Second Wind Voyage: MM's: Nuku Hiva

Nuku Hiva, the largest island in the Marquesas, was our last stop. It has some of everything--scenery, waterfalls, archaeological sites--and we spent more time there than anywhere else.

TAIOHAE

Taiohae is the capital of the Marquesas--though as capitals go, it is small and very laid back. Most if not all of the cruisers stop in Taiohae; some check into customs here, and the rest are provisioning (a wide variety of produce; what a luxury!), getting fuel and taking advantage of internet access.

This open air cafe was on the wharf and served good food for reasonable prices. Best of all, it had wifi--quite a rarity. It was always full of cruisers catching up on email and taking care of business (too bad I just took a photo of Art, rather than the tables of people buried in their devices!). Many people were ordering parts for items that had broken down on their boats, and having to wait in Taiohae for shipments and/or repairs. Once again we felt fortunate that our voyage had hardly any problems! (Note the banana stalks; another perk of that cafe was being able to pick a banana any time you wanted one.)

Hanging out--literally--in the bay

Many Marquesans are expert carvers, and most of the churches we saw incorporated large works like these at the Notre-Dame Cathedral.

The grounds at Notre-Dame contained a wonderful blend of traditions. A meticulous carving of a Catholic bishop was flanked by two tikis; the baptism font was outdoors, with a stone carving of Madonna & child; Marquesan crosses--not Christian crosses, but a traditional Marquesan design--were built into the church walls. We admired the many ways Marquesans
are keeping their culture alive.

HAKATEA BAY (aka Daniel's Bay, though Daniel no longer lives there)

One of the calmest anchorages we had anywhere in the Marquesas

Believe it or not, this photo was not staged! I'm enjoying my morning tea in the cockpit; just a normal start to the day at an anchorage...

This was our favorite hike in all of the Marquesas. It started along a path that looked like the garden of Eden. One family (two households) lives here; they tend the fruit trees for sale but gave us pamplemousse when we walked by!

At one time 20,000 people lived along the stream up into the valley. The hike passed many sites where it was easy to imagine that history.

A fortification wall

Worth fording streams several times to get here! The mist gave it an aura of mystery
that felt deeply compelling.

Those jungle plants get big!

The longer we walked, the closer we got to the wall of volcanic spires visible in the first photo. An appropriate time to use the word "awesome"...

Mystic trees

When we returned to the bay, a woman who lives in one of the homes had prepared a meal for us: shrimp from the bay, goat from the hills (her husband had caught it the day before), fruit from their trees. Between her smattering of English and Art's smattering of French (her niece's charming smiles needed no translation), we enjoyed the camaraderie as much as the outstanding meal.
What a tremendous experience!

The "meal house" (that's a pile of coconuts in front). Location, location, location...

COMPTROLLER BAY

Herman Melville lived here and wrote his novel Typee about life in the village of Taipivai.

The nearby Pa'eke Me'ae was somewhat overgrown, but still impressive.

There are 11 tikis in this one location--an unusually high number.

HATIHEU

The bay at Hatiheu: quintessential South Pacific scene

Horses are often tied up to graze at churchyards

Even the smallest store has piles of flip-flops for sale! Everyone wears plastic shoes; easy to
slip on & off, and easy to rinse off sand & mud...

This tohua (ceremonial platform) has both old (left) and new (right) tikis

A beautiful petroglyph near Hatiheu

Building platforms like these must have taken a lot of labor!

This enormous banyan tree was the sacred center of the Te I'iopoka Ma'ea site. On the other side of the tree is a deep pit where victims were kept before they were sacrificed
(we made sure Art was on the safe side!).