The Moorea ferry,
three ways across.

01 · The short answer

Which boat
should you take?

Aremiti for choice: it runs two ships, Aremiti 5 and Aremiti 6, and the most departures — nine on a normal weekday from Papeete, six on Saturdays and Sundays⁵. It is also the dearest for visitors, at 2,350 XPF (≈ US$23) one way for anyone 12 and over⁵.

Tauati Ferry for price: 1,100 XPF (≈ US$11) one way for everyone from age 2, with no visitor surcharge⁴. It sails four times a day on weekdays (five on Fridays) and three times at weekends⁷.

Vaeara'i for a slower, bigger car ferry: five departures each way on weekdays, none on Saturdays in the week we checked, four on Sundays; 1,900 XPF (≈ US$19) for an adult aged 13 or over³.

On foot with a flexible plan, take whichever leaves next; all three use the same terminal in Papeete and the same quay at Vaiare¹. Tickets are not interchangeable: each company sells its own, and an Aremiti ticket is valid for 360 days on either Aremiti ship, not on the others⁵.

05 · Reading the timetable

Times change
week by week.

Aremiti and Vaeara'i publish their timetables a week at a time, and they do shift: school holidays, maintenance and public holidays all move sailings. Tauati publishes a standing timetable and posts its technical stops as separate notices; in October 2026 it ran no crossings at all from Monday 12 to Thursday 15 October⁷. Check the operator's own page in the week you travel, not a screenshot from a forum.

Two Tauati details catch people out. Its 05:40 Tuesday departure from Papeete and the 10:00 Tuesday return carry only 25 passengers, because the ship carries fuel on that run⁷. And there is no early Sunday boat back from Moorea on Tauati: the first is at 13:30⁷.

If a sailing is cancelled, don't count on compensation. Aremiti's conditions say timetable changes or cancellations give passengers no right to compensation or refund, though the company may refund tickets for a cancelled crossing⁸.

06 · Cars, scooters and bikes

Taking a car
across.

All three companies carry cars, and a small car costs 4,000 to 5,440 XPF (≈ US$39–53) one way depending on the company and its length³⁴⁵. Book the car ahead at weekends: Friday evening out of Papeete and Sunday afternoon back are when Tahiti residents travel, and the car deck fills first⁵.

Aremiti wants drivers at the boarding area at least 30 minutes before departure, and closes vehicle check-in 10 minutes before; the driver must travel with the car, and the dimensions and registration declared at booking must match, or you pay the difference plus fees⁸.

For a stay of a few days it is usually simpler to cross on foot and rent on Moorea. Rental offices are at the Vaiare quay and the airport²; Avis meets the ferries at Vaiare, is open 06:30–17:00 on weekdays and 07:30–16:00 at weekends, and even with its damage waiver leaves an excess of 103,000–293,000 XPF (≈ US$1,010–2,870)¹¹. If you do want to bring a Tahiti rental across, ask the rental company first whether its contract allows it.

Scooters cost 1,300–1,480 XPF (≈ US$13–15) one way⁴⁵. A bicycle goes across on Aremiti for 270 XPF⁵ — the cheapest way to arrive with your own wheels.

08 · Arriving at Vaiare

The quay
on the east coast.

Vaiare is on Moorea's east coast, near the airport at Temae; Temae beach is about 3 km from the quay¹³. Taxis wait on the quayside, and some hotels run free or paid shuttles to the quay and the airport². Taxis on Moorea charge the same government tariff as on Tahiti¹⁴.

The ray sandbank off Les Tipaniers is in the north-west¹⁵ — the far side of the island from the ferry, and the corner where many visitors base themselves. Allow for that drive. The island bus exists, but Tahiti Tourisme itself says it 'isn't particularly efficient'²; don't build a ferry connection around it.

If you are staying more than a day, pick up a rental car at the quay as you land (see above). If you are day-tripping, decide before you go whether you want a car or a tour that collects you from the boat.