Cook's Bay (Tahitian: Paopao) is the eastern of Moorea's two great northern bays — a three-kilometre fjord-like inlet biting almost into the centre of the island, with sheer green walls rising 600 metres on either side and the village of Paopao at its head. The bay is deep enough for cruise ships, which sometimes anchor here in the high season, but spends most of the year quiet. The coast road around its head passes the village pier, a couple of grocery shops and the Moorea distillery, where you can sample agricole-style rum made from the island's pineapple. The water is calm and good for swimming or kayaking; the small platform at the centre of the bay is a popular sunset spot.
Cook's Bay
A story
Captain Cook never actually anchored in the bay that bears his name — he used the adjacent Opunohu Bay during his 1777 visit. The misnaming dates to a confused nineteenth-century chart and has stuck ever since, despite occasional French campaigns to restore the original Tahitian name, Paopao.