeling equipment and, upon request, a Tahitian buffet on Sundays. It had become a popular place for visitors from overseas and French Polynesia.
According to Pambrun, "Since our installation on this motu, we had 20,000 to 25,000 tourists yearly. What tourist business in French Polynesia can boast about doing as much, not mentioning the visits by school children, who profited from an interesting educational program," he told French language daily newspaper La Dépêche de Tahiti.
Handerson granted Pambrun permission to use the Ahi motu in 1997, provided that Pambrun agreed to become the caretaker of the islet inside the lagoon. Pambrun had just been expelled from Tetiaroa, the atoll owned by the family of the late actor Marlon Brando that is 42 kilometers (26 miles) north of the island of Tahiti.
Pambrun created the Moorea Lagoonarium and built up its reputation as a popular tourist attraction that was listed in many visitor guides as a popular place to spend the day in natural surroundings.
The legal battle began in 2001 when Handerson went to court in Papeete, claiming that Pambrun had not paid his rent. An expulsion order was obtained from the court, which was followed by long and drawn out negotiations between lawyers, tentative agreements and lots of talking.
Six years later, an appeals court in Papeete ruled in favor of Handerson on Dec. 28, 2007. The court ordered Pambrun to leave the motu within a month. When he still had not left by Jan. 28, Handerson agreed to give Pambrun another two months to leave.
Exactly two months later, the gendarmes arrived to enforce the expulsion order.
"We were patient and conciliatory," Handerson said Friday. Asked about a possible reopening of the tourist site, he said, "We are open to all proposals that have flowed in during recent years
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#71579 - 03/31/08 12:55 PM
Re: Gendarmes shut down Moorea's Lagoonarium. Sad news!
[Re: trip1]
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BarbiJKM
Supreme Advisor
Registered: 02/14/07
Posts: 6150
Loc: Mesa, AZ
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Very sad, indeed!
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#71612 - 04/01/08 09:27 PM
Re: Gendarmes shut down Moorea's Lagoonarium. Sad news!
[Re: BarbiJKM]
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julianner
Junior Member
Registered: 03/12/08
Posts: 9
Loc: Melbourne, Australia
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That's awful. I wonder what's going to happen - will someone else take it over? I wanted to take my son there in August.
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#71632 - 04/02/08 10:30 AM
Re: Gendarmes shut down Moorea's Lagoonarium. Sad news!
[Re: julianner]
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Poehere
Expert Advisor
Registered: 08/18/07
Posts: 2362
Loc: FP
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Everything has been disambled unfortunately. THe turtles taken over to the Beachcomber and other marine species returned to freedom. It is as always a land question, land being owned by families and not individuals meaning 1 may agree to a lease but the others may not and it always ends up in court. Another example of that being club med Moorea, with so many family members involved they could never agree to the new lease for CM and finally that resulted in its closure, what a shame.
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* with sunshine *
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#71637 - 04/02/08 10:46 AM
Re: Gendarmes shut down Moorea's Lagoonarium. Sad news!
[Re: Poehere]
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hamara
Expert Advisor
Registered: 01/07/02
Posts: 2319
Loc: Washington/Moorea
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It's not uncommon for a piece of land in Tahiti to have as many as 50 owners. No such thing as title insurance. My property has been in foreign hands since 1923.
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#72293 - 04/22/08 06:07 AM
Re: Gendarmes shut down Moorea's Lagoonarium. Sad news!
[Re: Poehere]
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julianner
Junior Member
Registered: 03/12/08
Posts: 9
Loc: Melbourne, Australia
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[quote=Poehere]Everything has been disambled unfortunately. ... Another example of that being club med Moorea, with so many family members involved they could never agree to the new lease for CM and finally that resulted in its closure, what a shame. [/quote]
Speaking of Club Med, is it possible to walk along the beach there, or is it blocked off?
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#72314 - 04/22/08 10:42 AM
Re: Gendarmes shut down Moorea's Lagoonarium. Sad news!
[Re: julianner]
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hamara
Expert Advisor
Registered: 01/07/02
Posts: 2319
Loc: Washington/Moorea
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Yes you can walk on the beach. Access it thru Moorea Camping and
turn right on the beach.
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#72357 - 04/22/08 10:54 PM
Re: Gendarmes shut down Moorea's Lagoonarium. Sad news!
[Re: hamara]
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Suki (689)
Senior Advisor
Registered: 10/29/07
Posts: 920
Loc: ELA US of A
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i remember CLUB MED 1995 dreamy location (((((((((((FP4LIFE)))))))
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#72730 - 05/05/08 04:33 PM
Re: Gendarmes shut down Moorea's Lagoonarium. Sad news!
[Re: Suki (689)]
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Ingrid
Junior Member
Registered: 02/18/08
Posts: 2
Loc: USA
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I walked along the beach (in the water) from Les Tipaniers towards the former Club Med and immediately, dogs barked and someone appeared on the beach of that property. Some of the cabins had laundry and other signs of someone living there.
I decided not to get any closer although I should have been fine/not trespassing by staying in the water.
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#72732 - 05/05/08 05:09 PM
Re: Gendarmes shut down Moorea's Lagoonarium. Sad news!
[Re: Ingrid]
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Poehere
Expert Advisor
Registered: 08/18/07
Posts: 2362
Loc: FP
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property guards... "guarding/squating" while the place is wasting away around them, what a shame huh
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