Marquesas –Hiva Ova 4 June 2024
It rained in the night and I had to close most of the hatches and when I woke it was still raining quite hard. The hatch in the forward corridor had not been shut and the corridor was very wet.
We gradually got up and had some breakfast and sat on the cockpit in the rain. We wondered whether it would continue like this all day. Keith and I got the dinghy down in the rain in our swimming costumes with Joyce helping. I suggested we wait until about 9.30am and hope the rain will have cleared by then. It cleared about 9.25am and at 9.30am we went ashore. The bay we are in is called Baie Tahauku (which is commonly a rolly anchorage) and it is about 3 km from Atuona the main town here which has a population of about 2,000.
Hiva Ova is the largest of the Marquesan islands and lies east-west with a central mountain range reaching 3,500 feet. It has a dramatic mix of lush jungle sea battered coastal cliffs and towering dramatic cliffs. Atuona, the main town has all the shops and is the main administration centre for the island. The French artist Paul Gauguin came here in his latter years and lived in Atuona. Gauguin was born in 1848 and he wanted to become an artist and travelled a lot in his younger years until he was 24. He married in 1873 and she and his 5 children forced him to settle down in Paris. He moved to Rouen and then travelled to Brittany and Martinique. He eventually came to French Polynesia in 1901 and lived and died here in 1903. He had syphilis and is buried in the churchyard in Atuona as is Jacques Brel (Belgian born singer) who also chose to live here and who died here.
Once ashore we secured the dinghy and began to walk to the town. We came across a car hire place and thought we should hire one as the lady said we could see things without a guide. We also thought due to threatening rain that it would be helpful. We hired a pick-up truck and headed into Atuona. We parked up and walked up to the cemetery and saw Paul Gauguin’s grave and also Jacques Brels. – see the picture.
We walked back into town and went to the cultural centre and the Gauguin Museum where we saw a number of his pictures and details of his life. His pictures of French Polynesia and the people were particularly good. His house was there as well and preserved.
We then left and got in the truck and headed west toward Toaa. This was a lovely drive along the coast and there were nice villas and chalets on the way. The plant life was amazing and so lush. We came to a small restaurant and had a nice lunch with a large waterfall in the hills behind us. We drove on after lunch to a Tiki Marquesan meeting place called Tohua Upeke which had several levels of stone huts etc. We then came back to Toaa and visited the church which was beside the sea.
We retraced our steps to Atouna and then headed north toward the airport in the centre. The drive was interesting as we passed through jungle, acacia trees, banana and coconut trees and it was like a larger version of Fatu Hiva. We carried on past the airport and followed the road down to the other side of the island and a place called Hanaiapa which was a lovely bay and a small village. There was a rock in the bay which had three faces. We could see two from where we were and the third you can see from the sea. We retraced our steps and stopped on the road beside a track which we thought led up to a Petroglyphes – a stone with carvings which is a special pray place.
We returned to Atuona and had a look at the airport on the way. It was a tiny airport on a plateau on the centre of the island. We came back and did some shopping and then came back on Stormbird. Lt was quite rolly. However, despite this I made a goat’s cheese salad which seemed to be enjoyed by all. #
It had been a good day despite the weather.
Crewing Opportunity
We have arrived in the Marquesas in French Polynesia and will explore these islands and then move through to the Tuamotu’s before getting to Tahiti about the end of July 2024. There may be some space on Stormbird during this period should any sailor/reader be interested in joining for this period or part of it in what must be one of the most distant and beautiful places in the world.
Year Two
In addition, in year two I will be going from New Zealand in early January 2025 across to Sydney and up the Eastern Australian Coast, Indonesia and probably across the Indian Ocean to Cape Town and I will need some more crew.
If there is any interest do email me at hine.nick9@gmail.com
The blog will continue as we move through French Polynesia and beyond.
If you have any comments or suggestions about the blog do email me on hine.nick9@gmail.com I can only upload one picture a day and visit our website www.stormbirdgoesglobal.co.uk