Should I visit Tahiti and/or Mo'orea during rainy season?

The short answer? It depends!

There are millions of people who live out a rainy and a dry season worldwide every year. For me, who comes from a dry and temperate region? It’s bloody weird.

You’re hot and sticky. Everything is wet. You can’t do your washing because nothing dries in the humid air. Everything turns to mud. There are mosquitoes.

That being said, I quite like the rain. I like the vibrancy of the greys and greens around me, the sound of rain on the roof, the freshness of the air afterwards.

For people who are just visiting for a holiday, the rainy season can pose a conundrum. I’ve seen in plenty of forums the following questions:

• Should I come to Mo’orea during the rainy season?

• Is Mo’orea worth visiting during rainy season?

• Can I do [X Activity] during rainy season?

• What’s the weather like in Mo’orea at the moment?

• What to do in Mo’orea during rainy season?

There’s no doubt that there are some excellent deals for travelling packages at this time of year as it’s off-peak. Whether you have a great rainy season holiday depends on what you want your holiday to look like.

First off, every week the weather is different.

It’s really hard to predict what weather you’ll get, as it seems to change every year. We just had a week of sunshine and heat, and now it’s pissing down with rain again.

Last year we got three weeks straight of heavy, all-day rain in December… and then only light showers for the rest of summer!

Even during the day conditions are likely to change from rainy to sunny, back to rainy again.

Don’t trust the weather apps. It’s 100% a gamble as to what you’ll get when you get here.

RIP my clothes that I decided to wash when there was a glimpse of sun.

What activities can you do during rainy season in Mo’orea and Tahiti?

Just because it’s raining, doesn’t mean you need to sit in your hotel room feeling glum! There are plenty of activities that can be done in the rain.

1. Snorkelling and diving

You’re already wet, so who cares if it’s raining? Apparently gloomy conditions are great because more fish will come out of their hiding holes in the coral. It’s still pretty warm both in and out of the water, so you don’t need to rush to dry off after.

2. Enjoying the food and happy hour cocktails

A cloudy vista might make for some dramatic sunsets, and a few of the hotels on the island have some great vistas right on happy hour (try Cook’s Hotel). Roaming around the island looking for a great feed doesn’t require sunny weather.

The view at happy hour at Cook’s Bay Hotel

3. Visiting some waterfalls

The waterfalls on the island are going to be at their most spectacular at this time. In fact, you can see temporary waterfalls appearing on the mountains as you drive. Hiking to get to them might be a bit slippery with the mud and wet foliage on the ground but many can be reached without steep hikes. A few have little swimming holes at the bottom; keep an eye out for eels!

4. Shopping

Visit Maharepa for clothes stores, pearls, and souvenirs. A few shops to look out for include Ma Robe a Moi which has hand painted fabrics, Made in Moorea which has men’s and women’s fashion made locally, and the various art galleries and jewellery makers scattered around the island.

A trip to Tahiti and a wander around the market and market area can also be an easy day trip in gloomy weather. Check out Art’Griculture for a marketplace of locally designed goods, a Hinano store for clothes made by the popular beer brand, or head a bit further afield to Tahiti Art for a store that’s been making unique designs for decades.

5. Visiting museums, galleries and other indoor places

I’ll admit that I haven’t managed to get to many of the museums and galleries around the two islands, but there are enough to occupy a few rain-filled days. On Tahiti, there’s the tiny Robert Wan Pearl Museum (this is more a drawcard for the retail store rather than a museum of it’s own accord), ethnographic museum Te Fare Iamahana in Punaauia, James Norman Hall museum in the writer’s former house, and Fare Natura ecomuseum in Mo’orea. There’s also the Rotui Juice Factory which does tours and tastings if that’s your thing.

What activities are best avoided during rainy season in Mo’orea and Tahiti?

If you’re hoping to do the following, you’re probably out of luck. Might be worth booking at another time of year.

1. Lying on the beach and getting a tan

It’ll depend on our fickle friend the weather as to wether you get that golden tan of your dreams. If your planned holiday consists of doing this most of the time, you’d be better off booking something between March and November (even then, you’ll still be relying on luck to keep the rain away entirely).

Imagine being this soaked and sad, but instead of a rooster, it’s you on the beach.

2. Hiking the mountains

Unfortunately a lot of the hikes up the mountain will be slippery with mud at this time of year and many are considered too treacherous to attempt. Plus anything with a great view (such as Mou'aputa or Mont Rotui) will likely be obscured by clouds.

3. Boat, ATV, or any open-air vehicle tours

Look, these might be cracking fun when it’s bucketing down. Maybe you can chuck on a plastic poncho and have an excellent time. Me, personally? I’m probably going to get a bit over it once I’m soaked through. Plus even though it’s warm, once you’re zooming around on a boat, that wind is going to have a bit of a bite.

Why book a holiday during rainy season?

There are definitely a few upsides, including:

• Less tourists around

• Prices for flights and accommodation can be much cheaper

• More options available for accommodation

• Easier to get into hard-to-book restaurants or find availability for activities you want to do

• The island has a very beautiful, mysterious, moody rainforest vibe at this time of year

So should I go for it?

While I’m writing this, we’re having a very rapid inundation that’s almost reaching the doors. Three of my family members are digging out the drainage ditch at midnight to get the water levels down. It’s an impressive sight.

Just the other day, I was slathering on sunscreen for a swim in crystal clear waters because the sun was beating down overhead.

It really is a mystery what you’re going to get, so you have to ask yourself… do I feel lucky?

Reading, listening, thinking about…

1. The beautiful flowers in this woman’s garden

petrinablooms

A post shared by @petrinablooms

2. I’m excited to do some online workshops

Creative Mornings are back up and running for the year, I’m excited to check out more of their Virtual Fieldtrips, considering how far away I am from the closest in-person meeting.

3. The soundtrack from Saltburn…

Has some excellent 2006 nostalgia on there. Applause for whoever pulled this together.