Moorea

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.

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.

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.

• Belvedere Lookout. You can see sacred Mt. Rotui, Cook's Bay, and Opunohu Bay. There's also the ruins of an ancient temple along the road to Belvedere Lookup. 
• Waterfalls. There are several scattered around the island. None are very big. All require some hiking. Some you are supposed to pay a few dollars to see although there may or may not be anybody around to accept payment. 
• Jus de Fruits de Moorea. The pineapple juice factory and distillery. Free tours of the factory floor have been discontinued, but the gift shop remains open along with the free sample of various liqueurs. 
• The Tropical Garden. A shop selling fresh fruit juice (500 F), jams, vanilla, souvenirs, and clothes, set in a garden with a beautiful view of Opunohu Bay. It's up a steep and narrow road off the main road, and is well signed. On Friday and Saturday (only), they sell a Polynesia lunch from 11:30 to 14:00 for 1500 F including grilled fish, raw fish, taro, plantain, bananas, coconut bread, manioc and fruit juice. (updated Jan 2019)

• Snorkeling. You can rent or buy snorkeling stuff but do yourself a favor and bring your own. Just about anywhere in the lagoon is pretty decent. The channel between Motu Fareone and Motu Tiahura off the northwest point is particularly nice. You can swim out to it from the beach but it's a long swim and there are strong currents in this area. Otherwise hire a boat. A good tour to take is Hiro's Tour from Club Bali. It is a reasonable price and you get to do a feeding with sharks, stingrays and also a picnic on a motu. 
• Surfing. Reef breaks mostly, not a good place for beginners. 
• Diving. 
• Hiking. There is a pretty extensive trail network on Moorea. If you take the ferry across from Pape’ete, you can head up the road from the Bayside Moorea Market - at the end of this road the trail begins to the Col de Vai’are (1 hr approx). From the col, you can see most of the island’s north side. Going southwest from here, the trail continues to the viewpoint at Trois Pinus, and onward to Belvedere (2 hr approx). From Belvedere, there is a trail map posted. Continuing on from here you can go to the viewpoint at Trois Cocotiers (45-60 minutes). Maps of the hiking trails on Moorea can be found on the MAPS.ME app, including some viewpoints, waterfalls and landmarks. Bring insect repellent and lots of water because it's hot, humid and buggy. It also tends to be muddy, depending on the weather. 
• 4x4 off-road tour. These are guided tours of Moorea's amazing interior. Trips will vary based on the tour company. Most trips are about 4 hours in length and will travel to four distinct locations. Some of the locations visited are listed in the previous section. This is an easy method for visiting multiple locations in a short period of time. US$50/person. 
• Horseback riding. This is a great way to see the beautiful interior of the island. Your guide will pick fresh fruits from trees and pineapples from the ground for you to eat when you reach the high lookout point. Wear jeans and good shoes. US$55 per person. 
• Tiki Village. Instead of paying for your hotel's Tahitian buffet and show, spend the money and go to the Tiki Village for a much better dinner and show. You will be shown around a replica of a traditional Tahitian village, educated about the local Polynesians' way of life, served a buffet dinner, white and red wine included, then entertained by a talented 60-person troup of dancers, singers, and musicians. Transportation and tickets arranged by your hotel activities desk. US$120 per person. 
• Moorea Store (Shopping), B.P. I380/98729 Papetoai/Moorea. The Moorea Store offers many things from souvenirs, to lotions to Black Pearls. Xavier and his partner own the store and are very friendly and helpful. This store is across the road and to the right of the Intercontinental Resort and Spa. Tuatini Activities is also operated by Xavier and his wife Taina, they provide sunset cruises, private tours, Motu transfers with picnic, motu rental, fare rental, wedding and glass-bottom boat. Tel +689 74 32 50 and email Irioa@mail.pf 

The humid climate can cause a decrease in appetite. Thus locals tend to have many small meals or snacks through out the day.

• Champion Moorea. 07:00-19:15. - is the largest supermarket on the island, located on the south side of Vai’are (the town with the ferry terminal). Freshly baked bread, pastries, all manner of goods. An ideal top to provision before heading elsewhere on the island. 
• Supermarche Pao Pao. 05:30-12:00, 14:30-18:00. - located on the north side in Pao Pao, Cooks Bay. Has all the essentials, and is close to most of the lodging / resorts. 
• Vaiare Pizzas. 11:00-14:00, 17:00-22:00 Closed Monday Tuesday. Across the road from the ferry station is a pizza place well worth a visit. It's run by a French couple that speaks no English, but the menu has English explanations and the ham and pineapple are highly recommended. 
• 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.
• Baguette. The local bread. Make a sandwich with meat, cheese, etc. Nothing fancy. Very portable. Along with a beer, this makes for good eats on the beach. 100 F. 

• Poisson cru is the way to go. Food trucks (roulottes) are also present though not like in Papeete.

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.

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).

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