Sailing Back to Southern Marquesas

December 5^th, 2017. It was time to sail back to the Southern Group of the Marquesas, from Nuku Hiva to Hiva Oa. To give you some perspective this is a photo from Charlie's Charts of Polynesia. Nuku Hiva is at the top left and we are sailing to Hiva Oa, the largest of the islands, middle right. Each degree of latitude is 60 nautical miles.

We sailed out of the Bay of Taiohae as the sun set over the horizon. We often start a passage in the evening, usually for timing the arrival during daylight hours.

The seas grow inky black as the sky glows orange.

By the next morning the seas have grown boisterous and the wind close on the nose.

In this wide open ocean we often see fairly large waves, when two swell directions come together.

By the second day, the bright sun turns the water an incredible blue, but the wind is still blowing and the boat is making quite a spray!

We spotted this big slab sided local fishing boat, possibly from Tahiti. Seemed he was sitting still in those big swells, but rolling a lot!

It was a long slog, but we finally arrived in Atuona, Hiva Oa again. Map photos courtesy of Charlie's Charts. We have to pick up some supplies and then head toward the upcoming festival. Plus see a few sights we missed our first time here.

Atuona used to be the capital of the Marquesas, before it was moved to Taiohae in Nuku Hiva. The harbor is not actually at Atuona, it is in Tahauku, the next bay over.

They are still working on the Quay, which has been going on for a long time.

Actually they have been building on this island for a while I suppose, because we saw several large pieces of machinery, being eaten up by the jungle growth.

This Bulldozer is almost unrecognizable.

We decided to take a dinghy cruise and check out the sights from the water view too. This is the mess hall for the local French army base.

This fairly new boat yard (opened just one year) seems to be doing a great business.

Some locals hanging out under the trees above the cliffs.

Looking back into the bay, you can see Avatar anchored by the Quay under construction. And up on the hill, one of the few pensions (small hotels) on Hiva Oa.

This rocky point separates us from the main part of the village.

Mt. Temetiu, 1213 meters (3639 feet), dominates our view.

The black sand beach of Atuona and the Vaioa Valley.

The surf crashes on the rocks on the way back to the harbor in Tahauku Bay. 

These homes must have spectacular views!

Mike and I rode our bikes up out of town, following the Vaioa river.

This looks to be a man made berm, but the eels sure like it. There are 3 in this photo!

I got a close up of these two, about 3 feet long! This is one of the fresh water eels that live in many rivers of the Marquesas and the same legendary one that became the coconut tree!!

It is a big wide valley with tall mountains! Reminds me of a giant mouth of a volcano!?!

Mike stops by these gorgeous flowers. Note the lovely road conditions.

This guy is obviously a Mercedes truck collector, or maybe he is just trying to keep one running and needs all these for parts?!?

I never saw a bus here, but this sure looks like a bus stop.

We passed the house of a drum carver. His drums were quite impressive, but sadly we did not see him around to talk to.

Another house was fully decorated with flower pots! And they have a pamplamouse tree too! (the giant grapefruit like tree)

Riding our bikes up a hill (and well eventually pushing because it was steep) we could look down on the black sand beach and Taaoa Bay.

And the village of Atuona sitting under the peak of Mt. Temetiu.

We pushed our bikes up to the top where the famous graveyard lays.

Belgian born singer/songwriter, Jacques Brel, arrived here on a sailboat in 1975. Seduced by the beauty and tranquility, he decided to stay. He was trying to get away from his fame in Europe and became a regular guy, loved by the locals. He often used his Beechcraft airplane to take people to the hospital, when needed, all the way to Tahiti. He sadly passed at age 48 from Cancer, but left a legacy in his last song he wrote “The Marquesas”, which is still sung with pride by the locals.

By tradition many of the graves are covered with white sand and decorated with flowers.

This guy must have enjoyed life with this impressive wall of Marquesan decorated blocks.

Some cool carved stones adorn this grave.

This is the most famous grave, the artist Paul Gauguin, who died here in 1903!!

I loved this statue of a woman riding to heaven on the back of her dog.

This graveyard is quite large and continues up the hill for some ways.

This poor young woman only lived 35 years, from 1872 to 1902!

Some of the graves were so old, the names were long eroded away and their stones cracked and deteriorating. Sad.

I am not sure why, but it seems many graveyards have a great view. I guess so we can contemplate life, while visiting the dead. The big blue horizon is right there.

Another stunning view of Mt. Temetiu and the Vaioa valley.

We ended up coming down the back side of the hill ending up in Tahauku Bay with Avatar waiting for us.

View from the back of Tahauku Bay, looking all the way out through Taaoa Bay in the distance. Thank you Hiva Oa for showing us some of your beautiful secrets.