Marquesas –Hiva Ova 5 June 2024

It was a rolly night as the day had  been quite windy and the sea sate had been quite frisky out at sea. It did not rain I think in the night and it was a good sunny morning. We had breakfast and as we had retained the pickup we planned to explore the rest of the island.

Once ashore we in got in the car and went into Atuona and checked out a restaurant recommended in the guide book and it looked good so we booked a table and got some baguettes in case they ran out.

We headed east toward a small hamlet called Puamau. This meant going into the center of the island and past the airport and over to the North of the island. We stopped en route at a Tiki (statue) Sourisant -smiling Tiki. This meant stopping at the side of the road and walking down a track into the woods for about 400 yards. It was a stone statue with a round head and it was smiling and looked like it had Elton John glasses and the hands looked like it was doing up a belt. The fact is that it must be a couple of thousand years old!!

We carried on and drove through the center of Hiva Ova. It was beautiful and a larger version of Fatu Hiva – lots of vegetation, trees of all types including large acacia, banana and coconut trees. The road meandered down and up the valleys with lots of flowering shrubs and lots of birds flying and darting here and there. We eventually came down a valley to Puamau which was a small village right on a lovely bay with the sea crashing on to the shore. We dove through and saw a snack bay and then along the beach (which always has a football grass pitch right adjacent to the beach. Paumau has the best and most important Tiki and religious site (called Iipona) in the whole of French Polynesia. It was set back from the village up the hill and had at least 5 large Tiki to see. It also had the central meeting area and raised papae (foundations of houses) indicating where people lived.

We tried to get into a restaurant which did typical Marquesian dishes, but it was booked. We therefore went back to the snack bar and had a Croque Monsieur and a fantastic drink of Pamplemousses. This is essentially grapefruit juice and it was delicious.

We then had one area of the island we could drive to which apparently was a lovely bay called Hanapaaoa. This meant going along a single track with hairpin bends and around sheer cliffs up and down often with a lot of grasses and nettles each side. We eventually came to a lovely small hamlet alongside a bay It looked beautiful, but the waves and surf were too strong to swim.

We retraced our steps back to Atuona which took some time and did some shopping. Our plan is to go to the sister island Tahuhuta which will be more remote and less rolly. We decided to go out to supper where we had booked and had a great meal. During our meal it rained and more is forecast overnight. When we returned to Stormbird it was dry and everyone was tired after another busy day. We all agreed that Hiva Ova was very attractive and a larger version of other islands.

We look forward to moving on tomorrow of our tour of the Marquesas. The picture if of us at the snack bar in Paumau.   

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