We arrived in Atuona on the next island Hiva Oa in the morning after a slow but very pleasant night sail.
Busy! Some 30 yachts and the supply+cruise ship Aranui 5 in port, so we anchored outside. The Aranui 5 departs in Tahiti and you can get a ticket: only 1100 euro for a ten day trip around all the islands. Fun uh!
Time to check in...Raise the quarantine and guest flags!
The following morning I hear something and look over the side. There was a rib with 6 French customs officers, one of them wearing latex gloves and they where calling US…. Do we have something to declare? Fire arms? No? OK, sign here…
The check-in at the Gendarmerie in town was also an easy process too, very relaxed. The Marquasas islands are associated with France therefore EU regulations apply so Stefan can stay….but not Stella: a Brittish passport holder has to present a flight ticket home when entering the country or pay a bond.
Maximum stay 90 days out of a period of 180 days. Now thats what we call progress, well done Mister Brexit Boris Johnson!
It is a pleasant 3 km walk from port to Atuona, a town with all facilities.
The beach in front of the town had surf rolling in; a few brave locals were in the water
It's nice to eat pastries and French bread. Excited about the pomplemousses (big grapefruit) and mangos . They are fabulously healthy and tasty too
Takeaway from the supermarket: pieces of raw fish with vegetables marinated in lime juice, delicious
grave of the Belgian singer Jaques Brel (1929-78) who lived in Atuona
grave of the famous French painter Gauguin (1848-1903)
Gauguin was a friend of Vincent van Gogh. They worked together in Arles, France where Vincent painted 'the Zonnebloemen'.
But their relationship was short-lived after a psychotic Vincent cut off half his ear. Gauguin went back to Paris.
600.000 Polynesians lived on these islands and atols scattered over an area of the size of Europe.
The arrival of the Europeans brought war and disease which decimated the population to now only 6000…
men at work on a Polynesian cathamaran
a copy for the museum but nevertheless very impressive
Checked in so now it is time to move! The idea was to go to Bay Hanaiapa on the North side of Hiva Oa but we ended up anchoring at baie Hanamenu after the wind picked up. The next morning it was calm again so we continued. No need to sail brisk against the wind. Lets just wait, we have a pleasure craft.
Bay Hanaiapa
On Thursday we landed in intermittent drizzle which stopped long enough so we could walk along the main street past numerous fruit trees up the immaculately kept road towards the lush green mountains on the horizon.
looks like the navy is also here
a beautifull, lush, narrow valley where it rains every day a little bit
For the first 700 yards, a one story house set back in each acre. Then a school and a church simple in cream and windsor green, no glass in the windows. After a while the shacks are replaced by bananas,lemons, coconuts, pamplemousse, papaya and bread fruit trees.
What do You see, just a rock or...?
water is everywhere, river flowing into baie Hanaiapa
Cocks and beehives along the road that leads to the airstrip but we did not get too far up. It is uncommon that you find an airstrip on top of a mountain! We proceeded along the road that goes to Atuona for another couple of miles and stopped for a rest by the side of the cut out road, the sides in places looking dangerously ready for a landslide.
horses at the side of the road, a common sight on these islands
Walking back we passed the Hydro Electric plant and an open pipe gushing delicious water into a man made rock box with a pipe leading out. We also passed, again, the two men working on the road in their noisy tractor type vehicle. It was raining when we returned to the coast. We found shelter in an open sided high roofed building looking out on the bay. There was a boyman resting there with his mobile. It rained hard.
bread fruit
star fruit
star apple
And You thought You could just eat and be lazy in the tropics? Oooh no...
There was no need to clean the hull in the past 2 years but look at it now.. So back to the familiar 3 day cleaning job every 2 months
Puamau. Getting to land from a rough concrete warf is becoming one of our skills.
Puamau is pronounced “Pooh mau” and means amber flower.
This village is known for the Archeological site of Iipona. From the warf you take the Route Touristic which brings you there.
The path is in shaded nature, we passed bright orange fungi on a log
Pale fluffy white gilled shrooms doubling in size overnight, many forrageables, coconuts galore and star apples. I ate one because I love them, but mostly they were too high to reach. I would love to learn more about what to eat from the forrests here. We met a pig who did not run away too quickly and many cockerels who do run away!
Looking up into the trees up a bank of reddish earth I spot a wall made from black volcanic boulders stacked to make a platform . We made our way up through the light vegetation to find and wonder at stone figures called Tikis mostly with no heads but one with a really thick neck had kept his.
These are small and unremarkable compared to the giant at Iipona
but there are at least five of them and they seem part of a shrine.
We slide back down to escape the mosquitos. Mental note to self: wear long trousers in the forrest! Continuing along the path to Iipona.
A large sign in childish handwriting reminds us that Ipona is private property. It says we must each pay 500 XPF to Snack Theresa. There is a good presentation of the site and it’s history there. The Tikis are stood on platforms made from the same black boulders, a characteristic of all these sites.
Takaii the largest Tiki in the world of 2.43 m is at the top
The giant Tiki at Iipona is said to represent the great warrior Takaii. Three nobles tried to take over the area making human sacrifice of a local chief Hanapaaoa by consuming him. Some local chiefs worked together to conquer the three and Takaii was established as leader again to reign peacefully.
with his wife behind him
On our decent to the village we passed empty dwellings that were pretty once its an indication of a small population we think. The inhabited places had dogs and well tended fruit trees rooted into almost bald but still green floor. There was a restaurant nearby which was closed, it looked full of possibility, definitely a going concern. At sea level we find Snack Theresa which is also closed.
Later we forraged a bread fruit straight off a tree near the stream.
And hungry, we are told by three people and a small child in a red brand new four wheel drive that the Barraca past the football pitch is a place where we can get beer and a meal. The guy sitting in the back proposed a deal to exchange rum for fruit. No money. It’s the Marquesian way. We agreed to meet the next day, Sunday after church.
We walked to the football field at the sea for dinner. No vegetables! Just rice or chips with some fish steak. 500 XPF for a small beer and 1200 XPF each for a plate of food. That’s 5 euro approx and 12. Lovely, lovely people. There were horses tethered around the football pitch, a lot like Ireland really.
eat fruit, eat fruit, eat fruit
