Things to Do in Papeete in December

Franckyfranck tours Moorea runs private half-day explorations that feel less like a tour, more like being shown around by a knowledgeable friend. You might wind through pineapple fields on interior roads. You'll feel cool spray from Belvedere Lookout. You'll stop at roadside stands to taste sweet, sticky juice from freshly cracked coconuts. The experience is tailored. It avoids scripted stops of larger groups for more personal discovery of Moorea's landscapes.

This Mo'orea half-day private tour combines snorkeling in the lagoon with a cruise along its inner edge. You'll see jagged peaks of Mount Rotui rising from the water. You'll hear the boat's engine cut as you slip into warm sea to float above coral gardens. You'll watch electric-blue parrotfish nibble. You'll feel occasional gentle bumps from curious lagoon rays. The cruising portion shows the island's famous bays from the water, colors shifting between turquoise and deep jade under December sky.

The Tahiti Full Day Private Coastal Tour is a complete circumnavigation of Tahiti's coastline, taking you beyond Papeete. You'll feel cool breeze at the blowholes of Point Venus. You'll see powerful surf crashing against black sand at Taharuu. You'll pass through small villages where woodsmoke from lunch fires mixes with salt air. You'll stop at sacred marae sites where you can touch cool, moss-covered stones of ancient platforms. It is a day of contrasting textures, from smooth, polished volcanic rock to tropical fruit at roadside stalls.

The Moorea Combo pairs two high-adrenaline activities: a two-hour jet ski ride across the lagoon's open expanse and a three-and-a-half-hour quad bike tour through the island's rugged interior. On the water, you'll feel salt spray sting your skin as you accelerate over small waves. The smell of two-stroke engine exhaust carries away quickly on wind. The quad portion trades that for rumble of tires on muddy red earth. You'll ride under dense, humid jungle canopy where exotic birds call.

This four-hour jet ski tour of Moorea lets you command your own craft, solo or with passenger, to explore the lagoon and circle small motus. You'll feel vibration of handlebars as you skim across water so clear you can see starfish on sandy bottom five feet below. You'll hear your guide's voice through communication system pointing out eagle rays gliding ahead. The route often pauses in a shallow, sheltered cove where you can slip off the ski into chest-deep, bath-warm water.

A Sea Scooter Snorkel Tour changes lagoon exploration by letting you glide easily with handheld motor, covering far more of coral gardens and wrecks than traditional swimming. You'll hear the scooter whir as you dart over brain coral formations, feeling the device's push as you follow clouds of yellow-striped butterflyfish. The tour focuses on specific sites teeming with life, including old shipwrecks now softened by growth, where you can taste faint salt on your lips from the sea.