Marquesas –Nuuk Hiva 26 May 2024 – The Waterfall Walk

We woke in Baie Tai Oa in nice sunny/cloudy conditions and it had been a reasonable night although it did rain and we had to close the hatches.

We decided we would go to the other bay and land and see if we could go to the Vaipo Waterfall. This meant taking the dinghy to the other bay. Before we did this we got the dinghy off the davits and had breakfast. This was delicious fruits which taste so fantastic here as they are so fresh and vibrant. They were mangoes, papaya and passion fruit and are perfect in texture and taste.

When we were ready we headed off to the nearby bay and we rounded a small headland and then according to the books there was a landing opportunity on the east side. There was clearly a river flowing in on the east side so we headed there and got out of the dinghy and walked it up the river and then we beached it and carried it up the beach, so it was out of the tide and tied it to a tree. The sand was brown and it is apparently due to the sediment which comes out of the river.

We moored the dinghy and walked over to a hut on the beach which was deserted. The river we could see meandering inland. It was a beautiful setting with palm trees and banana trees and the odd horse grazing and in such a lush setting.

The walk to the waterfall was some 2.5 hours up the valley and it was well trodden. Initially it was like walking through an enchanted garden as the light and sun was spectacular and the plants and trees were amazing. There were some lovely green and yellow shrubs, red flowered shrubs and red robin and hostas and it was wild but cultivated. There was the odd house on the way with their own lovely wild gardens. Most of them had dogs which barked as we approached but really as a protecting mechanism. There was no sign of any electricity, so I do not know how the locals manage.

The walk continued and it was easy to follow which was mainly mud and stone. The houses we left behind and we were then into forest and lots of tree debris and coconuts on the ground. We carried on through I suppose is a tropical rain forest and it was humid and lush and it became more muddy and squelchy. The forest closed around us and we continued on our path. There were lots of different fruit trees and the fruit lade on the ground rotting. The flies surrounded them but there was a distinct smell of mouldy fruit smell which reminded me of a wine cellar – where there is always a fruit mouldy type smell. I could almost picture myself in a French wine cellar.

We carried on walking for some time and the forest and vegetation became wilder. We then came to a small river/type stream which we either had to cross or go back. After a little debate we crossed with the water up to our shorts and we continued. After about an hour we passed a couple who were also on a yacht on our bay and they were from New Zealand. They had visited this area some 35 years ago. They said it was about 20-30 minutes to the viewpoint to the waterfall.

We carried on and after about 20 minutes got to a viewpoint of this very tall waterfall. It was enormous and came from a very high height, but the bottom was behind a mountainous ridge. It looked amazing and beautiful and is apparently the third largest waterfall in the world.  Keith and Fiona decided to go no further and so Mark, Joyce and I continued. We carried on this muddy, rocky walkway for about 20-30 minutes, but the path seemed to disappear and we could not see a clear way forward. We therefore regretfully turned back. We retraced our steps and followed the track back. After some time wandered over the stream and then started to return through the enchanted garden. When we were toward the end there was a lady called Monette who had a lovely garden.  Keith and Fiona were already there so we joined them.

By this time we were quite tired and hungry. Monette was lovey and she gave us coconuts to drink from and to eat the inside once we had drunk the milk. We had bananas and mango as well. We also bought a load of fruit from her which was great. We saw an old Land Rover derelict in her garden. She lived on her own and her husband had died a few years ago. Her children live in Baio Taiohae but that is a four-hour walk.

We the meandered through her garden and returned to the beach and the dinghy. I had left my crocs in a tree and they were still there. There was a local boat trying to get into the river which we helped push through. We then used this route to return to Stormbird.  

Once we had returned we thought we would go  to the beach on our bay for a swim This was unusually a white sandy beach and as we approached the people who lived in  the hut on the beach pointed us the end away from them. We pulled the dinghy up the beach and had a swim. The water was not clear and we saw a baby back tip shark reminding us that they are around.

We returned to Stormbird for a shower and a sundowner and Fiona cooked a sausage and lentil supper which was nice. It had been a most interesting day.

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