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The Marquesas Islands |
last updated 08/16/06 |
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Our first land fall - the island of Hiva OaAtuana We made land fall at Traders Bay next to the village Atuana on the island of Hiva Oa. Being the Easter weekend the customs office and bank were closed for four days. We settled in, bought some fresh fruit and slept. The island is a vibrant tropical paradise abounding with fruit trees and after the fist day we had no need to purchase from the store, because it is growing every were. We knew many boats that were anchored in the harbor and caught up on much needed socializing. On the island exist petroglyphs and stone idols known as Tiki. Using a map that was given to us by a departing cruiser, we decided to hike one and a half hours into the thick jungle with out a guide in hopes of finding the local examples of petroglyphs and a large platform made of stones. The map casually led us up a road and then off onto a lightly trodden trail. Damp earth slowly gave way to mud and we found ourselves trudging ankle deep more than once. We often passed banana trees as well as other trees laden with unknown fruit. The trail went up and around hills and forded a stream were upon it split and we took the trail leading still further up into the hills and thickening jungle. There we came face to face with two cows and a bull tethered with a long substantial rope. The experience was odd more than threatening. Cows in the middle of tropical jungle? The cows happened to be standing at a Y in the rode with both routes leading to separate petroglyphs. The fist site consisted of a single rock the size of a small public bus with carvings on it's side surrounded by think jungle. We found out later that this rock had rolled down the mountain from the other site during a cyclone in 1983. The other site was more tricky to find and subtle as we identified piled stones that at one time appeared to be a long wide platform possibly 20 by 200 feet built of stones ranging in size from a tennis ball to that of a standard range top oven. Upon the platform were various stones that were seemingly out of place but perfect for a rest until someone pointed out the I was relaxing on a Tiki head some two feel in diameter. The longer we stayed the more our eyes discovered, but this was countered by the ever building population of bugs swarming around us despite our best applications of DEET, thus we decided to turn back and find rest from the bugs and the heat in the bay. French is a wonderful language and I have enjoyed speaking what little I can with the people here. Communication leads to other adventures and in one case we stumbled upon the local tattoo artist that is used by most of the locals. Nearly all of the inhabitants of this island have some type of tattoo and it has been a long tradition of sailors as a rite of passage to acquire a Marquesan tattoo upon crossing the Pacific. The tattoos here have a unique style that I have not seen elsewhere. Feeling now apart of this brotherhood, I chose to go for it. Hopefully when we reach a more urban port in Tahiti, we can post a picture of it on the web. Formalities have been completed and all that remains is to fill the tanks with fuel by transporting ten gallons at a time with our dingy. Next we make way for Fatu Hiva and the Bay of Virgins which was renamed by the missionaries from the native name witch translates to the Bay of Penises after the large granite spires. And, plans change- Instead of leaving right away, Ross gets a tattoo and since you cannot swim for 5 days after, we are taking an island tour of Hiva Oa. The tour takes all day and we get to see some of the largest tikis still in existence in French Polynesia. Early in the morning, we, Ross and I with 2 Australians and a Brit, climb into the front and back of a truck with our guide, Mark a local, who will drive us around the twisting, steep, often muddy roads to reach the other side of the island. We start off by going to Marks house to order lunch, it can be an 8 dollar meal or a 22 dollar meal. (translation- rice and fish or a 6 course meal of local foods) We splash out for the larger meal and a taste of local food. Though since Laura is a vegetarian, and the up coming meal would consist mostly of meat, she got a discount. Mark also treated us to a bunch of bananas from his land. We then were off, with our seat belt on- though only through town- once we reached the city limits- off they came. We stopped for interesting views and for wild strawberry eating. The strawberries were neat looking- they are originally from France and look more like a raspberry- yet taste like a strawberry. We learned what flowers and trees were local and what were imported. We learned a bit about the land and the people and the economy. For example, the island is starting to grow and export pine tree lumber. The recent election will have important ramifications on all of the islands. The new president of French Polynesia is a separatist and wants to be independent of France. France in turn cut the amount of money they give to the islands in half following the election. We also had fun exchanging sailing stories with our new friends. When lunch time rolled around. We stopped at a locals house and piled into an out door shelter with tables and chairs set up. The fish was excellent and the star fruit juice a real treat. Ross tried everything and said," This is one of the best meals I have ever eaten!" The tastes complimented each other, the sweet, the sour, the spicy, the curries ... We then went to the very mosquito infested me'ae. This is a ceremonial site of the Marquesian society. Sometimes these sites are used as land markers- as in which family owns what land. It can also be a buried site and a place to worship your ancestors and gods. This site was used by the priests and chiefs for ceremonies such as tattooing and prewar dancing. Very impressive. The tikis were huge. Photos of Atuana
Land Ho! Hiva Oa
Our next stop was the island of TahuataHapatoni Bay Steep cliffs rise dark and sharp from the bright blue layered surface of the water, hemming in the small village of Hapatoni on the Island of Tahuata. The land is rugged and yet wherever soil can cling grows rich vegetation. The various plants flourish across the landscape, each contributing its own green to the tableau and giving the valley a multifaceted appearance interrupted only by rich reddish brown rock and encircled with blue sky and sea. The water boils and bubbles behind our dingy as we putter across the bay to visit the locals. There are six in the landing party; Laura and myself as well as Todd and Julie with their two sons Jake and Zack ages 11 and 9. We land the dingy inside the breakwater and meet our first inhabitant. On the stone landing beneath an open water spicate sat a boy. The running water covering him completely. As we approached his smile shown big, but understandably for the heat of the day made no effort to move from his little oasis. "Bon jour," I said in greeting and and his continued smile was all I received for his response to me and likely his statement to the world that life is good. continuing our walk we would find many examples of the this simple contentment in the village. On our walk we came across women in light conversation on shaded verandas, men gathered in a boisterous game of botchi ball, wood carvers by the waters edge, dogs chickens and pigs coming over in greeting, and children playing various games with great imagination and pantomime. From all was the courteous and friendly French greeting, Bon jour! The village consisted of a number of homes separated by foot paths and complemented with several community buildings including a church built in the eighteen hundreds, a school for grades 1 through 7 and a small store selling a few essential items including ice cream. We learned from one or the local inhabitants that the island is very religious and displays a large white cross with a statue of Jesus. The island has formed a unique religious practice were every 3 months the inhabitants convene for 3 days at one of the four villages on the island to fast pray and feast with a different village hosting the event each time. Our time there was magical and all too soon the sun was dipping low with our dingy puttering back to the anchorage. The village people are very generous with their fruit and we were laden down with Pamplemousse (similar to grapefruit), papaya, bananas, and limes. The village is also know for its artists. Just about everyone carves on wood or bone. It was interesting to learn that the young start to carve on bone and graduate to wood when they are older. We stopped and chatted with the locals and bought a few pieces of art from three different artisans. Cyril was the best of the island. We bought a hair stick that was from a rib bone of a marlin. It is carved on both sides and utterly beautiful. As we were leaving he asked if we wanted a few limes and bananas. We were not sure we should take any- he said, "we have so many that we feed them to our dogs and pigs. Well, we said yes to both. Cyril disappeared into the woods and came back with a shirt full of limes and then processed to cut down the stalk of a nearby banana tree. The sap from the tree was very sticky and the bunch was large and heavy- lucky Ross carried it home- we had bananas for weeks after. We stopped by his house the next day to bring our friends over to meet Cyril and his wife. She made us limeade and orange watermelon. The limeade went down so well, all the boats started to make it too. The recipe is simple. 1 liter of water for 2 limes and 1/4 C of sugar. Very generous and lovely people. We would love to return to the Marquesas.
Vaitahu Bay The next bay up is Vaitahu Bay. This town is known for its beautiful church. The church was built using the ballast stones from the sailing ships of yesteryear. As we entered the bay, a pod of spinner dolphins followed us in and entertained the boats with leaps and twists. They are a joy to watch. Besides the church, the other main attraction was an archeological site that has restored the buildings among the rock walls and cultivated landscape. The locals use the site for festivals and local gatherings. We learned that every three months a different town holds a festival where everyone on the island is invited. While we were anchored here the winds changed direction. Our plan was to go to Fatu Hiva, but the winds said NOPE. so we stayed a few more days on Tahuata.
Hanamoenoa The last bay up on the west side of the island is Hanamoenoa bay. There is a nice sandy beach here, though the swell is so big we anchored our dingy and swam ashore. A calm anchorage. There is a plantation in the next bay over. We were lucky to visit when the owner was there and he gave us 8 Pamplemousse. Yum.
Photos of Tahuata
our anchorage
We then went back to Hiva Oa to meet Ross' parents who had recently arrived from their crossing from Mexico.
Hanaiapa Hanaiapa is on the north side of Hiva Oa. Nereid and New Dawn were the only two sailboats anchored here and it is like a setting out of a movie. The small village of about 100 people live in an island paradise of lush vegetation and beautiful flowers. We walked into the village in the morning; there are no stores, only a church and everywhere there were papaya trees, bananas trees, mango tree, breadfruit trees, coconut palms, lemons and the grand prize of all the Pamplemousse. Pamplemousse is a large grapefruit, about twice as large as a regular grapefruit and you eat it by sectioning it into 8-12 chunks, lean over and let the juice roll. It is a taste like grapefruit but sweeter. Is that paradise or what? We got to see the locals working on the copra. Copra is the largest crop from French Polynesia. It is also largely subsidized by the French government. The second largest is Noni. Imported by the Mormons of Utah to be used in drinks and lotions. I did not try the fruit. It must be en acquired taste since it smells awful!
the copra drying in the sun
Ua-HukaHane & Hokatu & Vaipaee We anchored in Hane Bay walked over to Hokatu and hitched a ride to Vaipaee. The islanders here are known for their wood carving and we saw as much as our legs could take us to see. The people were fun. There was a cruise ship due in later on in the day we arrived. There were a few tables of locally made food. We sampled several dishes for just a couple of dollars. One of the women used a machete to open a coconut for us to drink. We also hired a guide to take us to the botanical gardens located in the next town. (it was a bit far to walk- 10 or so miles) The gardens were large and had mostly been converted to fruit tree production. The older part of the garden had huge trees. What they were I am not certain- the variety was evident though. There was a room that had cuttings of all the trees there- it looked to be near 100 samples. Under each example was the year it was discovered or imported to the islands. The names were in French or Latin- so I do not know which varieties we saw. We stopped and bought ice cream for the ride home- always a pleasure.
Photos from Ua Huka
Nuku-HivaTaiohae Taiohae is the main bay on Nuku Hiva. The bay is large and muddy and full of sharks. As we were anchoring, a fight between a shark and a large fish was taking place- just 20 feet in front of us- lots of splashing. We had fun being in a BIG city again. The grocery stores had full shelves, the main street had a pizza joint, the church was beautiful and we ran into many of our friends anchored out with us. The 5 am Saturday market was full of local delights in artwork and food. The pastry chief always had a line. The posh hotel gave cruisers a discount to stay there- we meant to - but left before staying. We did eat there one day. The food was great and the view- wow- you could see the whole bay. Anaho Bay Steady trade winds march past Nuku Hiva with tireless swells surging against rugged and majestic cliffs as New Dawn rests in the tranquil bay of Anaho nearly perfectly protected in an oasis surrounded by spectacular rock formations, coral reefs and sandy beaches. This bay is reputed to be the most beautiful and secure in all of the Marquesas. There are four native homes here with there only land access to the rest of the island being a foot and horse trail connecting to the main road. We chanced our arrival to coincide with the full moon and thus the extreme of tides with low tide revealing the mesmerizing and unforgiving beauty of the sole reef in the Marquesas which lies in front of the sandy beach. There are three major types of islands in the South Pacific. The Marquesas all consist of the youngest type which are rugged with drastic cliffs and inland rock formations to match. The surrounding waters tend to be very deep with steeply graded ocean floors. All of these islands are volcanic in nature, yet none of the Marquesas have been active in recorded history. The Hawaiian islands are also of this first and youngest type. The second type is represented by the Society Islands including Bora Bora and Tahiti. These Islands are older and a reef has grown around the perimeter creating protected lagoons between the reef and the island. The islands themselves tend to be less rugged and are slowly sinking back into the ocean. This leads us to our third and oldest category represented by the Tuamotus. In this last type the original island has long since receded back into the ocean, leaving behind a circular atoll surrounding a large protected lagoon. Some of the reefs on these large atolls now serve as the islands with roads and buildings for the inhabitants. We have started our tour of the islands with the youngest in the South Pacific and our next stop will be some of the oldest islands in the Tuamotus. We have been swimming, snorkeling, diving, hiking, reading, eating laughing and sleeping. This bay is really one of the most beautiful that we have seen. And it is calm. That is, our boat is not always rocking with the in coming swell. We arrived in this bay in time for Mothers Day. So Ross, Kabuki Ross and Ray went suba diving. The families from Lawur, Capaz, Ohanna Kai and I went for a hike. (or forced march as some of the kids jokingly called it) The hike went up one side of the mountain and down the other into the neighboring bay. The town there had an archeological site that we had heard was worth seeing. I have to admit that after seeing 5 or 6 others- I was a little jaded. The hike and the company was fun. Photos from Nuka Hiva
our anchorage seen from above
Ua PouHakahetau We set our anchor with the setting sun. The next day we toured the town. When we travel with Lawur, they tend to meet people-and they did. They met Manfred who was from Germany and his wife who is from Ua Pou. We were invited to their house to learn a few tips on baking bread, making chocolate and lemon syrup. Great taste bud delights. We then hiked up the trail behind his house to the spires. The trail was nicely maintained by Manfred. He luckily had installed ropes to help us scale the steep inclines and unsure footing. Manfred labeled the hike as "easy" though we would reevaluate that rating.
Hakamaii We then sailed down to another bay and anchored for the night before heading out to the Tuamotus. The shore to the village looked a bit perilous for our dingy. (The waves were so big we thought we would flip) So, we anchored the dingy out and swam in. The kids were great and I was glad Ross and Ray were there and that they are such strong swimmers because we anchored farther out than we thought. We toured the town and met the mayor, who welcomed us with gestures (our French not being so good and his English about the same) We met one of the local carvers who had also painted with house with Tikis- very cool. As we were heading back to our dingy, a few local boys got in their outrigger and delivered the dingy closer to us so we did not have to swim as far. We thought that was great- then they followed us to our boats and wanted a tour. They had brought fruit to trade with us too. They were a little demanding on what they wanted and did not like the t-shirts, hats and pocket knifes that were offered. They wanted our spear gun for a couple of apples. We declined the fruit and asked them to leave our boat, with some insistence,they did. Our first and only pushy people.
Photos of Ua Pou
Ua Pou from a distance |
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This site was last updated 08/12/06