Nuku Hiva, Marquesas Islands, French Polynesia
The yellow-white sunshine was just coming up behind the small headland island we we arrived in Nuku Hiva. Although dark and seemingly lifeless, the little island filled my heart with hope that we would be able to put on feet on solid land before too long. The sun continued to rise giving life to more and more of the island as tugs boats surrounded the Mariner. An hour later we were safely anchored in Taiohae Bay.
The bay is too shallow for the Mariner to make it all the way to the pier, and so we will use the Mariner’s tenders to reach dry land. Nuku Hiva is the largest of the Marquesas Islands. It has been known as Île Marchand and Madison Island. There are approximately 50 islands in the archipelago. Nuka Hiva is home to about 3,200 people.
Nuku Hiva is one of the most remote places on earth. Known for two of its most famous, strictly from a European point of view, residents. Herman Melville and Robert Louis Stevenson. Melville wrote his book Typee: A Peep at Polynesian Life is an imaginative narrative based on his experiences in the late summer of 1842 on Nuku Hiva and in the Taipivai Valley. Melville and his friend Richard Greene were working on a whaler in the South Pacific at the time and after several months at sea jumped ship.
Typee was Melville’s most popular work during his lifetime; it made him notorious as the “man who loved among the cannibals”. When it was written it was considered nonfiction. It certainly has some fictional aspects, the books suggests they were on Nuku Niva for more than the four months they were, however a portion of the book can also be considered proto-anthropology.
Keep in mind that Melville was 21 or 22 when he arrived on Nuku Hiva, and the book was published in 1846 when he was only 26 years old. This was also his first book. While people may have been skeptical about Melville’s account of his time on the island, it surely flamed the imagination of the people of the time.
Honestly, thinking about how seasick I have been, then thinking about Melville, almost two hundred years ago, riding on ship 104 feet long and 28 feet wide, as opposed to the Mariner which is 708 feet long and 93 feet wide with modern stabilizers, it is a wonder he was able write anything. Add to that the difference in food, not just the quality but the quantity, the cleanliness of the ship and the private suite, it is impossible to to complain without being considered a major wimp.
There is no indication that Robert Louis Stevenson ever met. Their thoughts and impressions about the Polynesians appear to be completely different. Stevenson was closer to forty than 20, married and suffering from ill health when he traveled the South Pacific. In June 1888 Stevenson chartered the yacht Casco and set sail to the South Pacific with his family. He made landfall on the north side of the Nuku Hiva at Hatihe’u Bay in 1888. Stevenson was more a political animal than Melville. He wrote in defense of the Polynesian’s political rights. It must have been quite a trip 130+ years ago.
The challenge for our visiting Nuku Hiva isn’t nearly as difficult as either of these two famous persons. Our challenge was the lack of availability of any of the free Regent shore excursions. Oh, the problems of those living in the first world. So, using the internet as a search source, we were able to hire a guide using TripAdvisor. Its would be possible to complain about the various email exchanges, lack of initial success, but again - where is the problem?
Nuku Hiva is a small island; at a little over 130 square miles. Yet it is the largest of the Marquesas Islands. Taiohae is the main town on the island located on Taiohoe Bay, which was formed by the collapse of an ancient volcanic crater. The Mariner is anchored out in Taiohae Bay and we get to shore using a tender.
We are met at the dock by Richard, Temarama Tours, holding a sign with our name an the name of another couple. Richard does offer an explanation of why there weren’t more Regent tours, and it is immediately obvious he is telling the truth. There are no tourist buses on Nuku Hiva. Quite literally every vehicle, meaning every jeep, pick-up with seats in the back, SUV’s and personal car which can seat more than two, have been employed to take people into the interior of the island to see Taipivai Valley.
The Regent tour is for three hours and visits Taipivai Valley and Te A’Aitua, a ceremonial site. Richard has promised us much more than just these two things. The other couple, Paul & Rita Eschenfelder, are with us, and they have been here before and have even used Richard as a guide. There is therefore some hope of an excellent experience.
The tour begins with us climbing into the back to Richard’s Toyota pickup. It is fitted with comfortable cushioned seats facing each other. There is plenty of room, however there is the distinct smell of diesel fuel. The sky is filled with somewhat ominous dark grey clouds when we make our first stop just below the peak of Mount Mouake; 2835 feet.
The Mariner sits in the thumb shaped bay below us. Surrounded by lush green hills with two peninsulas jutting out from the beach below, the Mariner looks so small. Although we know there is a village down there, from this vantage point you would never know it. You can imagine what this must have looked like to a young lad of 21 from Boston in 1842; one hundred and eighty years ago. It certainly must have looked like heaven.
Back in the truck, only this time Mary has chosen to ride in the cab, we head a little further up the mountain before taking a right-hand turn towards Taipivai Valley. Along the way we pass a waterfall which seems to come out of the tropical lush green forest and cascade hundreds of feet down into the valley.
A little further on we stop at a bend in the road overlooking Comptroller Bay at the foot of the valley. The hills rise quickly out of the bay and into Taipivai Valley. The blue ocean, a think slice of white beach, then the many hues of green rising up to touch the blue sky. It is breathtaking to behold. Then Richard goes and ruins it by telling this is where they filmed the TV shows Survivor. Carefully looking over the edge of the road we can see the remains of the TV shows camp. Clearly there is no reality it reality TV. Yes, Melville would have probably had a survivor type experience at just about this point on the island.
We are a little disappointed as we get back into the truck, but as we head down the mountain towards Hatihe’u Bay, where Stevenson landed, we are greeted by a plethora of flowers. Yellow hibiscus, red and orange bougainvillea, all presented on a background of greens; dark green, light green, ferns, the large green leaves of the banana tree, the split yellow green leaves of the breadfruit tree.
We head back up over a ridge to the east of Hatihe’u Bay to an observation on point between Hakapa and Hapapani bays where we a looking down into the small village of Aakapa. Richard tells us the village has about two hundred people. No store, no school, however it haas a nurse. Idealistic as the life nestled on a remote beach here might be, there isn’t much to do. You only need to reach out the door (or window) and get a fresh banana, or mango, other fresh fruits. Chickens run wild, but are apparently easy to catch, according to Richard. The adventurous can even catch a wild pig now and then. For those who eat fish (ugh) the sea outside your front door is full of them. The issue maybe what to do the rest of the day. A week, a month, maybe, but for 365 or more days? It wasn’t even clear if you had the opportunity to receive Prime TV, Netflix, or even the internet in Aakapa. However, for a little while probably not a bad life.
If you have a car you can drive to Hatiheu, just over the ridge and back down, where this is a store and a restaurant. The restaurant is called Eurl Hinako-Nui (or Chez Yvonne Katupa). There is a nice beach, but you have one outside your front door, and on Sundays Elise does Sacres-Coeurs, a beautiful little Catholic Church. The church is a small stone edifice flanked on each side by an octagonal white tower, with red pointed roofs. They look much like the iconic witches' hats.
We had the pleasure of having lunch at Eurl Hinako-Nui. The restaurant could probably be called a typical Tahitian building. There is a flat platform, could be just sand, or stone or wood, this one is stone. Upon the platform there is a roof. A roof made of palm fronds, carefully folded over a piece of bamboo the then stacked one upon another to make a leak proof roof. There are no “walls”, but the roof comes down to about four feet to the ground.
We walked into the restaurant and were surprised to see so many people. There was a group of young women, college age. They were all blond and blue eyed. Strange. Richard explained the women were from Denmark. They are here studying sailing and navigation from the Tahitians. Obviously, the Tahitians are great sailors, and if I wanted to study navigation, which is better Denmark in January or Tahiti in January? If you have to think out it, then you clearly haven’t been here.
The menu was in French on one side and English on the other. Grilled Fish, Breaded fish, fried shrimp, coconut milk goat, curry coconut milk goat, and something called pork rhum. Each dish has an accompaniment of cassava, bread fruit and rice. Now most of us in the developing world don’t know what cassava is.
Cassava is the third-largest source of food carbohydrates in the tropics, after rice and corn. It is a major staple food in the developing world, providing a basic diet for over half a billon people. Improtantly one of my favorit desserts, tapioca, is made from the extracted cassava starch. It can be classified as either sweet cassava or bitter cassava.
Before ordering there was a short bathroom break which took us behind the restaurant to the public restrooms. They were just like any other public restroom. However, getting there we had an opportunity to walk by a small stream where several people were gathered. They were pulling eels out of the stream. Presumably for their lunch? The stream was full of them.
We didn’t choose eel for lunch. Mary chose the grilled fish and I chose the coconut milk goat curry. It was a green curry with large pieces of goat, served rice, the aforementioned cassava, which looked and tasted a lot like potato, and two fried round balls of breadfruit. With some courage I delved into the meal.
The curry was very good. The goat a little tough but very tasty. The breadfruit was surprisingly sweet. It was very close in texture to donut holes. You could go so far as to say in the blindfold test, one would not be able to distinguish it from wheat donut holes dipped in sugar. It wasn’t an inexpensive meal, each dish costing about $20. But it was definitely worth it.
During lunch we were greeted with a heavy downpour. It wasn’t too surprising, but the thatched roof kept the rain out, and the open walls cooled the restaurant down. We had been told on board that we were at the edge of a cyclone, and to expect some rain. However, this wasn’t a drizzle it was a full-blown downpour. Along with the rain there were the winds one would expect with a cyclone. Note: Cyclone is the Pacific’s version of the Atlantic’s hurricane.
We ran to the car, and this time all of sat inside. The rear did have protective clear plastic windows. They were rolled up on the way here and were rolled down during lunch. As you might expect the seats in the back were a little wet. We were back on the road heading back to Nuku Hiva during the storm. We drove by Kamuihei Teiipoka, a sacred meeting place and archaeological site about half way up the mountain. Richard offered to stop, but the rain kept us in the car. It was an open area site without any cover.
Amazingly once we reached the top of the ridge, the rain and wind magically stopped. The different between the windward and leeward sides of the island. It clearly has rained some here, but a minuscule amount compared to Hatihe’u. The wind had still knocked down some trees and there were places in the road where small landslides had occurred, more on the windward side, but still some maneuvering by Richard was required.
Once back in Nuku Hiva, Richard drove us along the beach front pointing out various spots. One of which was the site of a once very nice hotel what has fallen into disrepair because the heirs couldn’t come to an agreement on what to do with it. This has left one resort/hotel – Le Nuku Hiva. It is located on the hillside amount the lush green topical foliage. It looked beautiful. It should it is part of the Relais & Chateaux group pf luxury hotels. Richard said it was about $300 - $350 a night. Not sure what the includes, but it seems fairly pricey, however if it includes meals maybe not. Finally, I found it ton tripadvisor where it is listed as $532 a night. It would be a nice place for a very relaxing stay.
Afterwards we visited the the worldly place, Notre Dame Cathedral. Again, a very beautiful Catholic Church, and school, built in the Tahitian style with a roof and floor, but in this case one wall behind the alter. Then there was a little drive along the shore in the other direction, pointing out the public school, public housing project, and commercial dock. Then, perhaps strategically planned was a stop at the gas station.
Richard said he need to fill up now as he was about to run out. 155 cfs ($1.42) per liter. One gallon is 3.785 liters. So, approximately $5.38 a gallon. Not much different from home. The hint was probably enough. Although it would come as a shock if he started with a full tank. The tank did however take 67.4 liters or about 17.8 gallons. Probably has an 18-gallon tank.
He then drove us along a dirt road, following the shoreline, which took us back to the tender pier. He let us out in the gravel parking lot in front of the jail, just across the road from the island provided open air market for native craftsmen. There is one of these at nearly every port. Funny how that happens.
To Richard’s credit, he did take us on a tour which covered a lot more area than the excursion by Regent. Regent’s excursion was 3 hours. In a caravan of vehicles. Richard picked up up before it had gone 9 and dropped us off after it had gone 16:00. It was at least seven hours, including the hour stop of lunch. Just in case you don’t get the hint, that is a recommendation for Richard.
We made the proverbial beeline to the tender dock. It wasn’t raining or anything. The native crafts are very interesting, but what does a homeless person do with crafts? The only option would be to give them to someone. Does anyone really want the things we collect from native craft shops around the world? We’re going to go with probably not.
From there it was on to the tender and back to the ship. It is a little rougher trip than it was this morning. Once back on board we were advised that due to cyclones in the area we were making haste to get to the safe port in Papeete as quickly as possible. We would also be missing the stop in Moorea. Looking at the weather map, and I am not a meteorologist by any stretch of the imagination, it appears we are trying to get to Papeete between two different storm fronts. The next couple days should be an interesting ride. Time to go pick up some additional seasickness pills from the reception desk.
Buonanotte e ciao, Enrico
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