Getting to Moorea from Tahiti, and finding us in Haapiti
The short version: fly into Faa'a on Tahiti, take a taxi into Papeete, and catch the ferry across to Vaiare on Moorea. The crossing is about thirty minutes and costs around 2,350 XPF for an adult. From the wharf it is 20 minutes by road to our gate at PK 23,9, on the sand at Haapiti. The one thing to plan around: there are no ferries in the middle of the night.
- No ferry crosses at night. A late landing on Tahiti means sleeping there and taking a morning boat.
- Ferry tickets stay valid for a year and reservations change free of charge, a return bought in advance is never wasted.
- Use the map pin we send with your booking. Addresses here are PK numbers, not street numbers.
- We are at PK 23,9, côté mer: the sea side of the road, on the sand, facing the Haapiti pass.
From Faa'a airport to the Papeete ferry terminal
International flights land at Faa'a (PPT), just west of Papeete. The Moorea ferries leave from the terminal on the Papeete waterfront, right in the middle of town.
A taxi between the two takes twenty minutes to half an hour depending on traffic. Agree the fare with the driver before you set off, and know that Papeete taxis charge more at night, which is when most long-haul flights land. Taxis wait outside arrivals, and the queue moves quicker than it looks even after a full flight.
Ferry or plane to Moorea?
Almost everyone takes the boat, and so would we. It runs all day, it costs a fraction of the fare, nobody weighs your luggage, and the way Moorea comes up out of the channel is worth standing outside for.
Air Tahiti and Air Moana both fly Papeete to Moorea Temae, scheduled at about fifteen minutes. That is worth it if you are connecting straight through from another island. Otherwise the flight buys you less time than it looks, because you still need a taxi at both ends.
Tickets, prices, and the last boat of the day
Aremiti runs most of the crossings, from first light until evening, and they are the company we recommend: bigger boats, more reliable service. Terevau covers the same route; if one of their departures fits your day considerably better, take it.
On foot you do not need a reservation, simply buy your ticket online. For a car, always reserve: space is never guaranteed and summer sailings do sell out. There is no downside, because a reservation can be changed free of charge by phone or e-mail, and tickets stay valid for a year. A return bought on arrival is never wasted.
One way costs 2 350 XPF for an adult, 1 500 XPF for a child under thirteen, and nothing under two. Budget 5 440 to 6 640 XPF for a normal car, depending on its length. Prices move, so treat these as an order of magnitude and check the operator's site.
The last boat leaves Papeete around 17:30 on weekdays, and later at the weekend: 18:25 on Saturday, 19:00 on Sunday. Nothing crosses overnight. In heavy weather that final sailing is sometimes cancelled, so if you were counting on it with a flight to catch, leave yourself room. Long-haul flights often land late on Tahiti; if yours does, sleep in Papeete and cross on a morning boat.
Arriving at Vaiare, and the drive to the west coast
The ferry docks at Vaiare on the east coast. It is a small wharf with nothing to navigate: you walk off and the road is right there.
We are on the opposite side of the island, on the west coast at Haapiti. Allow 20 minutes by road, more if you stop above Opunohu Bay for photographs, which you should. The coast road is one lane each way, slow and lovely, with people walking dogs along it. Do not plan it like a motorway.
If you fly in, you start from Temae instead, just north of Vaiare, and it is about 30 minutes. We send you a map pin with your booking confirmation, so you can hand your phone to the driver or follow it yourself.
What PK means on Moorea, and why our road has two numbers
Our address is PK 23,9, côté mer. PK is short for point kilométrique, the kilometre markers along the road that circles the island, and côté mer means the sea side of the road rather than the mountain side. There are no street numbers here, so that is how everyone gives directions.
In practice you do not need to think about it. We send a map pin with your booking confirmation, and there is one on this site too. Hand it to your driver, or follow it yourself, and the rest of this page is just for interest.
Finding us at PK 23,9, and letting us do the driving
Set your phone to -17.561682, -149.871232 and it will take you to our gate. From Vaiare the shorter way round is south through Afareaitu, following the coast. The PK numbers count up as you go, and ours is 23,9.
The last landmark is the water. We face the Haapiti pass, the left-hander breaking out on the reef, and once you can hear it you are almost here.
You do not have to sort any of this out yourself. We arrange taxi pickups from the wharf or the airport, and we can have a rental car waiting if you want your own wheels for the week.
Leaving day: when to set off from the fare
Allow twenty minutes to the ferry terminal at Vaiare, and be there twenty minutes before departure. The crossing takes forty minutes, then it is twenty minutes by taxi to Faa'a airport. If you are returning a hire car, add thirty to forty minutes.
From the fare to the airport door, that is one hour forty, or two hours twenty with a car to return. For an international flight, be at the airport two to three hours before departure.
In practice, do not think in durations: think in boats. The ferry is the one step you cannot make up, and if you miss the sailing you were aiming for, the next can be two hours later. Pick the crossing first, then work backwards. Tell us your flight time and we will do it with you the evening before.
Tell us when you land
When you book direct with us, send your flight number and the time you land on Tahiti, or the ferry you plan to catch. We will tell you how long the drive takes from there, arrange a taxi at the wharf if you want one, and have a rental car ready if you would rather drive yourself. If you land after the last ferry you will need a hotel on Tahiti for that night, and we are happy to suggest a few. Breakfast is included every morning of your stay.
Written by the Fare Oaoa team, on site at PK 24 Haapiti every day.
Fares and crossing times checked in August 2026. The timetable shifts with the season and the weather, so confirm your sailing on the day you travel.