Port 9 Papeete — Along the shore at Pā’ōfa’i Gardens

Outriggers and Mo’orea (in the background)

If you thought the distance from Bora Bora to Mo’orea was short, the trip from Mo’orea to Papeete was about the distance of a marathon race.  It’s less than 20 miles/17 nautical miles/32 kilometers as the seagull flies from anchorage to dock.  Yep, no tendering here.  In Papeete you walk straight off the ship into the heart of town.

Nanuu Bay marina

Hang a right onto Boulevard de la Reine Pōmare IV and within a very short walk you reach first Place Jacques Chirac and Pā’ōfa’i Gardens.  Here you’ll see a couple of memorials.  This is the memorial commemorating French nuclear testing on Moruroa, Fangataufa, and other Pacific atolls:

French nuclear testing memorial

Another memorial commemorates the Air Mo’orea Flight 1121 tragedy that occurred August 9, 2007.  The de Havilland of Canada DHC-6 Twin Otter crashed shortly after takeoff from Mo’orea, killing all twenty aboard.

Air Moorea Flight 1121 memorial

Air Moorea Flight 1121 memorial plaque

Past the memorials, the gardens themselves are quite stunning, as is the shoreline and the views of nearby Mo’orea:

Pā’ōfa’i Gardens

Pā’ōfa’i Gardens

Pā’ōfa’i Gardens

Pā’ōfa’i Gardens

Outrigger rentals at Pā’ōfa’i Gardens

Mo’orea in the distance

Pā’ōfa’i Gardens