Moorea Island (Society Islands, French Polynesia)
Cruise Port schedule, live map, terminals, news
Region
Australia - New Zealand - Pacific Ocean Islands
Local Time
2019-07-20 14:13
76°F 24.3°C
Mod. breeze6.1 m/s
78 °F / 26 °C 75 °F / 24 °C
Moorea is a high island located in French Polynesia, one of Windward Islands, part of Society Islands, 17 km (11 miles) northwest of Tahiti. The true spelling of Moorea is "Mo'ore'a", meaning "yellow lizard" in Tahitian. 'Aimeho, sometimes also spelled 'Aimeo / 'Eimeo, is an older name for the island. Early Western colonists and travelers also referred to Moorea as York Island.
Several ferries go to Vaiare wharf in Moorea daily from the Tahitian capital, Papeete. The Vaiare wharf is in Vaiare bay. There are three ferries, and one of them is 'Aremiti 5. The biggest one is 'Aremiti Ferry and the other is Moorea ferry. The ferries have to pass through Moorea's coral pass, and then toward Papeete across the ocean into the Tahiti Lagoon.
Moorea Island was formed as a volcano 1.5-2.5 mill years ago, as a result of geologic hotspot in the mantle under oceanic plate which formed the whole of Society Archipelago. It is theorized that formerly, current bays were river basins that filled during Holocene searise. Moorea is about ten miles in width from the east to the west. There are a couple of small, nearly symmetrical bays on island's north shore.
Due to its stunning scenery and accessibility to Papeete, Moorea Island is visited by plenty of western tourists who sail to French Polynesia. Moorea is especially famous as a honeymoon destination, and can often be seen in advertisements in wedding magazines. Arthur Frommer (Frommer's travel guide) declared that he considered it the world's most beautiful island.
International flights are served by Tahiti's Faaa International Airport (approx 5 km / 3 ml) from Papeete. From there, fly tourists usually take the ferry to Moorea. Moorea Airport serve only domestic flights, operated by the local airline Air Tahiti.
Moorea Island cruise terminal
Some cuise ships to Moorea Island dock (anchor) at Papetoai - located to the west of Opunohu Bay, in the island;s western part. Piheana is to the east of the bay. The bay is approx 30 km (20 ml) west of Papeete (Tahiti Island). The bay's scenery is dominated by Mount Rotui.
Opunohu Bay is mainly used as waterway to Papetoai - where the island's main shopping center is located. However, most cruise ships to Moorea Island dock at Papeete and their passengers are transported to Papetoai via the ship's tender boats.
Moorea Island's new cruise terminal at Papetoai was opened in October 2016. The facility consists of a covered open-air pavilion built on the wharf. The pavilion (open only where there is a docked cruise ship in port) sells locally made arts and crafts. Terminal's construction works started in 2015. The Moorea Marketplace project was financed partly by the Cruise Development Fund, raising money from port fees and passenger head counts.
Port Moorea Island cruise ship schedule shows timetable calendars of all arrival and departure dates by month. The port's schedule lists all ships (in links) with cruises going to or leaving from Moorea Island, Society Islands, French Polynesia. To see the full itineraries (ports of call dates and arrival / departure times) and their lowest rates – just follow the corresponding ship-link.
| Day | Ship | Arrival | Departure |
|---|---|---|---|
| 18 July, 2019 Thursday |  Paul Gauguin | 08:00 | 17:00 |
| 25 July, 2019 Thursday | Paul Gauguin | 08:00 | 17:00 |
The Moorea Island cruise port map is interactive. It shows the port's exact location, along with the real-time cruise ship traffic (if any) in its vicinity - today, and right now. By zooming-out you can see other cruise ship ports located near Moorea Island, Society Islands, French Polynesia.
If you lose the Moorea Island location on the map, simply reload the page (also with F5 button). This feature is integrated with the CruiseMapper's cruise ship tracker tracking the vessels' current positions at sea and in ports.