Today, saturday, July 17th, we are at Hakahau Bay on Ua Pou getting ready to end our beautiful time at the Marquesas and sail to the Tuamotus. We arrived here on July 13th after a difficult sailing trip from Nuku Hiva, with lots of squals, wind, sun and rain but we learned a lot.
Still sailing in the sun but you see from afar what is coming towards you. Winds pick up to 7 beaufort and lots of water are dumped on the boat but it only lasts 5-10 minutes.We had several of those and thus it was a day of active sailing!Sailing to Ua Pou with Hatiheu in the background.Sanuk at Hakahau Bay on Ua Pou.
We arrived just in time for the 14th of july celebrations and enjoyed the free bar from 10 AM till 12 (lunch) with the marquesians. Stefan and I enjoyed people watching while they were singing, playing the ukulele, dancing and enjoying being with their friends and family.
Almost all the women had flowers in their hair.Always smiling…
Children who were at camp joined in the singing.The local band having fun playing the ukulele and singing.Not only flowers are everywhere but also tatoos…All the little cafes were beautifully decorated…
Before leaving Nuku Hiva we enjoyed two more bays on Nuku Hiva, Hakatea and Anaho Bay. We saw more traditional dancing at Taiohae Bay and had lunch at the home of Monette and Mathias. We hiked to Vaipo waterfall from Hakatea.We had lunch at restaurant Chez Yvonne in Hatiheu Bay after a hike from Anaho Bay and met with world travellers Jacques and Michelle.
Hakatea Bay on Nuku Hiva.Sanuk in Hakatea Bay.Manta ray (Manta Birostris)in Hakatea bay. We saw 6 of them around the boat. They are huge, friendly creatures. At Bora Bora we will be able to swim with them…They can reach up to 7m in width.Local in an outrigger canoe in Hakatea bay.Hiking to Vaipo waterfall.Little chapel on our way to Vaipo waterfall.Nicolas and Jean-Pierre hiked a part of the way with us to the waterfall.Vaipo waterfall, free fall cascade of over 300meter. Apparently the third highest waterfall in the world.Vaipo waterfall hiding behind the rockformations. Actually we were off limits terrain as there were warnings for falling rocks. For Stefan this was a good reason to continue…At Vaipo waterfall.Finally made it to Vaipo waterfall.We had a wonderful lunch at Monette and Matthias house in Hakatea bay.Getting Flipper back after lunch at low tide.More traditional dancing at Taiohae bay.
Anaho bay on Nuku Hiva.Beach on Anaho bay.Childrens camp, weaving clothes for a traditional dance performance for their parents.Hiking to Hatiheu with a view on Anaho Bay.Lots of mud but also beautiful scenery on our walk to Hatiheu.We arrived at Hatiheu just before a downpour !With Jacques and Michelle at famous restaurant Chez Yvonne in Hatiheu.
Today, wednesday,July 6th, we are in Taiohae Bay on Nuku Hiva since saturday. We continue to be charmed by the Marquesas and its people. Nuku Hiva is the second largest island of French Polynesia after Tahiti. It is the administrative capital of the Marquesas islands. Today about 10.000 people live in the Marquesas. In the 18th century population was at 78.000 but western diseases such as measles and smallpox reduced the population to 4000 at the beginning of the 20th century.
The bulk of the Marquesas Islands are of volcanic origin, created by the Marquesas hotspot that underlies the Pacific Plate. The Marquesas islands group is one of the most remote in the world. We arrived after our passage in Hiva Oa, then sailed to Tahuata, from there to Fatu Hiva and then back to Hiva Oa. From Hiva Oa we did a night sail to Nuku Hiva, where we are now.We will visit a couple more bays here and then sail to Ua Pou.
We arrived on Nuku Hiva at 9 AM after a night sail from Hiva Oa. It was another beautiful view ! When we took Flipper to the dock it was immediately clear that this was a more commercial island. There were a couple of restaurants, 2 stores and the supermarkets carry a lot of “gourmet food” such as lots of frozen vegetables (a nice change from canned food), Belgian chocolate, frozen lamb, Rocquefort cheese , “President” real butter and “Bonne Maman” jelly! During our discovery walk of the town we were invited for a festive dinner (at 6.30 PM) and traditional dance in preparation for the festivities of July 14th (Bastille Day). We met with Ann and Yvan from Kruibeke (Belgium) from the yacht Vaguebond. We were lucky to have just met them since the next day they were already off to the Tuamotus Islands. So far we have met only one other Belgian boat…We had a great evening ! The drums were fantastic and the dancers even better! I had steak and french fries for dinner with a glass of red wine!! It tasted soooo goood :-)). Yesterday Stefan figured out what the problem was with our batteries AND FIXED it !!! I continue to be amazed in how good he is in fixing all our problems…I love it ! We also had a nice 2 hour hike in the late afternoon and picked up part 1 of our laundry. Today we had lunch at Keikahahuni restaurant, I had “poisson cru” (raw fish) and Stefan had fettucine in a creamy sauce with fish, we enjoyed the peace and quiet of the restaurant, only accompanied by 3 kittens waiting for leftovers (which there were not). Tomorrow we will pick up part 2 of the laundry, get diesel and leave for supposedly one of the most beautiful bays, Hakatea, just next door.
Traditional dance for the 14th of July festivities.The drums were fantastic !
Taiohae bay on Nuku Hiva.Sanuk captain, with Taiohae bay in the background.Notre Dame Cathedral on Taiohae, opened in 1977.Inside the cathedral.At the Temehea tohua site (ancient ceremonial meeting site) along the seafront with sculptures carved by artists from the island.View down in the Bay of Virgins on Fatu Hiva.The Bay of Virgins on Fatu Hiva.Walk to the Vai ‘e’enui falls. The scenery is just gorgeous!Refreshing shower and swim at the Vai’e’enui falls.Sunset at Puamau bay.Main street, Puamau.On our way to the Me’ae Te i’i pona site, a well restored ceremonial site of the Na’iki tribe.This is the statue of the priestess Tau’a pepe who died giving birth to a male child. The statue is carved by her husband.
On our return we met Sevrin who was going to cut coconuts for copra. He would show us how this was done. Again the scenery was just beautiful.On the left dried coconut meat which is gathered for the coconut oil industry in Tahiti. Monoi oil is made from coconut oil.Sevrin is showing us how he cuts the meat out of the coconut.Sevrin slashing the coconut open. He invited us to his home to give us grapefruits, lemons and “pommes cythere”, a kind of sweet apple. We took the family for a visit on our boat, which they loved !Sanuk in Puamau Bay on Hiva Oa.
