Photo: Cristina Massari via Google
The Best Beaches
in Moorea
Two real public beaches, a glorious lagoon and a lot of private shore, ranked honestly, with the ferry from Tahiti and the truth about access.
The verdict
- Best forTravellers who treat Moorea as a lagoon to swim and snorkel rather than a place of long open sand, and who are happy to drive the ring road to the two public beaches.
- Single best spotTemae public beach near the airport for the widest sand and the clearest water, with Ta'ahiamanu on Opunohu Bay the calmer family choice.
- One thing to knowAs in much of French Polynesia, most of the shore is private or held by resorts. The two real public beaches are Temae and Ta'ahiamanu, and a hire car is what makes the island work.
Published 10 February 2026. Last reviewed 26 March 2026
Moorea sits just across the water from Tahiti, a jagged green island of cathedral peaks and two deep bays, and it is the easiest taste of French Polynesia to reach. The practical starting point is the crossing. Fast ferries run several times a day from Papeete on Tahiti to Vaiare on Moorea, a trip of about thirty to forty five minutes, and that ferry, rather than a flight, is how almost everyone arrives. There is a small airport too, but the ferry is cheaper, frequent and part of the fun.
The honest thing to know before you come is that Moorea, like Bora Bora, is a lagoon island more than a beach island. Most of the shoreline is fringing reef, rock or private and resort held land, and the number of genuinely public, walkable sand beaches is small. The two that matter are Temae in the northeast near the airport and Ta'ahiamanu on Opunohu Bay in the north. Grasp that and you plan the right trip. Miss it and you arrive expecting long open beaches that are simply not the island offer.
What Moorea does give, generously, is the lagoon. The water is warm, clear and full of life, the snorkelling off the public beaches and the motu is excellent, and the lagoon tours that take you to swim with rays and reef fish are the real headline. A hire car lets you reach both public beaches and circle the island on the single ring road. Below we rank the beaches and lagoon spots worth your time, plain about which are public and which you reach by boat or as a resort guest.
Ranked, not listed
Scored on the water, the snorkel and the access, with the two genuine public beaches named first and the lagoon spots honest about how you reach them.
Temae Public Beach
The best and widest public beach on Moorea, a long stretch of white sand near the airport with clear, shallow water and a fine view across to Tahiti. It is the island most popular beach for good reason, with free showers and toilets, plenty of shade and easy parking, and good snorkelling on the reef. It can get busy at weekends with local families, which is part of its charm. Come early on a calm day for the clearest water and the quietest sand.
Ta'ahiamanu Beach
Also called Mareto, this is the second genuine public beach, a 350 metre curve of white sand on the north shore of Opunohu Bay with calmer currents than much of the island and a picnic area and parking behind it. The snorkelling over the coral just offshore is lovely and the swimming is gentle, which makes it the family choice. It is an easy drive on the ring road. A relaxed, shaded spot for a slow day in the lagoon.
Hauru Point lagoon
The northwest corner around Hauru Point is the resort and lagoon hub of the island, where the water shelters the motu of Tiahura and Fareone and the snorkelling and stand up paddling are excellent. The beach frontage here largely belongs to resorts and pensions, so the honest read is that you enjoy it as a guest or from the water on a lagoon tour. Come for the clear, calm lagoon and the motu rather than a long public strip of sand.
Motu Tiahura
A small palm topped islet off the northwest coast that is the classic lagoon tour stop, with shallow turquoise water, white sand and easy snorkelling among reef fish and rays. You reach it by boat rather than on foot, on a tour or by kayak from Hauru Point, so treat it as water to enjoy for the day rather than a beach to claim. On a calm morning it is the postcard image of Moorea and the highlight of many trips.
Cook's Bay shore
Cook's Bay is the prettier and more dramatic of the two great bays, ringed by sheer green peaks, but it is a deep water anchorage rather than a sandy beach, so come for the view, the waterfront restaurants and the boat trips more than a swim off the sand. The snorkelling is better out at the bay mouth than along the shore. It is a scenic base and a working harbour, best paired with beach days at Temae a short drive away.
Opunohu Bay
The wilder, greener and quieter of the two bays, backed by the agricultural valley and the trailheads up to the Belvedere lookout, with Ta'ahiamanu beach on its northern shore. The bay itself is for kayaking, snorkelling at the mouth and watching the light on the peaks rather than lying on sand. Pair a morning walk or drive up the valley with an afternoon swim at Ta'ahiamanu and you have one of the best days on the island.
A lagoon island, with two real beaches
The kindest thing we can tell a first time visitor is that Moorea is not a beach island in the way the brochures imply. Most of the coast is reef, rock or private and resort land, and the two genuinely public, walkable sand beaches are Temae and Ta'ahiamanu. That is not a failing, it is simply what the island is, and travellers who arrive planning around the lagoon rather than around long open sand have a far better trip.
The lagoon is where Moorea is unbeatable. The water is warm and clear, the snorkelling off the public beaches and the motu is excellent, and the lagoon tours that take you to swim with stingrays and reef fish in the shallows are the real headline experience. If you book one thing here, make it a morning on the lagoon. The beaches are the bonus, the water is the point.
Practically, a hire car changes everything, because the two public beaches sit at opposite ends of the north coast and the single ring road links them with the bays, the viewpoints and the food. Public transport is thin, so the car is what turns a string of separate spots into an easy island day. Conditions in the lagoon are typically calm and clear, but they are never guaranteed, so pick settled days for the boat trips and the far motu.
The best months in Moorea
Moorea has two clear seasons. The dry season from May to October is the prime window, with lower humidity, steadier sun and the calmer, clearer lagoon that makes the snorkelling and the boat trips shine. It is also the busier and pricier stretch, especially around the July and August peak, so book the ferry and the rooms ahead.
The wet season from November to April is warmer, greener and quieter, with higher humidity, short heavy showers and a small cyclone risk at its height, though plenty of fine days slip between the squalls. For the lagoon at its clearest and the best odds on the stingray and reef tours, aim for the May to October shoulders, and treat conditions as typical rather than guaranteed whenever you visit.
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Before you go
Which is the best beach in Moorea?
Temae public beach in the northeast near the airport is the best and widest, with white sand, clear shallow water, shade, free facilities and good snorkelling. Ta'ahiamanu, also called Mareto, on Opunohu Bay is the calmer family choice with gentle currents. These are the two genuinely public beaches on the island, since most of the rest of the shore is private or resort held, so for a classic day on the sand Temae is the answer.
How do you get to Moorea from Tahiti?
By fast ferry from Papeete on Tahiti to Vaiare on Moorea, a crossing of about thirty to forty five minutes that runs several times a day. It is cheap, frequent and the way almost everyone arrives. There is also a small airport with short flights from Tahiti, but the ferry is the simpler and more popular option. From Vaiare you will want a hire car, a scooter or a transfer to reach the beaches around the north coast.
Do you need a car in Moorea?
It is strongly recommended. The two public beaches sit at opposite ends of the north coast and the island single ring road links them with the bays, the viewpoints and the restaurants, while public transport is limited. A hire car or a scooter turns a set of separate spots into an easy day and lets you reach Temae, Ta'ahiamanu and the Belvedere lookout without relying on tours. Book the car ahead in high season, since the island fleet is small.
Is Moorea good for snorkelling?
Yes, the lagoon is the island highlight. The snorkelling off Temae and Ta'ahiamanu is good, and the lagoon tours out to the motu off Hauru Point let you swim with stingrays and reef fish in clear, shallow water. The reef is healthy and the water warm and clear on a calm day. The clearest conditions are usually in the dry season from May to October and early in the morning, and they are typical rather than guaranteed.
Are Moorea beaches public or private?
Most of the shoreline is private or held by resorts, which is typical of French Polynesia. The two genuinely public, walkable sand beaches are Temae in the northeast and Ta'ahiamanu on Opunohu Bay, both with parking and facilities. Elsewhere you usually enjoy the lagoon as a resort guest or from the water on a tour or by kayak. Planning around the public beaches and the lagoon tours, rather than expecting open sand everywhere, makes for a much better trip.