French Polynesia
Moorea in January
🌧️ Rainy seasonPleasant, humid and often rainy.
🎒 Pack: compact umbrella or rain jacket · quick-dry fabrics
Why January scores 8.2What goes into the score
How it works- Weather comfort6.9
- ✓Comfortable temperatures (26.7°C highs / 25.8°C lows)
- !Very humid/sticky (dew point 23.2°C)
- !Wet: ~216 mm rain, ~7 heavy-rain days
- Air quality10.0
- ✓Good (within WHO guideline) (PM2.5 ~5 µg/m³)
- Seasonal hazards9.5
- !Flood: ~7 heavy-rain days in an average January
- Safety baseline8.0
- ·Normal precautions
| Jan | Sep | |
|---|---|---|
| Score | 8.2 Very good | 9.2 Excellent |
| Season | 🌧️ Rainy season | ☀️ Dry season |
| High / low | 27° / 26° | 25° / 24° |
| Rain | 216 mm | 64 mm |
| Humidity | dew pt 23° | dew pt 21° |
| PM2.5 | 5 µg/m³ | 4 µg/m³ |
Typical-month data: NASA POWER (MERRA-2 reanalysis) 2015–2024 (modelled, not a forecast).
Holidays & crowdsJanuary 2027
Long weekendThere's at least one long weekend. Domestic travel picks up and popular spots get busier over those days.
- New Year 1–3 Jan · 3 days off in a row
National holidays only; regional holidays and school breaks aren't included. Source: holidays (open-source public-holiday calendar).
Explore MooreaEvents, sights, food & souvenirs
Check event dates locallyA volcanic island a short ferry ride from Tahiti, known for jagged green peaks, deep bays, pineapple fields and a clear lagoon for snorkelling.
No major events on our calendar for January.
Coming up later
HeivaDate variesUsually July
French Polynesia's major cultural festival of dance, music and traditional sports.
Why go: Easy to see from Moorea by ferry; book dance competition tickets early.
Where: Main festival in Papeete, Tahiti, with local events on Moorea
Humpback whale seasonDate variesUsually July to November
Humpbacks arrive from Antarctic waters to breed and give birth.
Why go: The best months for whale-watching trips.
Where: Waters around Moorea
Belvedere Lookout
A viewpoint above the Opunohu Valley overlooking Cook's Bay, Opunohu Bay and Mount Rotui.
Cook's Bay and Opunohu Bay
Two deep bays on the north coast framed by steep peaks.
Lagoon snorkelling
Shallow lagoon sites where stingrays and blacktip reef sharks gather, usually reached by boat tour.
Opunohu Valley marae
Restored ancient Polynesian stone temple platforms in the forest.
Whale watching
Humpback whales visit the waters around Moorea to breed and calve.
💡 Use operators who follow local whale-approach rules.
Hiking
Trails in the interior include routes to Three Coconut Trees Pass and viewpoints over the bays.
Poisson cru
Raw tuna marinated in lime and coconut milk with vegetables, the national dish.
Moorea pineapple
Small, sweet pineapples grown in the island's valleys.
💡 Roadside stands and the island's fruit juice factory
Po'e
A baked pudding of fruit such as banana or papaya, served with coconut milk.
Firi firi
Figure-of-eight Tahitian doughnuts often eaten at breakfast.
Tahitian black pearls
Cultured pearls from French Polynesian lagoons.
💡 Pearl shops with certificates of origin
Monoi oil
Coconut oil infused with tiare flowers.
Pareo
Hand-printed wraps worn as skirts or dresses.
Tahitian vanilla
Aromatic vanilla pods grown in French Polynesia.