It is surprisingly difficult to buy vegetables in the Marquesas, the bi-weekly market opens at 0400 and we had been told to be there early - we felt to be ashore shopping before dawn was a pretty extreme way to buy veg, but when we got there at 0530, the keen shoppers had already left with most of the produce! We did manage to buy fruit and aubergines, and our early start meant we were also in time to buy some absolutely delicious French bread. Fresh fish are also sold at the dock, $5 for a kilo of freshly caught yellow fin tuna - too good to refuse!
We were still sailing in company with several other yachts and fortunately had assistance getting our 30kg generator off the boat and ashore where we left it with Nuku Hiva Yacht Services with the intention of picking it up again in a few days. We had lunch ashore with Hugh and Annie from Vega, and Thom from Fathom - he's a single hander we first met in Panama and had been held up in Nuku Hiva due to a seriously infected cut on his ankle. The climate in the Tropics, coupled with the mud and the bugs mean that skin infections are a serious risk, any small scratch, cut or bug bite seems to take ages to heal and can easily become infected.
Shopping accomplished, we left the muddy rolling anchorage Taiohae and headed along the coast to the west.
Looking back along the coast of Nuku Hiva it's hard to imagine how the early explorers ever found anywhere to land!
Our anchorage, totally hidden from the sea and wonderfully calm and sheltered.
Many of the bays in the Marquesas go by several names, and our next destination was no exception: Baie de Taioa, also known as Hakaui Bay or Danial's Bay after the couple who have lived here for the last 60 or so years, and is the site of the ancient Fiefdom of King Te Moana and Queen Vaekehu. You pay the local family $10 to walk in their land, and follow the ancient Royal Road for a good couple of hours up through the forest.
Setting off for the Vaipo Waterfall through the immaculate garden of the local family - the plants lining the trail are all the giant cousins of those you find in a Garden Centre at home, thriving in their natural environment.
The Royal Road - it can be quite hard to find at times, reclaimed by the forest.
First sight of the waterfall - we eventually found our way there, which involved crossing the river four times - in places it was thigh deep, but at least it did temporarily wash the mud off! Well worth the effort though, it was very impressive as it thundered through the cliffs at the bottom of the valley.
We spent a couple of nights in Hakaui or Daniel's bay then headed round to the north of the island to Baie de Hatihew, apparently a favourite of the author Robert Louis Stevenson who visited in 1888. Hatihew is one of the main archeological sites in the Marquesas as the area was densely occupied in the past and there are foundations and ruins dating back to the year 1250 - the site was occupied until the 1800's when it was abandoned as the population was decimated by European diseases amongst other things.
Hatihew Bay, Nautilus on the left, next to Vega with Hugh and Annie. We were later joined by Kim and Barry on Jadean - their 8 yr old daughter acted as Water Taxi for us and ferried us ashore as the rough concrete fishing jetty was not really suitable for leaving a small dinghy unattended.
There are ancient Tiki carvings along the shore, all have huge eyes and rather grumpy expressions.
Another Tiki standing guard outside the immaculately maintained Catholic Church, evidence of ongoing influence of the early Missionaries on the islands.
The view from the Church. On top of one of the cliffs in the distance there is a statue of the Virgin Mary, erected in 1872 and somehow carried 300 metres up the cliffs!
A short walk inland takes us to the first of the Tohua, the site of open air gatherings.
More Tiki - this time the male in the middle appears to be holding a female up by the hair with his right hand, whilst holding onto another female with his left hand. Not obvious from the photo, but there are several others they are sitting on.
We continued on up hill a short way and arrived at the main site where there were further Tohua (for gatherings) and also many Paepae, the foundations of the old houses. The site was well maintained and there were a couple of reconstructed dwellings.
We are standing at the foot of an absolutely massive Banyan tree at the site - apparently it is over 600 years old so was at the centre of things when the site was fully occupied by the early Marquesans.
The raised section of the paepae foundation is the habitation area called a ha'e, the roof is made from halved palm tree leaves and held up by wooden carved Tiki supports.
A final view of the whole Baie de Hatihew, the statue of the Virgin Mary is on the furthest left of the pinacles of rock - certainly not an easy place to effect a large stone carving!
Our time in the Marquesas was at an end, we spent a total of 18 days in the island group, stopping briefly at Ua Pou Island on our way to the Tuamotos. I think it rained at some stage on every one of those days! We first had to collect our portable generator from the Yacht Services in Taiohae bay - another night in the rolly anchorage, the Generator had not even been looked at in our absence, however it was an opportunity to buy some delicious French Bread, Camembert and other supplies from the local shops.
The islands are beautiful with incredibly dramatic scenery, and sailing round them we saw more dolphins than we have encountered anywhere else so far. At times we had them with us for hours, playing in our bow wave and leaping out of the water.
They really are a joy to watch!
We set off from the Marquesas with several other yachts and we plan to tour the Tuamotos together, although Vega has temporarily left the group to take a faster route to Tahiti where we plan to re join them.
Next stop: Raroira, our first Atoll in the Tuamotos, 435 miles away.
No comments:
Post a Comment