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 about 25 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.
• Aremiti tickets stay valid 360 days and work on either of their boats, so a return 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 the crossing, with boats from early morning until the evening. You can buy at the counter on the day, though it is worth booking ahead in July, August and over Christmas, and always if you are bringing a car.

The published one-way fare is 2,350 XPF for an adult visitor, 1,500 XPF for a child under thirteen, and free for under-twos. Cars are priced by length, from about 3,940 XPF for a small one up to 7,740 XPF for the longest. Tickets stay valid for 360 days and work on either the Aremiti 5 or the Aremiti 6, so a return bought on arrival is never wasted. Prices move, so treat all of this as a guide.

The part nobody warns you about is the night. There is no crossing in the small hours: the last boat goes in the evening and the first goes early the next morning. Long-haul flights into Tahiti often land late, and if yours does you are sleeping on Tahiti that night. Book a room near the airport 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 about 25 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.

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.