France
Satellite: Sentinel-2 cloudless 2016 by EOX (CC BY 4.0). Outline and points © OpenStreetMap contributors / Natural Earth. North up.
In numbers
33.3km²
Area
29km
Coastline
385m
Highest point
2,250
People
27°C
Warmest sea
March
5,693km
To the mainland
When to go to Rurutu
Best for the beach from June to September and in November.
The sea is warmest in March (27 °C) and coolest in August (24 °C). You can swim comfortably all year (21 °C or more).
Averages 1991–2020. Sea: NOAA OISST, the water within 35 km of the coast. Air, rain and sun: NASA POWER. Best months weigh warm afternoons (23–30 °C), sea of 24 °C or more and few wet days.
Island in French Polynesia
Rurutu is an island in France. It belongs to Austral Islands. It covers 33.3 km², with 29 km of coastline. Its highest point rises to 385 m. About 2,250 people live on it. The nearest mainland is 5,693 km away.
Getting there
- Rurutu Airport (RUR)airport on the island, with scheduled flightsCar hire at BES airport (Brest)Discover Cars · Affiliate link↗
- FerriesTuhaa Pae IV
- 5,693 km from the mainlanddistance to the nearest continental coast
- From June to September and Novemberbest months to go (from 30 years of averages)
Plan the trip
Ferries, stays and things to do
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On the island
What you find on Rurutu.
- 18beachesNaairoa Beach and 17 more
- 4viewpoints
- 2ferry terminalsRurutu, Hangar
- 1marinasPort de Moerai
- 18named peaksTaati'Oe, Taatioe, Te'Ape and 15 more
- 1volcanoesManureva
- 2ruins and archaeological sitesMarae Pore Opi, Marae Ta'aroa
- 1dive centres
- 1campsites
- 11hotels, guesthouses and apartments
- 4restaurants, cafés and bars
Counted in OpenStreetMap, the map anyone can edit, inside the island's outline. A low number may only mean nobody has mapped it yet.
The shape of the land.
On average the island stands 110 m above the sea. 84 % of it is below 200 m.
- 28 %0–50 m
- 56 %50–200 m
- 16 %200–500 m
Share of the island's area in each altitude band, from the Copernicus DEM (30 m, read at 30–240 m on large islands).
Size, for real
Next to islands you may know.
5 km
All outlines drawn to the same scale (Natural Earth and OpenStreetMap).
Towns on the island
- Moerai1,044 people
Month by month
The weather on the island.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Afternoon high (°C) | 26 | 27 | 27 | 26 | 25 | 24 | 23 | 23 | 23 | 23 | 24 | 25 |
| Night low (°C) | 25 | 26 | 26 | 25 | 24 | 23 | 22 | 22 | 22 | 22 | 24 | 25 |
| Sea (°C) | 27 | 27 | 27 | 27 | 26 | 25 | 24 | 24 | 24 | 24 | 25 | 26 |
| Rain (mm) | 172 | 178 | 156 | 170 | 136 | 94 | 84 | 74 | 69 | 101 | 121 | 198 |
| Wet days | 18 | 18 | 20 | 17 | 15 | 13 | 14 | 12 | 12 | 15 | 14 | 19 |
| Sun h/day | 7.9 | 7.7 | 7.5 | 6.4 | 6.2 | 5.7 | 6.3 | 6.9 | 7.7 | 7.9 | 7.9 | 7.3 |
| Wind (km/h) | 22 | 22 | 20 | 22 | 22 | 24 | 23 | 22 | 24 | 23 | 22 | 22 |
Averages 1991–2020 for the ~55 km NASA POWER cell over the island; the sea from NOAA OISST.
Recent years
Warmer and cooler years at sea.
Each month's sea temperature compared with its 1991–2020 average, in degrees.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | +0.1 | +0.4 | +0.4 | +0.8 | +1.2 | +0.2 | −0.6 | +0.2 | +0.1 | +0.9 | +0.2 | +1.3 |
| 2021 | +1.1 | +1.2 | +0.8 | +0.4 | +0.7 | +0.7 | +0.8 | +0.4 | +0.7 | +1.2 | +0.3 | +0.8 |
| 2022 | +0.4 | +0.4 | +0.8 | +1.0 | +1.4 | +1.4 | +0.7 | +0.3 | +0.8 | −0.1 | −0.6 | +0.6 |
| 2023 | −0.1 | +1.0 | +1.2 | +0.4 | −0.3 | +0.3 | +1.3 | +0.7 | −0.3 | −0.2 | −0.6 | −0.8 |
| 2024 | −0.8 | −0.8 | +0.3 | +0.2 | −0.1 | −0.4 | −0.2 | ±0.0 | ±0.0 | +0.2 | −0.5 | ±0.0 |
| 2025 | +0.6 | +1.4 | +0.4 | +0.3 | −0.2 | −0.3 | +0.6 | −0.1 | −0.4 | +0.7 | +0.5 | −0.4 |
+1 warmer than usual −1 cooler than usual
Photos
Seen by visitors.
Nearby
More islands nearby.
About these numbers
| Names, area, population | Wikidata (Q224943) · CC0 |
|---|---|
| Outline | © OpenStreetMap contributors · ODbL |
| Sea temperature | NOAA OISST v2.1 · 1991–2020 |
| Climate | NASA POWER · 1991–2020 |
| Relief, 3D model | Copernicus DEM GLO-30 · © DLR e.V., © Airbus Defence and Space GmbH, Copernicus/ESA |
| Beaches, ports, lighthouses, trails | © OpenStreetMap contributors · ODbL |
| Towns | GeoNames · CC BY 4.0 |
| Images | EOX Sentinel-2 cloudless 2016 · CC BY 4.0; Wikimedia Commons |
Every figure is an average, an estimate or a count from a public dataset. Licences and methods: data sources.
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