Beyond the Beach: Steph’s Tahiti & Moorea Adventure

Looking for a South Pacific holiday that combines beautiful beaches, incredible lagoons, island adventure and a distinctive French influence?

Tahiti and Moorea could be just what you’re looking for.

World Travellers Motueka travel adviser Steph recently returned from a holiday to French Polynesia, travelling with a group of friends and experiencing everything from swimming with turtles and rays to exploring pineapple plantations by ATV.

For travellers from Nelson and Tasman considering their next Pacific escape, her trip offered a great reminder that there is much more to Tahiti than simply finding a beautiful beach and staying put.

Here’s a taste of Steph’s Tahiti and Moorea adventure – along with some first-hand inspiration for planning your own.

Getting to Tahiti from New Zealand

Steph and her group flew with Air Tahiti Nui from Auckland to Papeete, Tahiti’s capital. With a flight time of less than five hours from Auckland, French Polynesia is surprisingly accessible from New Zealand – yet once you arrive, it feels like you’ve travelled somewhere completely different.

The group spent their first night at Hotel Reva in Papeete, giving them time to settle in and get their first taste of Tahitian life before continuing to Moorea.

Exploring Papeete before heading to Moorea

The first full day began with a wander through the local market – a great place to experience some of the colours, flavours and culture of Tahiti. From there, Steph and the group headed to the ferry terminal and boarded the Aremiti Ferry from Papeete to Moorea. The crossing takes around 30 minutes, making it easy to combine the two islands within one holiday. It’s also a wonderfully scenic introduction to Moorea as the island comes into view.

Island life at Moorea sunset beach

Once in Moorea, the group checked into Résidence Moorea Sunset Beach and quickly settled into island life. Swimming, relaxing, cocktails, games and plenty of good food were all part of the experience.

For Steph, however, some of the biggest highlights came when the group ventured beyond their accommodation and explored more of what Moorea has to offer.

Swimming with turtles, rays and sharks in Moorea

One of the standout experiences of the entire holiday was a lagoon cruise with Captain Taina Moorea. The group headed out onto Moorea’s spectacular lagoon, where they had the opportunity to swim with turtles, rays and sharks. Steph described it as some of the clearest water she had ever seen – and the experience became one of the highlights of the trip.

It’s exactly the type of experience that shows why it can be worth building activities into your itinerary rather than simply booking flights and accommodation and deciding everything once you arrive.

Exploring Moorea by ATV

The adventure continued on land with an ATV tour with ATV Moorea Tours. The tour took the group away from the coast and into Moorea’s mountainous interior, travelling past pineapple plantations and stopping to sample locally made jams along the way. It offered a completely different perspective on the island and was another experience Steph would happily recommend.

Combining time on the lagoon with an inland adventure also meant the group experienced much more of Moorea than its beaches alone.

Back to Papeete

After their time in Moorea, it was back to Papeete for the final part of the holiday. The group joined a half-day island tour before returning to Papeete Market for some last-minute souvenirs. There was also time to explore the town and waterfront before watching one final Tahitian sunset.

Dinner from the food trucks overlooking the sunset provided a fitting end to the adventure.

So, is Tahiti worth visiting?

According to Steph, absolutely.

For New Zealand travellers wanting to try somewhere a little different in the South Pacific, Tahiti and Moorea offer a wonderful combination of Polynesian culture, French influence, great food, spectacular lagoons and plenty of opportunities for adventure.

It can also be a holiday that you shape around the way you like to travel – you could slow things down and spend more time relaxing at a resort, split your stay between Papeete and Moorea as Steph did, add activities and tours, or explore several islands during one trip.

Cruising is another option worth considering if you want to experience more of French Polynesia without arranging separate accommodation and transport on each island.

Planning a Tahiti holiday?

If Steph’s adventure has put Tahiti on your travel wish list, come and talk to the team at World Travellers Motueka.

As your local Nelson travel and Tasman travel specialists, we can help you look at the bigger picture – from flights and accommodation to island combinations, cruises, activities and the practical logistics of putting it all together.

And when one of the team has recently been there themselves, you can get the benefit of genuine first-hand travel experience too.

Thinking about Tahiti or Moorea? Come in and talk it through with the World Travellers Motueka team and start planning your own island adventure.

Māuruuru, Tahiti – until next time.