Moorea

Where it sits. Moʼorea lies 17 kilometres north-west of Tahiti across the Sea of the Moon, in the Windward Islands of French Polynesia. It covers 134 square kilometres and had 17,718 inhabitants at the 2017 census, the largest settlement being Pao Pao–Maharepa with about 4,244 people. The island formed between 1.5 and 2.5 million years ago and is a classic high volcanic island in an advanced stage of erosion: a ring of coral reef encloses the entire coast, creating a continuous lagoon, and the caldera's northern wall has been breached into two deep, almost symmetrical bays — Cook's Bay and Opunohu Bay — separated by the blade-like ridge of Mount Rotui. Mount Tohiveʼa, at 1,207 metres, is the high point and is visible from Tahiti on a clear day.

The story behind it. Moʼorea was a centre of pre-European Polynesian society, and the Opunohu valley behind the bay holds one of the densest concentrations of archaeological remains in French Polynesia: dozens of stone marae, agricultural terraces and archery platforms strung through the forest. Marae Titiroa, surrounded by banyans and reconstructed in the late 1960s, is the most accessible. Cook anchored in Opunohu Bay in 1777 — a persistent confusion means the neighbouring bay carries his name while the one he actually used does not. Missionaries arrived in 1797 and the island became an early centre of Christian Polynesia. Coffee and vanilla gave way to pineapple, which is still farmed on the plateau between the bays and distilled at the island's fruit juice factory.

On screen. Moʼorea supplied twenty weeks of shooting for The Bounty (1984), Roger Donaldson's version of the mutiny, with Mel Gibson as Fletcher Christian, Anthony Hopkins as William Bligh, and Daniel Day-Lewis, Liam Neeson and Bernard Hill in support. The Tahitian sequences were filmed at Opunohu Bay — the same anchorage Cook had used in 1777 — where the production built its village set on the shore. The ship was the film's defining extravagance: a full sailing replica of HMS Bounty, constructed at Whangārei in New Zealand for about $4 million before the script was even finished, detailed down to hand-stitched sails, and at the time the most expensive prop ever built for a motion picture. It sailed to Moʼorea under its own canvas. The production also shot at Gisborne in New Zealand, with the court-martial and interior scenes filmed at the Old Royal Naval College in London, the Reform Club on Pall Mall, and Lee Studios outside the city. The total budget reached $25 million.

What you actually see today. A 60-kilometre road circles the island at sea level, and the interior is reached by a single sealed spur climbing the Opunohu valley to the Belvedere lookout, which frames Mount Rotui between the two bays in what is arguably the most reproduced view in French Polynesia. Hiking is the island's real distinction. The Three Coconut Trees pass crosses the caldera rim in a demanding half-day; the ascent of Mount Rotui is steep, exposed and rewarding; and the hole in the mountain, Moʼua Puta, is visible from the north coast as a literal perforation in the ridge. The lagoon is shallow, warm and easily explored: stingray and blacktip shark feeding stations off the north coast, coral gardens near the motu at Tiahura, and humpback whales offshore from July to November, when licensed operators run respectful in-water encounters.

How it differs from Bora Bora. Moʼorea is larger, greener, considerably cheaper, and lived-in rather than resort-dominated. There are agricultural valleys, schools, a university marine research station at Opunohu run by the University of California and the CRIOBE laboratory, roadside fruit stalls and public beaches — Temae on the north-east corner being the best of them. Overwater bungalows exist but do not define the island.

Getting there and timing. Ferries cross from Papeʼete to Vaiʼare wharf several times a day in about 30 minutes and carry vehicles; the flight from Faaʼa takes roughly seven minutes and is one of the shortest scheduled services anywhere. A hire car, scooter or bicycle makes sense, as the island is too large to walk and bus services are limited. The dry season from May to October brings lower humidity and reliable trade winds; the wet season is hot with heavy afternoon rain and a cyclone risk. Reef shoes are useful, and the lagoon's currents run strongly through the passes.