Moorea

Moorea is an island in the Society Islands archipelago, a few kilometers off the northwest coast of Tahiti.



Understand
If you are visiting French Polynesia on a budget, Moorea is the place to be. Moorea is like Tahiti but cheaper and less touristy. It's mostly rural and farming is big. There are chickens everywhere; the roosters crowing at 06:00 can get old after a few days.

Mosquitoes can be a problem away from the coast.

There are only a few banks on Moorea, and they are in the more populated villages. All banks are closed on Sundays. You can make currency exchanges at the major hotels, but at a lower rate. Plan accordingly.

Moorea doesn't really have any "cities" although there are several towns and villages. When entering a village you will see an official road sign stating the name of the village you are entering. When exiting the village, you will see the same sign with village name, but the village name will have an "X" over it.

Cook's Bay and Opunohu Bay are two of the regions of the island.

Talk
Everybody speaks Tahitian and French. Anybody working in tourist services will speak enough English to get by, although it's not well spoken by the general public.

Get in
Take the Aremiti high-speed ferry from Papeete: 1770 F each way, 10-11 times a day, and takes approximately 40 min (Oct 2022). The website will have up-to-date fares and schedules. The channel between the islands can be choppy, but you may see some humpback whales or dolphins along the way. Note that if you need to take your car on the ferry you must make a reservation in advance to ensure there is a spot.

The Terevau high-speed ferry from Papeete: 1240 F each way, 4-5 times a day, runs more limited service (only one vessel), but tends to be a bit faster (30 minutes) and cheaper. Room for passengers and scooters but not cars.

Air Tahiti - flights are about 15 minutes long, and run back and forth several times a day. Be careful if you get airsick. The planes are small and fly at a low altitude so if there is any rough weather you will feel it the whole ride over.

By car or moped
As the island is administratively a part of France, the roads are surprisingly good. The 62-km main road around the island is all paved and quite wide. The speed limit varies from 30-60 km/h.

You can rent a moped for a day for about US$50 and drive it around the island in a few hours without fear of death. If you don't know how to ride one, take it slow or you will get hurt.

There are car rental agencies at the ferry terminal (Avis and Europcar). A tiny Renault 108 will cost 8000 F (francs) per day, tax and unlimited kilometers included (Jan 2019). The basic insurance has a 100,000 F deductible.

Petrol costs 140 F/litre (Jan 2019).

You can drive around the entire island in a few hours at a leisurely pace with time to stop and admire the view. Plan for more time to take advantage of the spectacular public beaches. Driving in a counterclockwise direction makes it easier to pull off the road when there is adequate space at the side. It may sound like obvious advice, but don't stop on the road – it's dangerous.

Other transportation
After the ferry arrives, one bus leaves from the ferry terminal in each direction around the island (clockwise and counterclockwise). The fare is 300 F.

Hitching works with the usual caveats and risks.

Do






Eat
The humid climate can cause a decrease in appetite. Thus locals tend to have many small meals or snacks through out the day. Poisson cru is the way to go. Food trucks (roulottes) are also present though not like in Papeete.


 * There are also great pizza places just up the road from Club Bali and the Moorea Pearl Resort. Both are reasonably priced and you will get your money's worth.
 * There are also great pizza places just up the road from Club Bali and the Moorea Pearl Resort. Both are reasonably priced and you will get your money's worth.

Drink
Every hotel has a bar and there are lots of little bars and restaurants around. But drinking in bars in French Polynesia is damn expensive. Your best bet is to buy some Hinano bombers at the store and drink on the beach.

You will be charged an additional 60 F deposit fee when purchasing Hinano bottles larger than 355 mL (12 oz). You can redeem your deposit at any location that sells Hinano. The larger bottles are sent back to the Hinano brewery for reuse/refill.

Tabu is another local beer, only available in 355-mL bottles and slightly more expensive compared to a 355-mL bottle of Hinano. Tabu is better tempered to the Tahitian heat. Unlike Hinano, Tabu is very drinkable at all temperatures: cold, slightly chilled, or room temperature.

Budget
Most of the accommodation on Moorea is located on the north side, between Cook’s Bay and Oponohu Bay, with some additional options farther to the northwest. In addition you may find some good options on AirBNB.

Splurge
There are some really fancy hotels and resorts here, although no super-resorts like on Tahiti. Club Mediterranée, once very famous, has been abandoned.



Stay safe
Moorea has almost no violent crime. Petty theft can be an issue. Check your valuables at the desk or keep them on you. At least keep them stashed out of sight. Odd things may be taken, like the beat-up old sneakers you left outside to dry the night before you are leaving, forcing you to hitch a ride to the bus stop because you have no other footwear to make the mile walk up the road and the pavement is a million degrees and there's broken glass in the margin, and then buy US$20 flip flops to wear on the plane.

Perhaps due to its lack of reliable public transportation and its outrageously expensive taxi fares, Moorea has a serious drunk-driving problem (with both tourists and locals equally guilty). Take particular care when walking or cycling the island's only paved road after dark; it gets pitch-black and can be quite dangerous away from the main villages (where you'll also be more tempted to walk or cycle in the middle of the road due to the amount of broken glass on the shoulders).

Go next
There are a couple of islets around Moorea you can visit.