Flying between the islands: Air Tahiti and Air Moana

Tahiti-Faa’a airport is the only international air entry point; every domestic flight leaves from there or returns to it. Air Tahiti, the domestic airline, serves 47 islands and atolls according to Tahiti Tourisme and links Tahiti with every archipelago; its timetables, passes and baggage rules are on its own site, which this page does not reproduce. Air Moana, founded in 2022, has flown since February 2023 and from Tahiti serves Moorea, Huahine, Raiatea, Bora Bora, Rangiroa, Tikehau, Fakarava, Nuku Hiva and Hiva Oa, with direct links between Bora Bora and Raiatea, Moorea, Rangiroa, Tikehau and Fakarava, and between Rangiroa and Tikehau or Fakarava.

Published flight times: 15 minutes to Moorea, 35 to 40 minutes to Huahine, 45 minutes to Raiatea, 50 minutes to Bora Bora, one hour to Rangiroa, just over an hour to Fakarava and Tikehau, about 1 hr 30 min to the Australs (1 hr 40 min to Tubuai, 1 hr 55 min to Raivavae), 3 hr 15 min to 3 hr 50 min to the Marquesas; Raiatea–Bora Bora takes 20 minutes. According to Tahiti Tourisme, the baggage allowance is 50 lbs, about 23 kg, on both airlines, plus 11 lbs for divers; check it on your ticket.

Tahiti–Moorea by ferry

Moorea lies 17 km north-west of Tahiti. The ferries leave from the Papeete ferry terminal and arrive at Vaiare; four companies run the line every day, with passengers, freight and vehicles: Aremiti (Aremiti 5 and 6), Tauati Ferry of the Tuatea group, Vaeara’i and Terevau. The Aremiti 5 is a 28-knot fast vessel for 537 passengers and 30 cars, making 5 to 6 round trips a day according to the Direction polynésienne des affaires maritimes; Vaeara’i announces 4 to 5 daily crossings and 50 minutes quay to quay; Tahiti Tourisme speaks of about 45 minutes by ferry and 25 to 30 minutes by fast shuttle.

Fares published in October 2026: Tauati Ferry, 1,100 F CFP (€9.22) one way per adult and 2,200 F CFP return, 4,400 F CFP for a car; Vaeara’i, 1,900 F CFP (€15.92) one way at the tourist fare and 3,500 F CFP return, 1,300 F CFP for residents. With Aremiti, tickets are valid for 360 days and you must be there 30 minutes before departure, registration document in hand for a vehicle. The weekly timetables are on the companies’ sites; Terevau’s was unreachable at the time of writing, and nothing could be checked there.

The Apetahi Express and the Leeward Islands by sea

The Apetahi Express, a 30-knot fast vessel of the Tuatea group for 502 passengers, replaced the Aremiti 5 on the Leeward Islands line in July 2023. It leaves from the Papeete ferry terminal and serves Huahine, Raiatea, Taha’a and Bora Bora. According to Tahiti Tourisme, allow about 3 hours to Huahine, then 1 hour to Raiatea, 45 minutes to Taha’a and 1 hour to Bora Bora, with a half-hour stop at each island, so around 8 hours from Tahiti to Bora Bora; the Direction polynésienne des affaires maritimes counts 3 round trips a week.

Fares published on 1 October 2026: 8,000 F CFP (€67.04) one way in term time and 9,000 F CFP (€75.42) in the holidays, babies under 2 free, tickets non-refundable, two 23 kg hold bags included; the Pass Tuatea at 28,000 F CFP (€234.64) gives 30 days of unlimited travel on the group’s two vessels. Photo identification is required, and you must be at the quay an hour before departure with hold luggage. Vaeara’i also sells tickets to Huahine, Raiatea, Taha’a and Bora Bora.

The cargo-passenger ships: Aranui 5, Tuhaa Pae IV and the schooners

The Aranui 5, a mixed freight and passenger ship in service since 2015, carries 230 passengers in 103 cabins and sails from Papeete to the six inhabited islands of the Marquesas by way of the Tuamotu; the cruise lasts 12 days. The Tuhaa Pae IV of the Société de navigation des Australes serves Rimatara, Rurutu, Tubuai and Raivavae, and Rapa on some voyages; its October to December 2026 programmes last 8 to 14 days, and the published full-board fares start at 280,150 F CFP (€2,348) per person for the classic circuit in a Grand Large cabin.

To the Tuamotu, the schooners Cobia 3, Dory, Mareva Nui and Saint-Xavier Maris Stella IV (western Tuamotu), Nuku Hau, Taporo 8 and Natiatea (Tuamotu-Gambier) sail from Tahiti according to the September 2026 notice of the Direction polynésienne des affaires maritimes, which states that dates and islands served are to be checked with the shipowner; since October 2026 departure notices are published on the Revatua platform. According to Tahiti Tourisme, ships serve the Marquesas and the Australs every two weeks and the Gambier once a month.

Car and scooter hire

At Tahiti-Faa’a airport, five hire firms share an area to the right of the international check-in desks, open daily from 5 am to 8 pm and later for international arrivals: Avis, Europcar, Hertz, Tahiti Easy Car and Thrifty. Hertz asks for a minimum age of 21 and a licence held for three years; Avis on Bora Bora, 21 and a licence held for one year, with cars, 50 cc scooters and electric bikes; Tahiti Easy Car lists city cars from 7,700 F CFP (€64.53) a day. Europcar requires a licence valid in the country of hire and an international driving permit when the licence is not written in Latin characters.

On Moorea the hire firms are at Vaiare and Maharepa: Avis at the port, Hertz, Moorea Rental, Albert Transport and Moorea Fun Bike for 50 and 125 cc scooters. Hertz offers insurance for taking the vehicle across between Tahiti and Moorea, and Avis bans its Jimny and Ranger from the cross-island roads of Tahiti and Moorea. On Tahiti, Tahiti Tourisme advises avoiding the Punaauia–Mahina axis at peak hours, 6 to 8 am and 4 to 6 pm on weekdays.

Taxis and buses on Tahiti and Moorea

Taxi fares are set by the Council of Ministers: the Tahiti and Moorea fares in force since 12 November 2023 come from order no. 1540 CM of 6 September 2023, and the fare sheet is posted in every taxi. There is a rank in front of terminal 1 of Faa’a airport (telephone (689) 40 866 066), and others at the ferry terminal and at the Papeete market; on Moorea there are ranks at Vaiare and Temae, and Tahiti Tourisme advises arranging the transfer with your accommodation.

The Tere Tahiti bus network has been run by the Réseau de transport en commun de Tahiti since 1 January 2019, with 21 regular lines, timetables and tickets online, and an app that shows the buses’ position in real time; the destination is shown on the front of the bus. The airport is served by the stops on the ring road, in both directions. On Moorea the bus leaves from the port of Vaiare and only follows the coast road; Tahiti Tourisme describes it as not the most reliable. Bus and taxi fares were not on the official pages consulted.

Airport transfers and the Bora Bora boat shuttles

Bora Bora airport is on Motu Mute and can only be reached by sea. Air Moana runs a free shuttle boat to the Vaitape dock, about 15 minutes’ crossing, leaving 1 hr 15 min before take-off; it is reserved for its own passengers, needs no booking and is not compulsory. Tahiti Tourisme states that the shuttle price is included in the air ticket. Most hotels, set on motu, collect their guests by boat at the airport or at the Vaitape dock, where there is a taxi rank and hire agencies. Taha’a has no airport: you land on Raiatea, whose airport is 2.4 km from Uturoa, then cross the shared lagoon by shuttle, about 30 minutes. On Fakarava the airport is 4 km from the village of Rotoava; on Rangiroa, 5.5 km from Avatoru; on Nuku Hiva, Taiohae is about an hour and a half by road from the airport.

Tahiti Nui Helicopters, a company approved for public transport and based at Tahiti-Faa’a and on Bora Bora, offers transfers between Tahiti, Moorea, Tetiaroa, Bora Bora, Huahine, Raiatea, Maupiti and Taha’a, priced on request, depending on the number of passengers and the weight.

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Timetables, provider conditions, entry rules, weather-sensitive activities and commercial terms are rechecked for the actual trip. This article explains the planning logic; it is not a live availability promise.

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Polynesia Local editorial desk · sources cited on every entry · 20 October 2026