Hi
from Clare, No8 Exploring the Island of Nuku Hiva Friday 12th
June 2015
THE
SECOND BIGGEST VILLAGE
We
last wrote when anchored in Comptroller Bay, Nuku Hiva for three
nights. Each day we walked into the nearby village which is the
second biggest village on the island with a population of around 300.
Nevertheless it is a lovely village as you can see by the photos,
very well cared for by the inhabitants. Our British friends Diane and
Alan on 'Moonfleet' came with us and so we had good company. It has
rained most days since we arrived in the Marquesas. Because the
weather is so warm and humid we just accept getting wet rather than
donning our wet weather gear. So each day the four of us would set
out dry and return some hours later soaking wet and sometimes filthy
dirty. We negotiated a particularly muddy and slippery track up a
steep hill to view and ancient Titki site from the 13th
century. I must say I'm not sure it was worth the climb just to see
some rocks and get covered in mosquito bites – but we do these
crazy things:)
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| Walking into the village |
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| Village house |
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| Local school |
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| Replica ancient village for Cultural Festivals |
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| Rare 13th Century Tikis |
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| Ancient explorers |
THE
BIGGEST VILLAGE
On
Tuesday we returned to the main bay and Taiohae township which is the
largest on the island with about 2000 inhabitants. It's a pretty
quiet existence here with very little night life. After ten years of
cruising this is the first major town we have visited that does not
have a bar and a television covering of the latest global sporting
event. Alcohol is very expensive and without the usual watering hole
the cruisers are at a complete loss.
There
are no marinas, ship chandlers or riggers/mechanics here which is
amazing considering the amount of boats passing through and the
repairs needed after travelling 4000 miles from Panama. There is a
Yacht Services business run very capably by Kevin that can ship parts
in from Tahiti (at great expense). But failing that you just have to
make temporary repairs and limp on to Tahiti some 1000 miles further.
Fortunately we only needed to source a new battery which has now
been installed and all is well.
AROUND
THE ISLAND
We
did an island tour with six other cruisers on Thursday and thankfully
it was a beautiful day without rain. You can see by the photos that
the island of Nuku Hiva is a tropical paradise with spectacular
topography. The mountains and bays are truly beautiful and the roads
are flanked with flowering shrubs and fruit trees. These have been
planted by local people who live in the towns but have land allotted
to them in the hills for farming. We visited ancient sites where the
Marquesan people gathered to celebrate and dance and also to perform
human sacrifice to appease the Gods. At these sites the banyan tree
(see photo) was considered a sacred tree and was used to place bones
in and to bury people in.
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| Anchored in Taiohae Bay |
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| Island Tourists |
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| Restored Sacred Site |
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| Banyan Tree |
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| Classic Marquesan photo |
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| Local Church |
ALONG
THE WATERFRONT
Last
night some thirty cruisers went out for Pizza. It was a good nigh at
one of the few restaurants in town. We sat on the verandah at a large
L shaped table which was terrific until it poured rain and the wind
blew it in across the table. Many people scrambled for their coats. I
had my back to the rain so I put up my umbrella which worked very
well and added to the fun of dinner in the tropics. The Pizza's were
very good but unlike the Pizza nights in the Panama where they
attracted the cruisers with a $1 beer special, the beers last night
were $7 for a 500 ml can. Needless to say, not a lot of beer was
drunk. We returned to our dinghy late only to find that someone had
helped themselves to petrol from er to our fuel tank. There has been
a petrol strike in Tahiti for about a month and supplies are low and
it seems that anarchy is not far away. We have a good supply but we
will keep our tank low until the strike is over. Andrew is
considering fitting the dinghy with a petrol can full of water to
assist any more people in “need”.
SO
WHAT'S NEXT
Today
the locals have been competing in a canoe race. We saw them leaving
the bay early this morning. It has rained a lot and so it's not the
best day for it. Tonight there is a dinner in the local hall and
then some traditional dancing. If it is not too wet we will venture
over and have a look. The dancers have been practising and so we have
been listening to their drums for a few weeks now.
The
weather is very windy with the sea swell is big, so we will stay put
in this harbour until the weather settles down.
We
have booked our flights home arriving in Australia on 2nd
August and departing 29th
October. It will be very good to see you all then.
Love
Candy xx
