Mo'orea

Mo'orea, a short ferry ride or flight from Tahiti, is one of the most beautiful and beloved islands of French Polynesia, and far more accessible and affordable than distant Bora Bora. Roughly heart-shaped, it is dominated by spectacular, jagged emerald peaks and knife-edge volcanic ridges that soar dramatically above two magnificent, deep bays, Cook's Bay and Opunohu Bay. Ringed by a clear turquoise lagoon superb for snorkelling and swimming among stingrays and reef sharks, dotted with pineapple plantations and vanilla farms, and laced with hiking trails to viewpoints like the Belvedere, Mo'orea offers postcard South Pacific beauty in a relaxed, welcoming and reachable package.

History

The Society Islands were probably settled from Samoa and Tonga around 200 CE, and on Moʼorea nine tribal principalities grew up in the enclosed valleys, their ruling families tied by marriage to those of Tahiti. Research in the Opunohu Valley, begun by Kenneth P. Emory in the 1920s and carried on in the 1960s by Roger C. Green, traces the island's society: before 1000 CE the slopes were cleared and farmed by a still equal society, in the Atiroʼo period of 1000-1650 CE terraces and simple stone marae such as Tapauruʼuru were built and society became stratified, and in the Marama period of 1650-1788 CE the Marama chiefs from the coast united the valley and built large stepped marae. Pedro Fernandes de Queirós was the first European to sight the island, in 1606, the 1769 transit of Venus was observed from Tahiti and Moʼorea, and Cook came in October 1777 for supplies; the island's older name was ʼAimeho, and Moʼorea means yellow lizard in Tahitian (Wikipedia, Moʼorea).

What's there

• The jagged peaks and bays - the soaring ridges above Cook's and Opunohu bays.
• The lagoon - the snorkelling with stingrays and reef sharks.
• The Belvedere viewpoint - the panorama over the two bays.
• The plantations - the pineapple and vanilla farms.

When to go

May to October, the cooler, drier season, for the best weather, calmest lagoon and clearest water; the wetter months bring more rain. Mo'orea is easily reached by a short, scenic ferry or flight from Tahiti, making it a popular and accessible island escape, with the lagoon warm and swimmable year-round.

Good to know

While more accessible and affordable than Bora Bora, Mo'orea is still a remote South Pacific island and part of famously expensive French Polynesia, so it is not a budget destination, though it offers better value and a more relaxed, real-island feel than the ultra-luxury isles. For the reward of spectacular jagged peaks, magnificent bays, a superb lagoon for snorkelling with rays and sharks, and postcard beauty within easy reach of Tahiti, though, Mo'orea is a genuine and delightful paradise.

Nearby

The island of Tahiti, Bora Bora and the wider Society Islands are close by.

Key facts