Farewell Moorea, Ferry Back To Papeete

I really wish we could have stayed in Moorea 2 nights (especially since we got upgraded at the Intercontinental) but the flight home departed at 07:30 so there was no way we could leave Moorea on time to make that flight.  I do want to point out that we have been to Moorea before we got into the miles and points game and already done the touristy things like a snorkel trip and the Tiki Village which is lots of fun!  So the main purpose was really to check out the IC Moorea.

This time we had reception book us a shuttle back to the ferry terminal at 1250 XPF each so we could just relax and enjoy the scenery.

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Hitting rush hour trafficIMG_1655

in more ways than one!IMG_1657

Back to the ferry terminalIMG_1670 IMG_1671 IMG_1672 IMG_1673

Terevau arrives on time.IMG_1675 IMG_1676 IMG_1677 IMG_1678 IMG_1679 IMG_1680 IMG_1681 IMG_1682

Arriving in Papeete ferry terminalIMG_1683 IMG_1684

Overnight In Moorea Via Ferry

Even if your main interest in a visit to French Polynesia is birding the remote islands, there is nothing wrong with being a bit touristy.  The way the airline schedules are set up and the availability of award tickets (or lack thereof) to Papeete can leave you with a few days to kill in Papeete.  I highly recommend hopping over to Moorea which is a lot more scenic and relaxing than Papeete.

You can fly to Moorea from Papeete if you wish but I thought the flights were a bit pricy for us.  Since we only had small backpacks for the trip, it was easy to catch a bus downtown, grab lunch at the Grande Marche and hop the next ferry.  There are 2 ferry companies on this route – Aremiti and Terevau.

Fares on Aremiti 5 from Papeete to Moorea

Terevau doesn’t have a website but their one-way fares are 1160 XPF.  Since they accepted credit cards, I bought round-trip tickets for us.  The tickets are valid 6 months.

There really isn’t much to choose between the two ferries, just take whichever one is leaving next.  You don’t need reservation unless you are bringing a car.

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The ferry awaits.IMG_1524 IMG_1525 IMG_1528

Seating is comfortable enough for the 20 minute trip across to Moorea.  You can see how I was “drowning in flowers” still from Rimatara!IMG_1531

The ferry has a small snack bar, prices aren’t bad but not a very good selection.  We were glad we ate at the market.IMG_1532 IMG_1533 We were in Moorea pretty quickly, barely enough time to admire the topography from the sea! IMG_1535 IMG_1538 IMG_1539 IMG_1540

Disembarking at Moorea.IMG_1541 IMG_1542

Moorea ferry terminal.IMG_1543 IMG_1544

Turnaround was pretty quick, we watched the Terevau take off back to Papeete while looking for the bus.IMG_1545 IMG_1546