Marquesas –Ua Pou 30 May 2024 -Island Tour

We had a good night and we did not move which was reassuring. We had a bacon and egg baguette for breakfast with a view of the little craggy towers at the top of the island which were surrounded by cloud from time to time. We were in a bay with a large breakwater and a big quay for large boats which I assume come here. We had a nice curved sandy beach, but the hillside was dry with red rock and what looked like dead little trees. The bay had large rock surrounds, but the valley stretched out and led up toward the top of the island with the 13 craggy towers and it got greener as the height increased.

We went ashore and left the dinghy at the wharf and walked along the road in the heat which went around the beach. There were a number of buildings and trees on the shore with a canoeing club. They have canoes out here with a side pod and they obviously race them as we saw a number practising. They also have large canoes of 5-6 people and we had seen this in Nuku Hiva. We turned up the next road and came across the bank and a clothes shop and a little shop. We wondered on and there were lots of houses on either side with their lush and slightly wild gardens. Everything grows so well here although this island looked a bit more barren than Nuku Hiva.

We came across a small bit well stocked shop and I noticed a lot of old Land Rovers here – the pickup type. We wondered on to the church, which was a pleasant, wooded structure with open sides higher up so that you could sit on your bench and if the priest was boring you could admire the view of the peaks!. There was a great wooden carving as a lectern which was in the shape of a boat’s bow. It was well looked after and had lovely fresh flowers.

There was apparently a restaurant called Rosalie in the book, but it looked very closed. We came across two more supermarkets and a pizzeria which looked good. We asked in the shop for a guide to do a tour and we were directed to Pensione Puckeria. We had a refreshing lemon drink at the pizzeria and then went to find the Pensione. We passed on the way a boulangerie and clearly it was also a bar/restaurant.  There was a man dressed as a woman serving and we have seen quite a few trans in the Marquesas.

We found the Pensione which was a lovely house slightly up a hill overlooking the bay which had a bar and a restaurant and a little plunge pool. We arranged with Jerome, the guide, to do a tour in the afternoon and that we would him at the pizzeria at 1.30-2.00pm. He told us to bring our costumes. We therefore returned to Stormbird and all of us had a good swim in the bay and it was lovely and refreshing. I then cleaned a few marks off the topsides. We then had lunch of prawns and garlic with French bread and a tomato salad and coleslaw.

We returned ashore for our tour and Jerome picked us up in his Land Cruiser. We went west and climbed up the hill out of the bay going west. I asked Jerome about the dead trees and he said it was acacia trees and with 3 years of El Nino they are dead but with recent rain new growth is appearing.

We carried on over the hill and into the next valley and we looked up toward the peaks. He stopped at one point to let us take a picture and said wonder up that small hill and look over. It was surprising that there was a small airstrip and they have flights a few times a week. We carried on down to the airstrip and round its end and then the road went along a lovely sandy beach. We continued over the next hill and then we could see the next bay and a village. There were a number of boats anchored in the bay. It had a small quay and there were some unusual rock formations in the bay. We carried on west and over the next hill and we then saw a lovely blue water bay which Jerome called Shark Bay and sharks come there to give birth!! I think we will not go swimming there.

We carried on to another village and bay which was also very beautiful. We then drove into a track and this carried on for about a mile going through jungle and then Jerome stopped. We were then told to walk through a path which had a slight incline and we continued through the jungle for about 150 yards and we came to a lovely waterfall. It was not that tall perhaps 30 feet with a lovely pool in front of it. There was nothing for it but to get in. We got our costumes on and we went in. It was lovely clear water and I thought it would be cold, but it wasn’t. It was a lovely refreshing swim in a lovely jungle setting surrounded by rocks. It was quite a magical experience.

We got back into the Land Cruiser and carried on up the track and came to a sign called Manfredi. This was a German man who came here 35 years ago and now makes chocolate. This was a shack really in the forest with chickens and ducks wondering around with dogs etc. He was quite dishevelled and we were invited in. He was an east German who escaped east Germany before the wall came down and he has been here for 35 years. He has not seen his son or daughter since then. He had a selection of chocolate he had made and we were able to taste. We bought about 8 different bars between us. It was a weird experience.

We returned to our Land Cruiser and then retraced our steps down the track and then Jerome took us to a few vantage points where we got some good pictures. We then were driven back to our bay. It was a great tour of part of the island and we really enjoyed it. It had given us a good feel of the island.

We came back on board Stormbird and had a sundowner, Andy and I cooked supper of chicken with lemon and garlic with ratatouille and rice. This went  down well and we then had bar of ginger chocolate from the chocolate man which was great. It had been a great day and we had seen a lot of the island.

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