Pao Pao is an associated commune on the island of

Moorea Moorea ( or ; Tahitian: ), also spelled Moorea, is a volcanic island in French Polynesia. It is one of the Windward Islands, a group that is part of the Society Islands, northwest of Tahiti. The name comes from the Tahitian word , meaning " ...

, in

French Polynesia )Territorial motto: ( en, "Great Tahiti of the Golden Haze") , anthem = , song_type = Regional anthem , song = " Ia Ora 'O Tahiti Nui" , image_map = French Polynesia on the globe (French Polynesia centered).svg , map_alt = Location of Frenc ...

. It is part of the commune

Moorea-Maiao Moorea-Maiao is a commune of French Polynesia, an overseas territory of France in the Pacific Ocean. The commune is in the administrative subdivision of the Windward Islands.Asia Asia (, ) is one of the world's most notable geographical regions, which is either considered a continent in its own right or a subcontinent of Eurasia, which shares the continental landmass of Afro-Eurasia with Africa. Asia covers an area ...

. They built houses out of branches and hunted fish. When

James Cook James Cook (7 November 1728 Old Style date: 27 October – 14 February 1779) was a British explorer, navigator, cartographer, and captain in the British Royal Navy, famous for his three voyages between 1768 and 1779 in the Pacific Ocean an ...

came to Moorea, he made contact with them and continued his journey. That is how Cook's Bay got its name.

Transport

Residents of Pao Pao often take the

Moorea Airport Moorea Airport (french: Aéroport de Moorea) is an airport serving the island of Moorea in French Polynesia, France. It is also known as Temae Airport or Moorea Temae Airport for its location near the village of Temae in northeastern Moorea. T ...

to travel to other islands in

. The nearby island of

Tahiti Tahiti (; Tahitian ; ; previously also known as Otaheite) is the largest island of the Windward group of the Society Islands in French Polynesia. It is located in the central part of the Pacific Ocean and the nearest major landmass is Austr ...

is a 45-minute ferry ride from Moorea,Riley, Frank
"Moorea Island is Drawing Its Own Fans."
''Los Angeles Times,'' January 3, 1988. Accessed on July 2, 2012. which draws a fair amount of tourism to the area.Carlisle, Jay
"Traveling in Style: A One-Chicken Eulogy."
''Los Angeles Times Magazine,'' October 23, 1988. Accessed on July 2, 2012 from ProQuest.

Geography

Pao Pao is located at the bottom of Cook's Bay on Moorea. It is surrounded by many mountains and flat land is limited.

Climate

Pao Pao has a

tropical rainforest climate A tropical rainforest climate, humid tropical climate or equatorial climate is a tropical climate sub-type usually found within 10 to 15 degrees latitude of the equator. There are some other areas at higher latitudes, such as the coast of southea ...

(

Köppen climate classification The Köppen climate classification is one of the most widely used climate classification systems. It was first published by German-Russian climatologist Wladimir Köppen (1846–1940) in 1884, with several later modifications by Köppen, notabl ...

''Af''). The average annual temperature in Pao Pao is . The average annual rainfall is with December as the wettest month. The temperatures are highest on average in March, at around , and lowest in August, at around . The highest temperature ever recorded in Pao Pao was on 23 December 2009; the coldest temperature ever recorded was on 10 August 2008.

Economy

Pao Pao is known for being the home to the Moorea Juice Factory, which offers tours on how the juice is made and sells juice in a nearby store. The Supermarché (which is supermarket in French) of Pao Pao is a major store in the village.

References

External links

Populated places in the Society Islands Mo'orea {{FrenchPolynesia-geo-stub