Time to explore the last -for us- unknown Marquesian island, Tahuata. The northeast wind is favourable for sailing there from Nuku Hiva. A wonderfull sail through the full moon night. We arrive near Hanamoenoa in the early morning light after the contours of Hivao Oa and Tahuata have appeared.
baie Hanamoenoa is very popular with cruisers
our second bay has 2 beaches: Anse Ivaivava Iti and Anse Ivaivanui. We stayed a few days here
Vaitahu, amazing views during one of our walks
a car stops and the driver offers us a lift. This is normal here in the Marquesas. We tell him in broken French that we are sailors and we need to stretch our legs. His hand goes into a bucket in the trunk of his 4*4 and gives us these fresh Guava's. Wonderfull people!
Marquesian for beginners like us
the anchorage and tikis in Vaitahu
These tikis are outside the Catholic Church built in 1988 by the Vatican in Viahatu which is really worth visiting. Not so easily impressed by churches as a rule we found this one beautiful and breezy with its artful wooden triangles and arches. The stained glass art of a woman with child and the local carvings of rich old hard wood I would easily honor as a place to worship. The tikis outside show a mark of respect to the ancient and to Christianity.
the church of Tahuata
We met Jeanne Marie here. She had plenty of time for us foreigners with our faulty French. Later we met her again by chance outside her house where we continued the conversation. She hopes to improve the advertisements for her bed and breakfast she was saying. You can find her place on Google maps “Pension Taniavai Vaitahu Tahuata”. It is by the sea in such an idyllic spot and she is such a lovely hostess we are sure you willhave a lovely time there. She gave us a bread fruit and some avocados. People are so generous and kind here! In Tahuata perhaps more than anywhere.
soursop, another tropical delicacy
bee hives
end of the road, big mango tree there
and look! Mango's everywhere
Stella made particulary good mango chutney out of these mango's
and whats for dinner tonight? sweet potatoe tops
with breadfruit and a salad
le dessert: Abiu, tastes like vanilla
and the next day? fried breadfruit
it can be pretty rough here so eaving your dinghy at the rough concrete jetty might damage it. Stefan decides to swims up and down 4 times so that the dinghy can stay safely at the boat while we are on shore
a bit of effort but look!
the reward is great
swimming with dolphins
turtles close to the boat every day
the next day the Aranui 5 supply+cruise ship arrives and brings this car ashore..
the wind is favourable so we leave Tahuata and sail east to Fatu Hiva
Bad timing...Baie Hanavave is a bit rolly
bummer, so back to Hiva Oa for the vegetables on Tuesday
the weather is calm so this time to baie Hanatetena on the windy east coast of Tahuata
also on the east coast is baie Hanateio
still calm weather so good moment for a first spash of the SUP board and a little yoga
Baie Hanateio, it is all just for us
and back in Nuku Hiva
to stockup with diesel, cooking gas, petrol and food
which was quite exhausting
the reward: fish prepared in three ways
after everything was done we sail again to Hakahetau on the island of Ua Pou
the first contours appear
of a magical place
now look at this relic...
just imagine how that was talking through that long cable....
The sun had set in the already grey skyline. We sat in the cockpit as the clouds gathered and the odd thread of lightening popped up from behind the darkened spires of Hakahetau. Our dinner was finished ( left over beans and rice ) and we were cheering our tummys up with big fat dried banana slugs. They really are like slugs, but so tasty . Wrapped carefully in many layers of clingfilm they are lovingly caressed into a sausage by Marquesan hands and tied with a tiny string at each end. They would make a good present we say as we eat another smokey sweet banana.
The storm developed quietly, no thunder we could hear, only faint lightning. Very grey though . Stefan shares a memory from his earlier sailing days sailing into Durban in the snap crackle of a big lightning storm coming from every which way. Also no rain like now. He is looking at his phone (Normal). All of a sudden he says: ooo it’s coming our way! We have a phone with OpenCPN on in the safe so that’s a comfort. In a little flurry of activity we close all the hatches and put our other devices, at least those which fit, in the microwave. It could be a catastrophe if you got hit by lightning I learnt. At sea far worse than where we are in this nice bay in Ua Pau but even so. The heavens opened immediately then and it rained heavily for ten minutes or so and then it drizzled. I went to bed. Excitement over. - Stella
road sign to the waterfall and Manfred the Chocolate Man
I ve been confined to the boat nursing a damaged toe for the last month. So we were excited when we could get out into the Marquasian mud again to see the sights. A walk up to the chocolate man’s place was planned as we skipped Manfred last time because then we only went to the waterfall, swimming in the pool at the base and thoroughly enjoying the signs at the bottom of trees, such as red eye mangos that where used to poison the enemy back in the day.
It is a 6 km walk there and back on mainly dirt track through huge mango, banana, lemon and pistache is a new to us tree.
They make jam from these purple fruits a bit like our wild damson which is much nicer made into jam. They are all over the floor like the mangos in some places.
When you get to Manfreds you bang on the saucepan and if that doesn’t alert him the dogs will. Oh he has 14 cats ! No rats.
We only saw one cat, I recon they were all out working. He is 71 and has had an interesting life being a helicopter pilot, chocolate, tile making, massage parlour and sauna …..
He makes organic chocolate with cocoa from trees he planted himself and it is fabulous
No frills truly outstanding quality. Really drop dead delicious black chocolate
He fed me one of his 'killers'. Not a very romantic name but still it had passion fruit and orange creme
Quite outstanding
He has more visitors than ever these days and is a great host. I would want to go back when we have eaten all the chocolate we bought, if we are here.
We are very pleased we did not miss him this time round.
A few days later we have a day out to Hakahau to get some fresh vegetablesat the Friday Market.
It is 16 km from our anchorage at Hakahetau to Hakahau
Leaving early we found the surge on the concrete warf a bit challenging but you cannot give in to a bit of sea so we take the risk.
Got a lift all the way there straight away. A Frenchman from La Rochelle with his wife from Ua Pou. By chance La Rochelle is where the Amel yacht that we live on was made. I know all you sailors out there know this but we have readers too who are not sailors. Hello my lovlies x.
Hakahau, the Valley of Peace
Our kind driver told us it is a holiday so probably no farmers market today…and he was right of cause. The place we wanted to eat was closed too we later found out. Good Friday! It’s Good Friday and we did not know. How like us.
But a lovely day out there at Hakahau, bought onions, peanut butter and hot dried Chilli. Ate banana cake with nice coffee and hitched home. It was very easy going. Peaceful you could say. The scenery around the coast is wonderful to see.
