And now for the rest of the Marquesas

The inhabited islands of the Marquesas:
Population     Sq         Km
Nuku Hiva    2632      340
Hiva Oa        1991      320
Fatu Hiva       562        80
Ua Huka         582        83
Tahuata           671        70
Ua Pou           2110     125
Total               8548   1018

We left Fatu Hiva at first light and had good wind to sail to Tahuata's Hanamoenoa Bay. A couple of nights at this idyllic anchorage with its beautiful white sand beach that feels like brown sugar between your toes and crystal clear aquamarine colored water is about all you need. Rested and ready to go after a good day of snorkeling and beach bumming, we are heading to Ua Huka.

After a 4 am wake up call and a full day of sailing, we set anchor just around sunset in Baie Hane on Ua Huka. In the morning we hiked up the jungle mountain to see more tikis. These had not been excavated and were rather covered with lichen and moss making it a bit difficult to make out the features. But it was a beautiful spot with an amazing view of the bay. We then headed over to the next bay to scope out a craft center. There is said to be many carvers on this island and we were not disappointed with the variety, quantity and quality of pieces. We picked up a couple of items carved out of Rosewood which will hopefully find their way to the cottage in Canada.

There are more horses on this Island than people. It was strange to see horses wandering around town and along the hillsides on their own. Seeing these beautiful animals roaming free in this craggy volcanic rock mountain covered in mango and coconut trees creates a surreal environment. And as we are walking along the road and a car stops to offer us a lift, we know for certain we are in a place like no other. After a lazy afternoon of snorkeling in the bay and reading, it is time again to move on ... Next stop, Nuku Hiva.

Ah, Nuku Hiva. We had originally planned to make Nuku Hiva our first port of call in the Marquesas before we were wooed to Hiva Oa and it's proximity to Fatu Hiva. Nuku Hiva is the largest and most populated island and boasts some fine supermarkets with gourmet stuffs imported from France, I have stopped wincing at the prices and just pop what I want to buy into my cart. Since we don't need to pay anchorage or marina fees, our expenses are quite reasonable this month. It might be different when we got to the Tuamotus as we'll have to save some money for scuba diving. So in the meantime, we have a little indulgence with a nice variety of cheese, olives and fresh fruit.

Our first port on Nuku Hiva was Baie Taiohae where we ran into several other cruisers we had met in Galapagos. We did a self guided walking tour of the town visiting the church and the ancient sites on the bay. Then we skooched around to what is known as Daniels Bay, but is officially called Hakatea Bay, a short 1 hour journey. We anchored and went ashore to hike to the worlds third highest waterfall called Vaipo Waterfall. Well, at least that's what the Lonely Planet book says. I need to verify that. The anchorage is in a small bay created by a collapsed volcanic crater with a steep mountain side on one end and a beach at the other. This the second location used by the Survivor tv series we have come across (the first was in Las Perlas, Panama).

The hike to the waterfall was absolutely delightful. I felt as though we had stepped back in time, or somehow landed into a scene from Jurassic Park. I wouldn't have been at all surprised to see a dinosaur as we made our way along the path following the river for about two hours getting deeper and deeper into a jungle thick with vegetation, banyan trees and the occasional mango and coconut trees. We couldn't resist to pick up a few mangos on our way to supplement our packed lunch. The deeper we went, the more dramatic the scenery with cliff walls raising steeply on either side and the volcanic cones standing tall and majestic. Passing through a lush meadow we could see the waterfall at the far end. What a beautiful part of the world we have found ourselves in. A real feast for the eyes. Jens, Michelle and Verne (SY Enchantment) went for a swim in the cool fresh water of the rock pools below the falls which are said to be the bathing area for the queens of the ancient tribes while I snapped a few photos. We trekked back to the boat after our picnic lunch and a stop at the small village to buy some local fruit.

We have yet to explore the island of Ua Pou which will be our last stop before sailing to the Tuomotus next week. It might be a while before the next blog posting. But hang in there...more to come!