Anchorage· Moorea· French Polynesia — Society Islands

ZMR de Vaiare (Moorea)

17° 31.9′ S · 149° 46.1′ W

Officially the ZMR de Patae: a two-boat anchorage on a sandbank in Vaiare Bay on Moorea's east coast, with good snorkelling, the ferry port, the Champion supermarket and the Heiva grounds all close by.

Society IslandsTahiti & Moorea

Practical

Decree 910 CM polygon: 17°31.831'S–17°31.977'S, 149°46.091'W–149°46.187'W. Quota 2, 48 h. Enter by Vaiare Pass (lit entrance buoys, leading lights on 272°, 23 m in the pass); give way to the Papeete ferries, then round the shoal carefully to the ZMR. No marks between the ZMR and shore, so approach in good light. Land at Vaiare Marina (dinghy dock) or the small beach next to it. Water and garbage disposal available. In front of the anchorage: fuel station (jerrycans), Champion supermarket with ATM, Nautisport, Avis, snacks and food trucks, Vaiare Pizza. Public drinking water up the path behind the Bayside Moorea Market. Motu Ahi and Afareaitu village are to the south. Legal status (Oct 2026): the ZMR quotas come from arrêté 910 CM of 26 June 2025, which the Administrative Tribunal of French Polynesia annulled on 15 July 2026 (case 2500441, brought by the Association des Voiliers en Polynésie); the anchoring articles of the 2021 PGEM were also annulled by the Paris appeal court with effect from 1 June 2026. Noonsite (Aug 2026) reports the restrictions are not currently ratified and talks between AVP and local groups are ongoing. Until a replacement rule is published, treat the ZMR quotas and 48-hour limit as the expected good practice, check escales.gov.pf or call DPAM (40 54 45 78, 24/7) before arriving, and expect the nautical patrol (87 704 657) to ask about your stay.

Best for

Provisioning, ferry crew changes, Heiva in July

Season

Year-round; trade-wind chop at the pass

Itineraries that stop here

Nearby