Ua Pou Leaves a Lasting Impression

Our last island destination in the Marquesas was Ua Pou. It was a short four and a half hour sail from Nuku Hiva aided by a good stiff breeze as we traveled at about 7 knots. We sailed across together with Wizard and Breeze and arrived to find Sea Whisper already here. Sea Whisper is a Canadian boat, Wizard is from the USA and Breeze, although registered in Road Harbour, Bahamas is owned by a Swedish couple.

We had sundowners with Lionel and Barbara on Sea Whisper that evening. They have been sailing for about as long as we have but left from Victoria and spent some time in the Sea of Cortez off the coast of Mexico. In fact it seems the West Coast cruising community spend at least one season there before doing the puddle jump.

The island's profile is unique with 12 volcanic cones jutting up into the sky. This side of the island can be quite dry desert like while the valleys on the East coast are more lush and green. The next day we headed to shore to take a walk across the island to Hohoi beach together with the crews of Breeze and Wizard. It was a long way and as is common in the islands, we were given lifts over and back.

The beach is famous for its pierre fleuris, or flower pebble which is a garnet phonolite, a rare volcanic rock found only here on Ua Pou and Brazil. We discovered the entire beach is rocks and pebbles so it was a bit like looking for a needle in a haystack particularly as we didn't really know what we were looking for. Ella, the daughter of Sabina and Per on Breeze found the nicest one. The rest of us collected shells and other pretty rocks instead and we all enjoyed the lovely stone beach. On the way back through the village of Hohoi we stopped in at a local craftsman who carves the rocks into necklaces, pestles and turtles and there we could each get a nice souvenir to take home.

That night we had a dinner at the pension together with Breeze and sampled the local fare such as breadfruit gratinee and poisson cru. The owner of the pension gives tours of the island and told us a lot about the Marquesan history. Noticing his many tattoos, we discussed the meaning behind the symbols and designs they use. Tattoos are an old tradition of The South Pacific and the Marquesan tattoos are very intricate in design. And as it turns out our host at the pension is also a tattoo artist.

Well, a bottle of wine later, and Jens was making an appointment for a tattoo for the following day. He decided he would like to have a manta ray, symbol of liberty and a whale, symbol of long travels. The tattooists suggested to incorporate the Marquesan cross and the symbol for good weather into the design. He drew it first on a paper and then on Jens' shoulder in pen before making it permanent. It turned out quite beautiful and is a nice way to remember the wonderful experience we have had in these islands.

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!

Bay of Virgins

After almost a week in Hiva Oa, having loaded up on fuel and had some good hours of wifi and telephone, found our land legs and got a bit of exercise, we're ready to see the other islands in the Marquesas.

We left on Tuesday and made a 45 mile sail to Fatu Hiva where we anchored at the Bay of Virgins (originally named the Bay of Penises until the Christians showed up and found the name to be offensive to their delicate sensibilities and quickly renamed it). It is a spectacular anchorage and the rock formations are outstanding whatever you want to call them. But certainly more akin to penises than virgins.

In the morning we walked up the hill to get a view of the bay. It is amazing how quickly we get out of shape so it was good to get a little cardio exercise. Then we hiked inland, passing through a coconut grove and a dense rainforest area to get to the waterfall. Such a beautiful island; a real tropical paradise.

As we walked through town we noticed the locals were preparing for a celebration of sorts. We found out it was to be a procession with the Virgin Mary starting around 5 PM so we decided to come back to the island that evening to participate. It was a Christian ceremony where almost the entire town gathered as they carried the statue of the Virgin Mary on a platform elaborately decorated with flowers and leaves and another platform also decorated, with the Baby Jesus and Joseph. We stopped at three different sights that had been decorated for the occasion with leaves and flowers. There were prayers and singing at each location before arriving to the church where they held a full Catholic service. This was all done in the local Polynesian language with a smattering of French and lots of singing which was absolutely wonderful even of we couldn't understand anything. We, as obvious strangers, were warmly welcomed into the group and on arrival to the church were led into the pews near the front. After the service we mingled with the locals and I had a chance to brush up on my French being what it is. They love to trade things here and we were asked for liquor, perfume, pencils, fishing line and whatever else we could spare. Unfortunately we don't carry much on board, really only what we need. But it was nice to chat with the locals and overall it was a really interesting experience. We then retired back to Segwun for a sundowner evening with Sue and Andy from SY Spruce. Tomorrow we set sail for Tahuata.

Gauguin and Brell

It seems Hiva Oa, small island that it is, has had its share of famous residents. Both Paul Gauguin and Jacques Brell called this island home for the final days of their lives and are buried within a stones throw of each other in the cemetery.

Jacques died of cancer at the age of 48 and left a very good impression with the locals. After sailing here he decided to stay and traded in his sail boat for a small plane. He often used it to deliver mail or to take people for medical treatments to Tahiti becoming a much loved citizen of the community. On the other hand, Gauguin was in the third stage of syphilis and in his later years got his 14 year old house maid pregnant.

We went to the museum where we saw copies of many of Gauguin's paintings. Interesting, but I didn't see anything that I would spend my hard earned money on. He is your typical narcissistic artist with self portraits making up a good part of his collection. The museum also had an exhibit on the life of Jacques Brell displayed around his beloved airplane JoJo. I know very little about Jacques but he comes across as an incredibly passionate individual dedicated to the rights of the working class criticizing politics and the hypocrisy of wealth in his songs.

A Basket of Groceries

So what do you think a small basket of groceries would cost? We indulged a little and bought some cheese, nuts and snacks together with a few necessities like tomatoes, cucumbers, baguettes, mayonnaise and chocolate (I have come to learn from Anna that chocolate is a necessity not a luxury), and after double checking our exchange rate realized we had spent just over a hundred dollars.

I guess that is the cost of being on an island literally in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. I heard another cruiser say this is the farthest we can be from any continent in the world. So it is not surprising these small luxuries come at a premium.

Two hamburgers with fries and a coke - $33.00
Basket of groceries - $104.00
An anchorage in paradise with the scent of ylang ylang flowers drifting through the air - Priceless

The Tiki Trail

Our first impression of The Marquesas has been quite good. The town of Atuona is neat and tidy and the people are friendly. The checking in process was quite efficient and the wifi seems to be ok even though we have to go to the post office to get a good connection.

The most fantastic thing so far has been the wonderful French baguettes. They do know how to make bread here. We went a little wild the first day and bought three baguettes. It was irresistible, fresh out of the oven. So you can imagine with only two of us on the boat, we have had bread with ham, cheese and tomatoes for breakfast, lunch and dinner.

The island is quite lush and green with jagged peaks the tallest of which is 1,276 meters. There are plenty of fruit trees; breadfruit, pamplemousse, mango, banana, lemon and even hot peppers growing wild and lots of wild flowers.

Today we went on an excursion around the island. We visited several small communities, some where as few as two families would be living and some ancient sites to see the tikis, traveling along the coast passing through the picturesque bays of the northern shores. Hiva Oa is home to the largest tiki in French Polynesia. A tiki is a human-like sacred sculpture carved of wood or stone representing an important person from the community such as a queen, chief or medicine man. They were carved after they died and placed in a religious ceremonial area. The body of the person was mummified, wrapped in tapa cloth (a cloth made from the bark of a tree) and put in a small wooden canoe which was then hidden in a cove. They believed the tiki would keep the spirit of the person in the community, protecting them. The smiling Tiki you see in the picture below is 800 years old. But she still looks good for her age, don't you think? And the one next to Jens is the largest of them and is named after the warrior chief Takai.

The main source of income on the island is from copra. Copra is dried coconut which is rich in vegetable fat and is crushed and pressed and the oil refined for food and cosmetics. Ships come by to collect the dried coconuts and bring them to Papeete for processing. We came across several copra drying sheds along the way. It seems a long, slow process, but then the pace of life on the island is quite slow and calm.