Two bays proved to be most spectacular, in fact, some of the most beautiful I have ever seen ...
I will start out talking about the last anchorage we visited since it is pretty unique in that one is totally enclosed in mountains which loom down upon the anchorage and inspire an over-whelming feeling of 'magnificence' ... and try as best I could to capture the feeling on camera, I'm afraid there is no photo that can do any sort of justice to this beautiful place ... one simply MUST include this in one's cruising plans.
Ok ... the name ... yes ... I get so excited talking about this place that I tend to loose my 'train of thought' ... the bay, by sailors is known as Daniels Bay and by the locals as 'HAKATEA'.
Hakatea is one of two little bays within the greater bay of 'Taioa Bay', the other being called 'Uauka' which is more open to the sea and of little interest.
Now yes, this same spectacular place is the same where his last landfall was made by Stefan Ramin, a German sailor a few years ago.
Many thought his girlfriend had conspired with the locals to 'do him in' for his life insurance policy, but in-fact this is not the case.
I spoke with the local 'Gendarmerie' (French Customs and Law officers) and was advised that he was indeed eaten by a cannibal and that the cannibal had managed to hide in the mountains evading the special task team who arrived from Tahiti to hunt him down for some 51 days after which he gave himself up.
Cannibalism is not practiced here in Nuku Hiva any longer and the man is said to have been mentally 'deranged' and also known to have had a fascination with his 'human flesh eating' ancestors ... apparently evident too in his tattoos which symbolise that of the cannibals in the days of old.
However sad this story may be ... and I remember reading of it at the time and feeling shocked ... the people in this place have been incredibly friendly and are quick to tell one that this man did not originate from their village but in fact had arrived from Tahiti. I personally am not sure what the 'real story' is, and decided to grow eyes in the back of my head and be on the alert for any large pots boiling water over a fire ... pots large enough to lower a human into that is!
Anyway, here we were totally consumed by feelings of awe ... a place without boat boys to harass us or mooring balls charged out at steep fees as one would find most places like this in the Atlantic ... a true feeling of freedom and satisfaction ...
In the photo below Impi can be seen anchored to the right ...
Unfortunately due to internet connection I have had to now reduce quality and size of the photographs ... the photo below shows the side of the anchorage with a beautiful beach ...
Soon we had lowered the dinghy and headed around the corner toward the little village. Rounding some rocky outcrops the bay opens up to the spectacular valley and the incredible rocky 'spires' which ascend into the air ... thrust like knives through the earths crust by massive volcanic activity and pressure from within the bowls of the earth ... they stand there side by side for all to admire ...
Jean-Luc and Eva had joined us in the dinghy and fortunately we had timed our arrival on a rising tide which allowed us to navigate our way into a river which leads to the little village ...
Moving up the river was no 'ordinary task' and required zig-zagging about the stony shallows, a task which requires concentration which is very difficult as the mind sends the eyes in all directions to absorb all its natural beauty ...
In the photo below are our dear friends Eva and Jean-Luc
The photo below shows the entrance from the ocean as seen from on land ...
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Walking on about on this island is nothing short of spectacular. One finds oneself initially strolling on a narrow track between tropical fruit trees and plantations and dotted here and there are beautiful colourful plants ...
In the photo below, Eva meanders ahead of us through the banana plantation ...
Everything grows wild here but I was amazed at the amount of activity going on. Many people were busy clearing tall grass with the use of 'weed eaters' (grass cutters) and all looked very happy and I have to say the people worked steadily and eagerly which is not something I have observed as being 'common practice' about these islands where most seem quite content to do as little as possible.
Here, it was clear, is a pride in the place ... a pride among its people to rejuvenate and beautify ... and the gardens with these magnificent mountains as back drops leaves one truly feeling that this is 'The Garden of Eden' ... in every sense of the word. Once again, I unfortunately have to down size the quality of the photo in order to upload on this shoddy internet connection, but I am sure one 'gets the picture here' ...
This track eventually leads to a waterfall in the mountains.
On the way we stopped a local man and Eva asked him about the inhabitants. He said they all come from one family and that sadly the youngsters are all leaving the village for 'city life' and money.
In order to keep the future generations going they had to devise a plan and that plan was to become sustainable through agriculture.
They have a beautiful flowing river through the village and very fertile soil ...
He explained that they realised they had everything they needed to make a go of the old plantations and fruit trees and if they could market their produce commercially they may well find that the youngsters would want to stay and keep the enterprise alive.
To this end they have been quite successful and initially took their produce to the market at Taiohae Bay by small boat and/or horse. There are no roads here and any vehicle was brought in by sea to be used locally as there is no getting out to the rest of the island over these steep mountains. In fact, a walk from here to Taiohae Bay takes around 6 hours if one is fit.
The man explained that this project has become a huge success and now even the main supply ship stops off in the bay to collect their produce destined for the mainland of Tahiti.
It seems now the children have a future, a place to be proud of, a beautiful place which is being restored to its former glory and I must say this is one place I could see myself living as a very happy man!
The man explained that the children now all engaged in the enterprise and are proud of this place ... a place where weed eaters cut away the overgrowth and beautiful flowers can be seen again in full bloom ... and uh ... oh ... whats this .... in the middle of 'nowhere' ... a pay telephone booth ... and it works :)
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We approached one of the few houses to enquire about the purchase of fruits ...
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Here a man greeted us in a very friendly manner and said we should see him on our return from venturing up the trail which we did. His price for the fruits was no cheaper than what one would pay at the market or anywhere else on the island so obviously the locals have 'cottoned on' to making money and the days of 'cheaper fruits' here are now a thing of the past.
Below is a photo of the many 'chilli' bushes around the gardens ...
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This is a magnificent place to visit ... one of our 'most favourite spots', but do beware of things that bite like mosquitos and 'no-no flies'.
Oh ... and here is something interesting:
We are sitting at a little restaurant on the quay writing this letter. One of the locals looked over at my computer and was excited to see us posting photos of 'his village'. His name is Fara Taupotini and he is a descendant of the royal family that once reigned this island.
Ana engaged with him in French and he explained that the people living there all descend from common ancestors. He says in the 1800's, the French took over their village by force and by other means. We asked him to explain. He says at first along with the French came foreign disease to the island, and many died from this disease. He then claims that the French, knowing these people cannot 'handle liquor' introduced liquor in abundance to destabilise the people who otherwise when sober proved to be harmonious and to 'stand together'. He says liquor quickly became an 'illness' amongst the people and they 'depended' on receiving their fair ration from the French invaders who used it as a means to control the people.
He tells us that they are now busy doing their best to get their land back from the authorities and have appealed to the French Justice to re-consider the matter. This is no easy task but he says they are determined.
To this end he quickly scuttled away to fetch some papers from a vehicle parked nearby. These papers have documentation which show his 'family tree' dating back to his original ancestors who were king 'TEMOANA' and queen "VAEKEHU' on the island at the time.
His documentation shows that half of the island belonged to his great, great, great grandmother who was queen 'Vaekehu', called 'la grande Chefesse des Marquises'. To this day women have a powerful position in Marquisian culture which dates from the olden days.
The real Marquisian name of the bay is HAKAUI, Hakatea is the small valley within the larger valley. What is currently referred to as the bay of TAIOA is really the name of the tribe that used to live in the middle part of the valley. There were two other tribes who lived above and below them called VAIHAKAMEAMA (lived above) and the KAHEE (lived below).
They are now all mixed and known under the name of TAIOA. They comprise about 1000 people today.
The land of the Taupotini family now belongs to the state and Fara is working hard to have his land given back to the family. He showed me proof of land ownership going back as far as the 1800's under the reign of queen Vaekehu and he is currently working with legal advisers on trying to have his land given back to the family, so that they can once again work and live on the island. His documents highlight his hope that their children will be able to make a living from the bountiful island, rather than foreigners, even though they are not adverse to foreign investment.
As mentioned near the beginning of this letter we were sailing around the island ...
All along the coast we observed spectacular mountains and rocky spires which we had also observed from our 'on land tour' of the island ...
And there was another very beautiful anchorage called Anaho. This anchorage is along the northern coast and is extremely well protected from the weather and swells ...
This anchorage, as with Daniels Bay, is a MUST SEE!!!
The bay has some stunning beaches but do beware if zooming along to visit one in the dinghy ... there is a reef to greet your propellor before getting to the sand ...
There is a break in the reef on the NW side of the bay through which one can carefully navigate a dinghy to get to the beach ...
In the photo below one can see the passage to the beach quite clearly ...
We had landed the dinghy on an overcast day which is not ideal for photography but it was terrific to walk about here and admire the bay and the stunning mountain ranges that surround it ...
In the photo below our friends yacht 'Reve de Lune' at anchor ...
Although not very clear in the photo below, the mountain shape toward the right of the valley in the middle of the photo shows steep 'spires which in reality are magnificent to see ...
So, we are loving this island. After a while of being anchored in Taiohae Bay we were becoming irritated with the awkward and continuous swell which rocked Impi back and forth 24 hours a day.
We almost left on account of it being so uncomfortable but were forced to stay whilst I was admitted to hospital, and again in waiting for some spares to arrive from Belgium.
Now we are really pleased to have not 'rushed off' and are loving our time here.
Amazing... Great photos and nice writing. I am very jealous; to sail around the world and spend an extended period of time on the Marquesas Islands is a dream!
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