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This is a fun puzzle to try and solve. My kneejerk guess at first glance was that it was 99.99% not Hawaii and for a flyer guess chose Moorea as the prominent peak in the picture vaguely reminded me of the Shark's Tooth from a slightly side angle. So, to look into the details,
1. The obvious first clue is to look at the moped and license plate.
2. The second clue is that he is driving on the left side of the road.
3. The third is to get a read on the driver's race/ethnicity.
Thus, I see a Polynesian guy on a 90's style moped with a 5-digit (56931?) white on black plate license.
Now, the following are the countries in Oceana and the South Pacific that drive on the left side of the road:
Australia
Christmas Island (Australia)
Cocos (Keeling) Islands (Australia)
Cook Islands (New Zealand)
Fiji
Kiribati
Nauru
New Zealand
Niue
Norfolk Island (Australia)
Papua New Guinea
Pitcairn Islands (United Kingdom overseas territory)
Solomon Islands
Samoa (since September 1, 2009)
Tokelau (New Zealand)
Tonga
Tuvalu
French Polynesia drives on the right side of the road: Moorea out. Samoa just recently switched to the left side but though the landscape fits Samoa something about the road itself makes that a questionable answer.
My intuition tells me that this is not the main Austrialian or New Zealand islands based on the context of the picture. In addition, the island in the picture obviously has a relatively new volcano compared to many that have completely sunk back into the earth so islands like Kiribati, Nauru, Pitcairn, Solomon, etc. are off the suspect list.
With a few more rounds of deductive reasoning mostly by studying the peaks in the picture, IMO the likely location will prob come from Cook Islands (Rarotonga) or Fiji as those countries have had white on black license plates - and perhaps Papua New Guinea is a decent suspect as well although the fella on the bike doesn't look like a typical Papuan dude so is a slightly less of an option.
Now, I'll await for someone posting proof that this picture is from Wisconsin and make me say, "But, of course!"
Did anyone notice the utility boxes on each side of the road, looks like phone to the left and elect. to the right. Does that look familiar to anyone in French Polynesia, Oceania? Anywhere?
If you right-click the photo, you can do a google search on the image.
Looks like FRENCH POLYNESIA has a lot of hits, and more recently it become tagged with more Kona, etc.
But it looks French Polynesia is probably the origin, and "Reisen Moorea" is a key word that also was coming up early on in the photo search images, and it does seem like the rock formation looks a bit like Reisen Moorea...
My kneejerk guess at first glance was that it was 99.99% not Hawaii and for a flyer guess chose Moorea as the prominent peak in the picture vaguely reminded me of the Shark's Tooth from a slightly side angle.
As with most instances, one should always go with the initial gut decision! The picture is one taken in Moorea...and the peak is indeed Mouaputa - aka "Shark's Tooth" - and the angle is from the south side of the island where most "tourist" pics are not taken of the peaks. The peak is famous for having a "hole" near the top (you can see the small hole on the peak in the picture we are investigating) and is adjacent to Belvedere Point and Mt Tohivea.
Our guy on the moped is, upon review, riding in the middle of the road which is a bit dangerous in Moorea since the main island road has so many blind turns and the natives drive in a hurry during their rush hours. The picture was taken on the sleepy side of the island - for a sleepy island to begin with - and clearly during a peaceful time of the day.
Moorea is my favorite island in the world...French Polynesia simply has the overwhelming advantage for me of being sinking islands which create the jaw-dropping natural lagoons surrounding the islands. If my French was better and French Polynesia had a bit better infrastructure, I would move to a beach shack on Cook's Bay or Opunohu Bay. The natives are also some of the most gentle and peaceful people that I have come across (and many of them speak their native Polynesian tongue in addition to French and English) - given the lack of infrastructure support from France, the natives in French Polynesia do seem to appreciate the tourism dollar although as normal human beings they'll hate a jerk just as any other human being would.
The natural lagoons make water play so much fun and the hiking is incredible due to the pristine state of most of the jungles and peaks. I haven't been to French Polynesia in 5 years...I miss it so much...
As with most instances, one should always go with the initial gut decision! The picture is one taken in Moorea...and the peak is indeed Mouaputa - aka "Shark's Tooth" - and the angle is from the south side of the island where most "tourist" pics are not taken of the peaks. The peak is famous for having a "hole" near the top (you can see the small hole on the peak in the picture we are investigating) and is adjacent to Belvedere Point and Mt Tohivea.
Our guy on the moped is, upon review, riding in the middle of the road which is a bit dangerous in Moorea since the main island road has so many blind turns and the natives drive in a hurry during their rush hours. The picture was taken on the sleepy side of the island - for a sleepy island to begin with - and clearly during a peaceful time of the day.
Moorea is my favorite island in the world...French Polynesia simply has the overwhelming advantage for me of being sinking islands which create the jaw-dropping natural lagoons surrounding the islands. If my French was better and French Polynesia had a bit better infrastructure, I would move to a beach shack on Cook's Bay or Opunohu Bay. The natives are also some of the most gentle and peaceful people that I have come across (and many of them speak their native Polynesian tongue in addition to French and English) - given the lack of infrastructure support from France, the natives in French Polynesia do seem to appreciate the tourism dollar although as normal human beings they'll hate a jerk just as any other human being would.
The natural lagoons make water play so much fun and the hiking is incredible due to the pristine state of most of the jungles and peaks. I haven't been to French Polynesia in 5 years...I miss it so much...
Nice!
I'm planning a trip to Moorea & Bora Bora ... I'm just trying to find someone to go with. lol.
I'm planning a trip to Moorea & Bora Bora ... I'm just trying to find someone to go with. lol.
Moorea would be OK for a couple days of exploring by yourself but Bora Bora is not, IMO, an island that you want to travel to as a single explorer. The island is only 11 sq. miles and is dominated by couples on honeymoons and love trips. For the cost of getting to and staying on Bora Bora vis-a-vis the activities available...it is a couples destination. Having said that, for those that like the beaches and water, Bora Bora is the ultimate destination for a couple: The perfect lagoons and high-quality over-the-water bungalows makes it the most fantasy-like island in the world...it really is hard to put into words how beautiful that island is.
Lots of travelers pass through Tahiti but IMO that island is absolutely wonderful. Papeete is an active port city that is the hub for French Polynesia so if one does travel alone that city would be a nice home base to use while exploring Moorea during the day since the ferry is a quick trip.
The prices for the large hotels like the Intercontinental or Le Meridien are very reasonable if you search for deals and the water play is great in many parts of Tahiti since they have lagoons as well. Those hotels could be used as the home base to explore Tahiti which is almost the size of Oahu with less than 20% of the population. The hiking, surfing and snorkeling/scuba on Tahiti are world class in spots.
Have a good time out there...
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