March 30, 2019

We arrived in the bay near Taioha’e, Nuku Hiva in the Marquesas Islands, the eastern most archipelago of French Polynesia. This was our last destination in French Polynesia. The ship had travelled over 1,500 km from Tahiti. Only 6 of the 12 Marquesas islands are inhabited. Nuku Hiva is the second largest French Polynesian island, after Tahiti.

Taioha’e is tucked into a bay that is part of a collapsed volcanic crater along the south coast of Nuku Hiva. There was a mist in the 25°C air and the humidity was close to 100% with a light wind. As the ship approached Nuku Hiva you could see the clouds hiding the top half of the island’s mountain range, you could not see Mount Ooumu. To the east of the bay, tumbling down the cliff from at least 120 meters, a thin waterfall could be seen as a white streak on the rockface.

After breakfast we went to the Mainstage Theater to get our tour stickers and wait to take the tender to the pier at Taioha’e. It was just a 10-minute tender voyage to the pier from the ship’s anchored location in Taioha’e Bay. The water had a few swells and the pier was tricky since there were 5 concrete steps to navigate to ascend from the tender boat to the pier. As the tender boat emptied, the passengers could hear the welcoming drums and singers and were each given a tiare flower, to place behind their ear, from men holding palm leaf woven baskets of flowers. We passed a group of colourfully dressed women selling real flower headdressess.

The tour for 40 was divided into groups of 4 plus a driver chauffeuring guests in recent model SUVs. Our driver was Micheline, who knew a bit of English. French is the official language as well as the local Marquesas Islands language.

This sightseeing tour to the Taipivai Valley was the only tour offered with a morning or an afternoon departure.

Archaeological evidence suggests that the Marquesas Islands were first settled 2,000 years ago by people from Samoa. Artist, Paul Gauguin painted scenes from these islands.

The Taipivai Valley was made famous by the American author, Herman Melville. As a young sailor, he deserted his ship and hid in this valley for three weeks, getting to know the warlike indigenous inhabitants. He based his fictional book, Typee, on his experiences while on Nuku Hiva. Our guide, Ann, said the book is available on Amazon. He also wrote Moby Dick. The Taipivai Valley was also a location for the 2001 season of the television show, Survivor.

The narrow road was two way and paved. The caravan of ten SUVs drove along the coast before turning into the interior to drive to the other side of the island, zigzagging their way up the mountain to over 300 meters through lush greenery from underbrush to trees. As the vehicle slowed for the turns a fragrant scent from the flowering trees would drift into the car. We saw horses, tethered to trees, grazing. There was some cattle and many chickens and even a goat watching the progress up to the pass. We saw beehives in several fields. We passed two viewpoints going up but the cloud was so low it covered the view, so we stopped on the way back down.

The first stop was at the 2011 replica of the sacred Te A'itua temple, located in a small agricultural village. Some villages are located inland originally to go unnoticed by warring tribes and also to be on high ground in the case of a tsunami. The Tiki is the god that is the protector of the Marquesas Island people. It is also a god of magic. Any red stone is a sacred part of a temple. Our guide, Ann, explained to the 40 people about the purpose of the temple and about the Tiki, which are sacred statues. You should not pat the Tiki or the Marquesas people on the head. The head is sacred as it is the location of the spirit.

The open-air gathering places were known astohua, while the ancient, rock-pile ruins of house foundations were called pae pae, We were invited by a woman, in native costume, singing a welcome accompanied by two singing children, to sample some of the fruit and breads. There were palm leaf woven baskets of sweet grapefruit sections, ripe star-fruit slices, ripe mango slices, thin crispy breadfruit chips, slivers of coconut, banana bread and tapioca bread. There were some beautiful handicrafts for sale too. Above the village were orchards of coconut trees. The horses are used in the harvest of the coconuts. They carry loads of 50 to 100 kilograms from the orchards to the road. The coconut meat is made into a copra, dried coconut, and exported for use in cosmetics and ointments.

Next, we drove slowly through to village to a lookout to view the black sand beach of Houma Bay, although it is mixed with lighter coloured sand. It is safe to swim in this protected bay since if any sharks did visit they would just be the harmless small one-meter long variety. Because of the wind and drizzle ,the tiny beach biting insects called nonos, (somewhat like no-see-ums) were not bothering anyone. We returned through the village and saw another caravan of vehicles enjoying the stop at Te A'itua temple.

Backtracking higher, we stopped at the viewpoint to see the spectacular view of Taioha’e Bay and the town. The ship melted in and out of sight as the cloud descended to the water and momentarily hid the ship. There was a short drizzle for part of Ann’s description at this place.

The SUVs returned to Taioha’e and we parked by the Notre Dame Cathedral church. It was built on ancient sacred ground. The entrance to the plaza was built in 1886 at the time of the original church. The church was replaced in 1976 by a newer building. Inside there are hand crafted wood carvings. The wooden doors are marvellously carved. We sheltered in the church while another drizzle passed through the town. Unlike most of French Polynesia, the dominate Christian religion in the Marquesas Islands is Roman Catholic rather than Protestant.

The final stop, only 100 meters away, was another replica of an ancient temple, used for festival celebrations. Within the grounds was an Easter Island Moi statue that was a gift from Easter Islanders attending the first festival in 2011. It is located along the shore of Taioha’e Bay less than one kilometer from the pier. Beside was a replica pae paeor leanto, thatched in leaves, which was a good shelter for another sprinkle of drizzle. Our guide, Ann, suggested that if people wanted to walk back to the pier, they just needed to advise their driver.

There was a patch of clear sky so we walked back listened to the waves crash against the shore since there was no coral reef to protect the bay from the ocean waves.

our walk after the tour

The cool breeze was refreshing in the 28°C heat and the humidity. We ventured past the pier to the hill nearby where the English had built Fort Madison in 1813 to protect the harbour with four cannons. In early 1842, the British increased to the cannons to seven, also adding a barracks and a warehouse to be the British military headquarters, but by June the French had captured the fort and renamed it Fort Collet. They left in 1849, but the site was taboo until in 1859 when French missionaries arrived and converted the buildings to a school. Today there is a 12-meter high iron statue of Tiki Tūhiva given its reddish colour from Keetu, a reddish volcanic turf used by stone carvers of the Marquesas Islands that is mixed with volcanic stones. Beside it is an eight-meter high warrior, since the Nuku Hiva is known as the Island of Men.

We walked back to the pier side open-air covered market admiring the wood, bone and volcanic stone carvings, coconut soaps, woven hats, baskets, tee-shirts, and shell and seed jewelry and handicrafts.

The cups of cold lemonade or water available by the tender waiting place were cooling, as were the ice chip-soaked face clothes. These pier services have been available at all of the destinations when we return to the ship and are within the ship’s authorized pier area.The tide had risen the water level so that passengers just had to step from the pier into the tender boat, no negotiating any stairs. Steps 10, 564

After a quick shower and some fresh clothes, we climbed up to Deck 9 Lido Market for lunch.During the afternoon, there were manta rays in the harbour feeding. The captain announced that the last tender boat was being secured and the ship would be leaving on schedule for the six-day voyage to San Diego. He told us that the distance is over 2,800 miles and the ship would be averaging 18 knots (about 34 km per hour) requiring all six engines to be used.

We joined Jeff, Susan, Carol and Dennis, in the main dining room. Played the Trivia game tonight’s score was only 7 out of 17. The mainstage performance was magician, Stephen Williams, Jr., it was okay. We met Jeff, Susan, Carol and Dennis after the show in the Cow’s Nest on Deck 11 for a game of Five Crowns. Then a stop in the casino.

The late evening temperature was 28°C, Total steps: 12,789