Moorea is a high
island in French Polynesia, part of the Society Islands, 17 km (roughly
9 mi) northwest of Tahiti. Its position is 17°32′S 149°50′W. Moʻorea means
"yellow lizard" in Tahitian. An older name for the island is ʻAimeho,
sometimes spelled 'Aimeo or ʻEimeo (among other spellings misunderstood by
early visitors with no knowledge of the language). Early Western colonists and
voyagers also referred to Moʻorea as York Island