Motu Moie

Is Motu Moie for sale, and how much does it cost?

Motu Moie is a 49 acres developed private island in Taha'a, French Polynesia, French Polynesia. It is currently offered for sale: Price on application. Tenure is freehold. Foreign ownership is permitted subject to local approvals. This is an editorial profile drawn from public record, clearly attributed, not our listing.

Summary

Motu Moie is a developed freeholdOutright ownership of the land itself, indefinitely — the strongest form of title. motu of around twenty hectares set on the barrier reef of Taha'a, within sight of Bora Bora's peaks. It carries a modest but complete five-bedroom footprint — an owner's bungalow, three guest beach bungalows, a caretaker's house and support buildings — held free and clear through a French Polynesian corporation that foreign buyers may control. It sits between the finished trophy of Motu Tane and the region's blank-canvas motus, offering real acreage with an established, low-density estate already in place.

Land & Waterfront

At roughly forty-nine acres the motu is generously scaled for the Society Islands, sitting on the reef edge with warm, shallow lagoon water and views across to Bora Bora at sunset. Taha'a itself is quieter and less trafficked than Bora Bora, giving the island a more private character while keeping the same reef and lagoon amenity. The land supports the existing compound comfortably and leaves ample room for careful expansion without crowding the shoreline.

Access & Utilities

There is no airstrip; access is by boat, with roughly a forty-minute lagoon transfer to Raiatea, which holds the nearest airport. A caretaker is resident, and the bungalow compound implies established but modest power and water systems that a buyer should inspect and size against fuller occupancy. The reef-edge position gives protected water for tenders but means all provisioning arrives by sea, so logistics planning is a standing consideration for any owner.

Ownership & Use

Ownership is freehold, held through a local corporation, and the sale is likely to be structured as a transfer of that company rather than of the land directly — a route with distinct tax and diligence implications that should be clarified at the outset. French Polynesian pre-emption rights and notary costs apply as elsewhere in the territory. The island suits a private family retreat or a discreet small-scale hospitality use, with the caretaker infrastructure easing the transition to active occupation.

Provenance

The five-bungalow compound was built in 1989 for longtime owner Jim Arthur, who has held the island since around 1990 through Au Bout Du Monde, a French Polynesian S.A.R.L. wholly owned by a U.S. corporation under his sole control; a succession of California-based luxury brokers (Pacific Union International, then Equity Union, then Pacific Sotheby's International Realty/Keller Williams) has continuously remarketed the island since at least 2018 with no confirmed change of ownership.

Specification

Status	Available
Offering	For sale
Region	South Pacific · Taha'a, French Polynesia
Country	French Polynesia
Size	49 acres · 20 ha
Tenure	Freehold
Development	Developed
Holding-cost band	High — estate operations
Access	boat
Nearest airport	Raiatea (RFP) is the nearest airport — a ~40-minute Air Tahiti flight from Papeete, then a short lagoon boat ride to the motu
Power	on-island supply
Water	on-island supply
Communications	mobile
Structures	owner living-dining bungalow, three guest beach bungalows, caretaker's house, sports bungalow, maintenance buildings
Foreign ownership	Permitted (see notes)
Publicly marketed	since 2018

Price record

Documented public figures over time — asking prices, reported sales and reductions, each attributed. This record is maintained editorially and may lag the market.

The full traced record — ownership lineage and every dated event back to the earliest public mention — is in The Ledger, for members.

Legal & Ownership Notes

Freehold, held free and clear via a French Polynesian corporation that foreign buyers may control; French Polynesian pre-emption rights and notary costs apply. Confirm the corporate-transfer versus asset-transfer route.

• confirm whether sale is by share transfer of the holding company or asset transfer
• verify utility systems and caretaker arrangements

Satellite reference: ESRI World Imagery / Google Earth — Motu Moie, Taha'a, French Polynesia.

Common questions

How much does Motu Moie cost?

Motu Moie is profiled at: Price on application. Figures reflect public record at time of writing and may change; the profile keeps a dated price record.

What tenure does Motu Moie have?

Motu Moie is held on freehold tenure. Always confirm the exact instrument and any remaining term on the title.

Can a foreigner buy Motu Moie?

Foreign buyers may own property here subject to local approvals. Freehold, held free and clear via a French Polynesian corporation that foreign buyers may control; French Polynesian pre-emption rights and notary costs apply. Confirm the corporate-transfer versus asset-transfer route.

How do you get to Motu Moie?

Access is by boat. Nearest airport: Raiatea (RFP) is the nearest airport — a ~40-minute Air Tahiti flight from Papeete, then a short lagoon boat ride to the motu.

How big is Motu Moie?

Motu Moie is approximately 49 acres (20 hectares).