Veggie Farm

The Peninsula Matauaoa on the NE corner of Nuku Hiva sticks out by a narrow stretch of land between Anaho Bay to the North and Haatuatua Bay on the uncharted Eastern side of the the island. We had heard from some other cruisers that there is a trail across the hill to a veggie farm and it is much easier than the previous long hike to Hatiheu village. Since it had been a while since we had seen a fresh vegetable, we decided to go for it.

The trail follows around the edge of the bay. This is a well kept homestead with a nice view I bet!

We found his machete in the tree. Marking his territory? Or marking where he left off cutting his coconuts?

We passed his copra shed where he drys his coconuts.

The domesticated pigs checked us out as we passed by.

Then we started into the bush.

The trail kind of ended, so we walked along the beach to where a steep cliff dropped into the water.

Our footsteps will soon be washed away, erasing our trail. Anaho is such a beautiful bay!

The trail came back as we fallowed along the cliff edge.

Now we are making our way back into the jungle.

Then we go through the rabbit hole.....(notice my new Marquesan hiking shoes?)

On the other side we gain this view as the sun pops out from behind a cloud illuminating the cliffs way above us.

Over the top and heading down toward Haatuatua Bay.

The veggie farm is right below the hill I call plate rack mountain.

Long thin ridges are protruding from the peak, like plates stacked in a dish rack.

Gardens! We must be close!

This young man was washing cucumbers.

This man cut open a small watermelon for us to sample. Ummm ummm, refreshing after a hot hike!

I asked if he had any mangoes, he said “yes, come with me, we'll pick them together.” So up he climbed.

While I, with my deft skill, caught the mangoes as he tossed them down and placed them in the bucket.

Just another day at work, climbing trees....

It was a lot of fun actually!

Do you remember from a few posts ago, I mentioned there are no roads to Anaho bay? Well you might have guessed it, but there are no roads here either. So how do they get their veggies to the market in the big village of Taiohae??? By horse, of course! These are the horse's saddles.

A lady had gone to round up the horses and was bringing them in when we came back.

And veggie farm horses eat veggies too! They are having a cucumber lunch.

On the way back a small wave was breaking on the beach.

Then I noticed the Sandpiper on the beach.

There were two of them running at the water's edge digging in the sand for their own lunch.

We were up on the trail when we saw a group of people riding horses back towards the farm. They will take the veggies from the farm by horse back over the same trail we hiked to Hatiheu village where it is then loaded on a truck to take them to the South side main village of Taiohae.

At home on the boat I was admiring our purchases: tomatoes and green peppers!

Watermelon, mangoes, avocados, and cucumber!