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Moorea Island
Travel Guide
French Polynesia
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moorea pictures map
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Moorea Island lies just 18km west from Papeete and is clearly visible from the west coast of Tahiti. This ancient volcanic island covered in rich tropical rainforest with deep bays and razor back mountains offers some of the best sightseeing opportunities in the South Pacific. Getting to Moorea is easy - there are 10 ferry crossings from Papeete every day, taking under one hour with departures commencing from 6am. There are also hourly flights from Faa'a Airport which take less than 10 minutes. With such easy access, nice beaches and beautiful scenery, it is no wonder that Moorea is the most popular holiday destination in Tahiti with four large hotel chains, a dozen small hotels, over twenty private guesthouses and several backpacker hostels and camping grounds.
All tourists arrive on the north east coast of Moorea, the side facing Tahiti Island. The ferry terminal is at Vaiare Bay, opposite the large marina, the busiest of Moorea's towns and close to the islands longest stretch of beach that starts at Teavaro and extends all the way along the north east coast beyond the airport. The large Ia Orana Resort sits in the heart of the beach, set in wonderful landscaped gardens with bungalows well spaced apart. North of Ia Orana is the public access beach which has good swimming. There are a couple of lovely Pensions beyond Temae Point alongside Maeva Beach tucked behind the airport including the budget Fare Maeva and the delightfully decorated rooms at La Baie Nuarai which has wonderful views along the east coast from its beach front. However, both these accommodations (particularly the latter) suffer from airport noise which runs throughout the day starting from 6.30am. For those on a budget and prepared for the disturbance, this part of the island is one of the most picturesque and least commercial on Moorea and there's good snorkelling offshore and a long right surfing passage. The views looking back to Tahiti over the are stunning.
The north coast of Moorea is punctuated by two deep and spectacular bays: Cooks Bay and Opunohu Bay (the latter is where Captain Cook actually anchored). The panoramas of both bays are exceptional and should be viewed not only along the coastal road, but from the water as well as from above. The 900 metre high Mt. Rotui separates the two bays and the steep trail to the summit can be climbed for stunning views but most tourists opt for the easy option - by taking the winding road to the Belvedere Lookout in the heart of Moorea and overlooking not only Mt. Rotui but the two bays as well. Along the way are several interesting marae, notably the restored Marae Titiroa which encompasses many temples and sacred sites. There are well marked trails meandering around the marae and you can take a guided tour with good explanations of the islands history.
At the base of the Belvedere is the delightful Opunohu Valley, an area rich in agriculture and with walking trails and horse riding. One of Moorea's most peaceful accommodations is located in the heart of this valley: Village Temanoha offers private bungalows, a swimming pool, landscaped gardens full of fruit trees and stunning mountain views - a real gem.
Three luxury resorts are found along the north coast: The Pearl Resort is located on a small beach front between the airport and Cooks Bay; The Sheraton Resort sits on a lovely beach between Cooks Bay and Opunohu Bay; and Hotel Intercontinental, with its man made lagoonarium and Dolphin Quest is located west of Opunohu Bay close to Hauru Beach on the north west tip of the island. Other accommodation options along the north coast include popular Hotel Kaveka which sits in the heart of Cooks Bay overlooking the water and mountains; Pension Motu Iti offering rather cramped bungalows right on the waters edge; and the delightful Fare Vaihere located on the north western point of Opunohu Bay alongside a small beach with spectacular coral reefs right off the beach. The north coast also has several old fishing villages including Papetoai which boasts the oldest building in the South Pacific which is still in use - the Protestant church here was built in 1822 by one of the first missionaries to settle in the South Seas on an ancient temple site and its original foundations still exist.
The north west coast of Moorea has the most concentrated tourist strip alongside Hauru Beach. Here, the offshore islands of Fareone and Tiahura form a shallow protected lagoon which is ideal for water sports. You can stay on these offshore islands (only 3 minutes by boat) at either Dream Island or Villa Carolina but "trespasses" from Hauru are unceremoniously chased away. The beach at Hauru is pretty but is very narrow and at high tide the sea reaches the sea wall that protects the line of hotels and guesthouses here. The beach at Hauru is public access but because the coast here is so built up it can be difficult to get to. Of the accommodation, Fare Vai Moana has the most spacious grounds and offers 13 thatch bungalows. A lot more cramped is the adjacent Hotel Hibiscus with 29 bungalows, 11 hotel rooms and a small swimming pool, although the beach front restaurant serves great food. Also sharing the same beach is Les Tipaniers, another small hotel offering 22 bungalows and a nice beach front restaurant. Hauru has a small modern shopping area with supermarket, bank and several restaurants. There are also several backpacker hostels at the southern end of Hauru with camping.
Ten minutes drive south of Hauru Beach is the popular Tiki Village cultural centre, with replica temples and houses, handicraft displays, tattooing demonstrations and traditional dances. All good fun for a light half day outing. Heading south along the quiet south western coast, the mountain scenery once again becomes spectacular and culminates in the gorgeous coastal setting of Atiha bay. There are several small beach properties here including Pension Linereva as well as the small settlement of Haapiti which has a large attractive catholic church built in 1891.
The south east coast is also very quiet with virtually no beaches and no tourist accommodation. At Afareaitu, the administrative centre of Moorea, a walking tracks leads inland to pretty Atiraa Waterfall and takes about 30 minutes. Uninhabited Motu Ahi lies offshore from town.
There's lots of activities around Moorea from cruises around the bays and coast to 4WD tours of the interior. Moorea has a well developed tourist infrastructure - there are plenty of car hire companies at the wharf and airport, lots of restaurants around the coast, shopping centres and gift and boutique shops for browsing.
search for ... Moorea Resorts
find ... Tahiti Tour Companies
continue to ... Huahine Island
Readers may also be interested in the following destinations:
Cook Islands Travel Guide
Fiji Travel Guide
Samoa Travel Guide
Tonga Travel Guide
Hawaii Travel Guide
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