Moorea

 

HOTELS:  The only place that caught my eye, besides the big dollar places, was KAVEKA on Cook's Bay.  No beach there, just good scenery.   Email at kaveka@mail.pf 
GETTING THERE:  
  • FERRY:  The ferry's leave almost every hour between 6:15 am and 5:30 pm (M-F).  Weekend schedule for the Moorea Jet starts about an hour later.  Round trip tickets are exactly double a one way, so just get a one way as a different ferry may be more convenient on your return.  Surprisingly, the Jet (which takes 30 minutes) is 960 CFP, and the regular ferry (which takes 45 minutes) is 1020 CFP.
  • PLANE:  40 flights a day between Tahiti & Moorea.
GETTING AROUND:
  • Le Truck:  I only saw one and I asked them if they went to Cook's Bay and they said NO!  According to all the guides the Le Truck goes all the way around the island.  Maybe they didn't speak English?
  • Rental Cars:  About 9500 CFP for 8 hours or 7000 for 4 hours.  I used one for 3 hours and it used an amazing 1600 CFP in fuel!  I used Avis and later found out that Eurocar was substantially cheaper.  It takes less than an hour to drive all the way around the island.
  • Motor scooters:  I had a few minutes when I returned so I checked the price and was shocked that the car was only about $20 more than a scooter.
  • Bicycles:  Available for rent right across the street from the rental cars area
DINING:  I did a day visit from Tahiti and decided not to return for a overnight stay.  Didn't see any place on my day visit where I wanted to try a snack.  Looked like most dining was in the hotels or one of the few cafes on the two bays.
INTERNET CAFE's   I saw one internet cafe near the base of Opunohu Bay.  No idea on the price or speed.
Time Zone Chart
WHAT’S GOOD:
  • The ferry ride
  • I heard the shark feeding show here is pretty good
NOT SO GOOD:
  • No good beaches for swimming

PHOTOS FROM AROUND THE ISLAND

WHAT TO DO:
  • Relax
  • Bicycling: The road around the island is almost flat (a couple of very small hills) so it would be easy to peddle around in one day.  Roads aren't too wide, but lots of bicyclers, so it is pretty safe.
  • Snorkeling: I saw a few interesting spots on the SW and South end of the island, but no nearby resort signs.  Of course it looked good near the Sofitel, the Beachcomber, and Club Med, but at those prices it should be good. 
  • Photography:  Very beautiful scenery.  Some samples
  • Scuba
  • Wind surfing  
  • Surfing 
  • Outrigger Canoe paddling in the lagoons
  • Jet skis
  • Hobie Cats
  • Water skiing
  • Trekking
  • Parasailing
  • Visit the Distillery
  • Flying tour of the island
  • Hike to the Arafeaitu waterfall
  • Beach at Temae (near airport)