Photogallery of pictures taken during journeys and expeditions to French Polynesia - Mo´orea Island.
Mo'orea is a high island in French Polynesia, part of the Society Islands, 17 kilometres northwest of Tahiti. The name of Mo'orea means "yellow lizard" in Tahitian.
The island was formed as a volcano 1.5 to 2.5 million years ago, the result of a geologic hotspot in the mantle under the oceanic plate that formed the whole of the Society Archipelago. It is theorized that the current bays were formerly river basins that filled during the Holocene searise.
Mo'orea is about 15 km in width from the west to the east. There are two small, nearly symmetrical bays on the north shore. The one to the west is called 'Ōpūnohu Bay which isn't very populated but many travelers have come into the bay. The one to the east is Cook's Bay. The highest point is Mount Tohi'e'a, near the center of Mo'orea. It dominates the vista from the two bays and can be seen from Tahiti. There are also hiking trails in the mountains. The Vai'are Bay is another small inlet, smaller than the two main bays, on the east shore. The main village is located just south of the bay.
The first European to arrive on the island were Englishman Samuel Wallis and James Cook.
If you have any questions to joureys/expeditions to Mo´orea Island or any comment to a photogallery use the information form attached below.
