10 Best Things to Do on Moʻorea, French Polynesia
Moʻorea, often referred to as Tahiti’s sister island, is renowned for its stunning white sandy beaches, rugged volcanic interior, and ocean tours—both with whales and sharks—that are unlike anywhere else in the world!
Furthermore, Moʻorea, as well as Tahiti, are often treated as one trip since traveling between the two islands is very quick and convenient.
Therefore, if you’re planning on visiting both islands during over the course of one trip, I highly recommend experiencing Moʻorea as the more relaxing island of the two islands, while saving your time on Tahiti for more hikes and interior island adventures!
What is the Best Way to Get to Moʻorea?
If you’re already on Tahiti, then you have a few options in order to get over to Moʻorea.
First, there are daily flights on Air Tahiti, which would be the more expensive, impractical, and longer option of the two because of your time spent in the airport.
However, the other option is the ferry, which is what I recommend. While it may be 30 minutes on the ferry compared to a 15 minute flight, once you’re moored in Moʻorea, you only have to walk off the ship and across the street to pick up your rental car.
Moʻorea Ferry
Aremiti and Terevau are the two ferry services with schedules between Tahiti and Moʻorea.
However, unless you’re traveling to Tahiti to make your way directly to Moʻorea, I recommend that you don’t book the ferry in advance because tickets are not hard to come by. This way, you can figure out when exactly you want to leave Tahiti once you’re already on the island.
Moʻorea Airport / Ferry Shuttle
Personally speaking, I don’t think that rental cars are absolutely necessary on Moʻorea because of options such as the rental e-bike shown below.
Therefore, if you’re visiting Moʻorea without a rental, I highly recommend booking your transportation to your hotel in advance. I say this because you cannot beat these cheap prices, as opposed to finding transportation when you step off the ferry.
10 Best Things to Do on Moʻorea
The following list is written in no particular order of best or worst; rather, some of these adventures are grouped close together because they are very similar in that choosing a tour really comes down to what makes sense for your individual group.
1. Mont Rotui Trail
Distance: 4.0 miles / 6.4 km
Elevation Gain: 2,920 ft. / 890m
If there’s one Moʻorea hike that I recommend over any other, it’s Mont Rotui!
I say this because the panoramic 360º views from the summit of Mont Rotui are incredible, and from the summit, you get to see some amazing views of ʻŌpūnohu Bay, Cook’s Bay, and the entire volcanic rim around the island!
Mont Rotui Trailhead Parking
Parking for the Mont Rotui Trail is fairly easy, but describing where the trailhead begins is a little tricky.
First, drive to the Hilton on the North Shore. Then, look on Google Maps satellite, and park near the tennis courts more toward ʻŌpūnohu Bay along the main road.
The AllTrails map that has the Mont Rotui trailhead beginning slightly to the west of the tennis courts is correct!
Google Maps Directions: Mont Rotui Trailhead
The Mont Rotui trail begins down a dirt road in between a few houses.
The Mont Rotui Trail will begin behind the square white roofed house at the base of the ridge.
To get there, walk down the dirt road to the right (east) of the house on Google Maps satellite that looks like it’s placed right in the center of the property. If this sounds confusing to you, just walk down one of the dirt roads in this area, and look for a sign pointing toward the hike.
If locals see you and you look lost, they should point you in the right direction, as they did with us.
Mont Rotui Trail
Once you’ve found the trailhead, you should have no problems staying on the right path for the rest of the hike.
That being said, the Mont Rotui Trail is a very steep hike that doesn’t offer much shade. Therefore, to make the most of your time there, I recommend starting early in the morning to avoid as much of the day’s heat as possible.
Unfortunately for us, we started around 9 a.m., which was too late!
By this, I mean that we found ourselves on the exposed parts of the ridge with the hot summer sun on us during the worst of the heat and humidity of the day. Don’t take this lightly if you are visiting during the summer months.
In any case, Mont Rotui has many false summits, but keep in mind that you are getting close to the top when the trail starts to narrow and become a bit more overgrown.
In my experience, Mont Rotui can be comfortably hiked in about 5-6 hours, but we were moving slowly due to the heat, so it took even longer for our group. We didn’t get off the ridge until after sunset.
Overall, Mont Rotui isn’t a very sketchy hike, but the trail is definitely not kid-friendly!
Hiking Checklist - French Polynesia
Here is a complete list of must-have things that you will want for any hike in French Polynesia.
2. Moʻorea Shark & Stingray Tour (Small Group)
The shark and stingray tours off Tipaniers Beach is easily one of the best things to do on Moʻorea!
To further this point, our Airbnb host insistently kept telling us about a 5-star tour where you have the opportunity to swim with the sharks and stingrays on your own private or shared group tour!
Therefore, if this sounds like something that you may want to do, be sure to book early because they will sell out weeks in advance!
3. Private Moʻorea Shark & Stingray Tour
This is essentially the same tour as the one above, except it’s private!
For this reason, I couldn’t recommend these private options any more because a private tour is always the better choice when you’re looking to have your own personalized experience—all to yourself!
Again, be sure to book early, as they will sell out weeks in advance!
Snorkeling Advice
Before flying to the French Polynesia, buy your own quality mask and snorkel. There will be more than one opportunity where you will be snorkeling/ diving during your trip.
If you rely on rental masks, you will be given an uncomfortable one that has been used thousands of times, along with a chewed-out snorkel. Take it from someone who lives in Hawaiʻi; bring your own Mantis mask and snorkel! They are the best and most comfortable masks on the market, by far!
4. Renting a Private Boat on Moʻorea
[Check Availability in Person]
Finally, if the tours above are sold out, you still have the option of renting a private boat to swim with the sharks and stingrays on your own!
This is one of the cheapest options, and they should provide you with a map for diving places around the Motu Islands.
That being said, the best place for all of the shark and stingray diving is almost directly across the channel from Tipaniers Beach.
The nice part about doing this option is that you will spend significantly less money and get to go to the exact same places as the 5-star tour!
5. Moʻorea Whale Tour (Seasonal)
These are Humpback whales that have migrated up from Antartica during the winter months to the warmer French Polynesian waters, where mothers will give birth to their calves.
Unfortunately, this is very season-specific. Meaning, if your trip is outside of their typical window (August-November), they may not have arrived yet, or they are already on their way back to Antarctica.
Overall, while you can see the whales from beaches along the coast, the best way to experience the whales on Moʻorea is on the water, as there’s truly nothing quite like an up-close experience through one of the local operators!
Professional Whale Photos
My friend @kelsealoha is an amazing underwater whale photographer on Moʻorea!
Therefore, if you’d like to pay more for some of the best photos you can come away with after a whale tour, I highly recommend sending a message to see if she’s on the island!
6. Belvedere Lookout (Three Coconut Tree Pass)
Located only a short drive from the main road around the island, the Belvedere Lookout is the best place on Moʻorea to get great views of Mont Rotui from the other side of the mountain mentioned previously.
In any case, the view from the Belvedere Lookout is stunning. However, if you want a much better view than the lookout itself, I recommend following the trail behind the lookout for about 10 minutes, as this will take you to an amazing grassy overlook that’s much more beautiful than the official Belvedere Lookout.
To get there, take the trail right behind the overlook. When you see a split off to the right, don’t take it, but stay on the main trail. Then, a short while after that, you’ll see another split to the right, which leads to the overlook that I’m talking about.
Google Maps Directions: Belvedere Lookout
Three Coconut Tree Pass
On top of the Belvedere Lookout, the area also serves as the trailhead for a short and easy hike known as the Three Coconut Tree Pass—a hike that leads to a beautiful lookout over the southwest part of Moʻorea.
AllTrails: Three Coconut Tree Pass
7. Tipaniers Beach
Tipaniers Beach is easily one of the most beautiful beaches on Moʻorea!
That being said, Tipaniers Beach is also the same location as the shark and whale tours mentioned previously, but in my opinion, it’s worth mentioning the beach separately from the tours, as the whole area is such a stunning place to swim in the shallow turquoise-blue water!
Google Maps Directions: Tipaniers Beach
8. Moʻorea E-Bike Rental
If you don’t plan on booking a rental car or if you want to do some exploring without a specific destination in mind, I recommend reserving one of the Moʻorea e-bike rentals below.
I say this because the roads around the island are generally safe for biking, and if you take it slow, you’ll be able to find many more beaches and hidden gems, like Taʻahiamanu Beach below.
9. Taʻahiamanu Beach
Taʻahiamanu is one of the best and most beautiful beaches on Moʻorea to get away from all of the busier areas surrounding the resorts.
For this reason, I couldn’t recommend Taʻahiamanu any more, as it can be a great beach to bike to from the nearby resorts using the e-bike rental mentioned above!
Google Maps Directions: Taʻahiamanu Beach
My Print - Taʻahiamanu Beach
10. Pineapple Beach
Located on the southwest side of Moʻorea, Pineapple Beach is one of the best quiet beaches to catch the sunset on Moʻorea!
However, from experience, finding the entrance to Pineapple Beach can be a little tricky among all the houses. However, it’s important to note that all beaches on Moʻorea are for public use. This means that if you find a beach access, you can always walk from there to get to wherever you're trying to go.
Google Maps Directions: Pineapple Beach
3 Things to Know Before Visiting Moʻorea
1. Why Am I Recommending These Viator Tours?
One of my favorite things about booking through Viator is the reserve-now-and-pay-later option. As long as you’re booking more than three days in advance, you have the option to book ahead and cancel in the future if you change your mind.
2. Do You Need a Rental Car on Moʻorea?
That is a big MAYBE! Even though Moʻorea is considerably smaller than Tahiti, most distances around the island are not walkable.
Therefore, if you’re looking to maximize your time on Moʻorea, I recommend booking a rental car, while considering the cheaper e-bike option below for shorter distances.
3. What are the Best Places to Stay on Moʻorea?
This would all depend on your budget, type of trip, and the group you are with, but Moʻorea has everything to offer from a place to camp, to private bungalows over the water!
Mark’s Place
That being said, on this trip, we used Airbnb on Moʻorea to find Mark’s Place on the west side of the island.
Mark’s Place is a beautiful, open property with all sorts of custom-built cabins constructed by the owner, Mark.
Furthermore, if you don’t want to pay for one of the more expensive resorts, I highly recommend staying at Mark’s Place! The property at is beautiful, the hospitality is like none other, and surprisingly, the Wi-Fi is fast!
Additionally, if you are also unsure about what to do on Moʻorea, Mark can recommend ideas for anyone’s ability. Careful though, he’s a talker!
Visiting Other Islands
If you’re interested in reading about some more amazing French Polynesia adventures, check out my separate posts below!
