Hiva Oa Tiki road trip part 2

After exploring the tiki village, we went down to the beach to have some lunch. On the East end of the bay of Puamau is this large vertical rock peak. And a covered area with a quay for loading boats.

Looking down the beach to the West towards the village, kids are playing in the surf.

The beach where we are having lunch has this lovely spot of sand and a spring running down into the bay.

The rocks are interesting as each piece of lava rock is outlined with iron, making designs in the big bolder.

The surf wooshes as the swell recedes from the beach to between the rocks.

As the next wave comes, the water covers our sandy spot.

Then it drains out again.

The peak with the surf breaking under makes for a lovely lunch spot!

This coconut looks like it has grown long hair, but it is from the husk being degraded in the surf.

This one has really long hair and an open mouth as if to say, “whoa dude”!

The spring just bubbles out of the sand and the fresh water runs right into the salty ocean.

I am facinated with the swirls of the sand as each wave comes and goes.

Brown, white and black sand all mixing together. Wish people could do that!

Each thing that lands in the sand causes another sand design to be formed.

This is a Portuguese Man of War jelly fish. Quite dangerous, so glad I noticed him washed up on the beach and did not step on him!

Chris is studying the hole in the sand where the water washes in. Debating if he wants to get in.

Layers and layers of stone have been washed away from the ocean created hole in the rock.

Chris and Zane figure out that the hole in the sand is deep enough to go for a swim.

Amazing actually how deep that hole was, but what a lovely setting for taking a dip!

Mike and I pose with the rock pinnacle behind us.

On the way back up the mountain we run into serious fog!

Lucky for us it is not too thick and we can find our way as the road turns from paved to dirt again.

The Clouds sit on top of the backbone peak of Hiva Oa, creating a cloud forest.

On the way back we took a detour down to Hanaiapa Bay. This is a pencil Urchin which I had never seen in its entirety. Only found its spines before.

The bottom side still had all of the little purple and orange spines, but nothing left but the outer shell. Someone must have eaten him.

Bay Hanaiapa has black sand with rock chunks scattered around.

Pulled up high on the beach were several dug out outrigger canoes. This guy puts corrugated roofing over his to keep the rain water out.

Roca Fatutue is beautifully framed by the tree on the beach.

Some of the rope detail of how the outrigger is attached to the dugout canoe.

Several women were fishing in the stream just before it dumped into the bay. Mike watched the lady in yellow catch 3 fish in the short time we were there.

Another small creek runs along the plant lined road as we drive back towards the center of the island.

They build these planter boxes for growing seedlings. Great soil here!

This Soursap fruit looked like a face protruding from inside! Creepy!

We followed a blocked off dirt track on foot through the jungle looking for the smiling tiki.

Trees are fighting for sunlight, so they have long trunks to get above the other plants.

Deep in the forest the roots of these trees are seaching for water, while still holding up the trees on the small ledge.

Banana tree and other thick foliage.

The roots of the Chestnut tree are thin and skinny where they stick up from the ground.

Finally we find the smiling tiki. Looks like he must be smart with glasses on too?

He was no so easy to find, just a carved rock sticking up above the ground cover.

We drive back toward Atuona, stopping to enjoy the views as they popped into view.

Looking back at the boat yard and the bay of Tahuku where our boats are anchored.

At the far end of Taaoa (Traitor's) Bay is the village of Taaoa with this beautiful old stone church.

Looked like the roof had recently been replaced and the plants on the side are to keep away the evil spirits. People were inside singing too.  Quite magical.

Kids were playing in Superman's phone booth with the missing glass. Hello tourists!!

We found one more ancient Archaeological site called Tohua Upeke. This was a huge site with many many rocks outlining the more than 1000 different platforms.

Not sure if this drawn tiki face is new or old, or just newly outlined from an old carving.

Mike poses by some of the many different levels of stone work.

This area did not have much growth and had rock outlines that made it look like a ball court.

At the far end of the court was this circular symmetrical pattern that the plant life is trying to take over. There is a fairly deep hole in the center.

Looking back the other direction of the ball court.

This huge sacred Banyan tree is behind and leads to another area of the site.

In the very back was one more ancient carved tiki. This one just barely shows the carvings because of erosion.

The sacred tea leaf plants line the path to the tiki.

I noticed several snail shells wondering around the place.

Two holes in a rock. Were they caused by dripping water or were they where someone pounded out seeds or plants a 1000 years ago?!?

This was a real live snail still scouting about the place.

The sign is a bit hard to read, but is very interesting. Here's what it says: The valley of Ta'a Oa is one of the most imporant of the island, both for its size and population. At one time it was made up of numerous clans including that of the Tiu, which was considered as a founding clan (tumu) of most of the ancient clans of Hiva Oa.

A beautiful legend translates the legendary importance of this valley in the mythical settlement of the Marquesas. Long ago here there was a marvellous tree on which all the birds of the Marquesas lived. One day it broke and where the branches touched the different islands it gave to each a particular bird.

This very complex center, delimited in the interior by small walls (hi'i hoika) include habitation sites, communal places such as a tohua, at least two me'ae and 'ua ma pits <must be the hole in the center of the stones>

The Me'ae is considered above all as a sacred place. Always tapu (taboo) that is to say, the access is forbidden or reserved for people of very high mana (energy). This was especially the case during ritual periods. The term me'ae actually designates different places and constructions. In the first place, it corresponds both to a funerary site of high king lineages and to places where they would leave bones belonging to a clan. The me'ae was the place where the most important ritual prayers were performed, where the first rocolots were offered and where the most significant offerings were raised, thus this was the place where the human victims were laid, either before or after their exposition on the tohua. Men, would they be priests or chiefs, warriors or even special artisans would seldom go there.

There were at least two constructions. One was for ordinary priests (fa'e or tukaka)< your kaka?!? I would never say that to a priest!> And another for the high priests. Sometimes there would even be a third building designed to shelter a few ritual items.

The statue or tiki found on these places were very sacred. They incarnated prestigious personalities who were raised to the rand of deified ancestors.

Their idea of what the structures looked like that are long gone from the stone foundations.

It was a long day, driving from one end of the 23 mile island to the other all in daylight hours. The views and education were amazing! Thank God we had Mike to drive the car for us! When we dropped off the car they drove us back to our boats. Great service!