14th JULY CELEBRATIONS

Bastille Day happens to coincide with a much earlier pagan festival to mark the Southern Hemisphere solstice and culminates a 2 week event called Heiva.  The day of celebrations began in the morning with a parade of costumed dancers and decorated floats followed by horse races along the beach.  Dressed in grass skirts, adorned with traditional tattoos and painted faces, the riders were a daunting spectacle.   It was not only the participants who dressed up for the occasion; most of the women were decked out with intricate headdresses of fresh flowers which they have specially made up and, if cared for, can last a fortnight. 

The festivities were compeered by one of the many ladyboys here.  Apparently if families have too many male kids, the last born will be brought up as a girl.  It is obviously quite a common practice because we have seen a number of incredibly effeminate men around.  They are a totally accepted and normal part of the community.

We tucked into a delicious spread of quiches, open sandwiches and cakes, all compliments of the town, before watching a dance display and singing by a school group from Tahiti who are visiting the island for the summer.  In the afternoon we sought out the source of some great drumming we heard and ended up watching a rehearsal for a competition.  We were memorised by the energetic show put on by the dancers and the harmonious sound made by a variety of local drums and are sad to be missing the full costumed display which will take place on Saturday night.  Getting in the dinghy we watched dozens of kids swimming just next to quay where we saw all the sharks being fed...population control?!

Returning to town for dinner we chose one of 3 indoor/outdoor eateries arranged around an open space adjacent to the town’s communal hall.  We were treated to a fantastic traditional dance display by different groups and a stunning performance by a fire dancer, all part of the celebrations.    It was the classic Polynesian swaying hips in grass skirts with garlands of sweet smelling flowers around their necks and in their hair.  The ladyboy compeer entertained the crowd with karaoke in between acts!

NUKU HIVA

Our arrival into Baie d’Hakahetau on Nuku Hiva was a little heart-stopping.  Although the entrance is wide the waves are high and we surfed our way in.  It has to be one of the most spectacular anchorages we have ever been in with high cliffs around 2 bays cloaked in ghostly mists and running with waterfalls after the recent rain.  Neither words nor pictures can do it justice and we were lucky to be anchored there alone.

Landing the dinghy is somewhat hazardous on either beach and in the end we towed it up the river to anchor it.  We embarked on a walk to the Vaipo waterfall, the third tallest in Polynesia with a 350m drop.  After leaving the flourishing gardens and orchards of the small village, the hike took us through the Hakaui valley where we saw many signs of much earlier habitation in substantial stone walls and the traditional stone platform bases of houses.   The views of the waterfall along the way were stunning and when we reached the base we were drenched in the spray from the cascading water. 

We were adopted by a dog at the beginning of our 5 hour trek who accompanied us the whole way in return for some of our picnic lunch.  Painfully thin but incredibly energetic and adventurous, she won all of our hearts with her gentle nature.  When we arrived at the first thigh-high river ford, she impressed us by negotiating the fast running current and getting herself across.  On way back she faltered at a particularly hazardous leap of death across boulders with rushing water underneath.  I took pity at her shivering piteous look and waded in to carry her!   We were sorry to say “Abai” to her and bemoaned not being able to dose her up with some worming tablets which she clearly needed.

Back in the village we stopped to watch some kids paddling their kayaks and were tempted to cool off in the river.  One of the boys showed off for the girls by climbing up an overhanging palm tree and swinging off a dangling rope before leaping into the water.  It was a death-defying exercise as his head passed dangerously close the trunk more than once as we gasped!

We are now in Tahoiae, the administrative centre of the Marquesas and hoping to join in the Bastille Day celebrations here tomorrow.  The cathedral here, built in the 70’s, lovely.  Beautifully designed, it is graced with some stunning wood carvings of the stations of the cross and a pulpit cleverly carved out of a huge trunk by local sculptors.  The town quay is also an entertaining spot where the fishermen cut up their fish throwing the bones and scraps in the water to the waiting, circling sharks.  Swimming is definitely not appealing in this bay!

MORE OF THE MARQUESAS

Our stop in Hiva Oa was very brief.  The anchorage at Tahauku Bay was full of boats and it was a challenge to find room for Spiip, necessitating a stern anchor to keep us off the neighbouring yachts.  Once we had completed the check in at the gendarmerie in Atuona and had a quick internet hit to download the last 2 weeks of emails, we sailed off to Tahuata, 9 miles away.  It was after sunset when we anchored in Hanamoenoa Bay. 

Tuesday morning we hopped in the dinghy when Miranda spotted manta rays jumping.  We found 3 enormous rays and had the incredible experience of snorkelling with them.  Their 4 to 5 metre size was intimidating but as plankton eaters with no sting in their tail, they are harmless.  Either playful or curious (or perhaps they just wanted to continue feeding despite our presence), they gracefully swam in and around us, even knocking in to Nic and Robin.  Having a creature of that size suddenly pass about a centimetre underneath you causes a sharp intake of breath!  The memory will live with us for a long time, rather like swimming with wild dolphins in Egypt. 

Other than enjoying some good snorkelling, we have been working hard on cleaning the boat and Spiip’s hull, after several washes (the luxury of a water maker), is now gleaming.

Back on Hiva Oa, we visited Hanaiapa Bay, another dramatically stunning anchorage.  We walked up the picturesque village road bordered by verdant and well kept gardens of fruit trees and exotic flowers.  With each stop we are overwhelmed by the warmth and generosity of the locals.  We were invited in to their houses for coffee and cold drinks and left laden with huge stems of bananas, melon-sized grapefruit, mangoes and breadfruit, even bunches of freshly picked watercress and basil.  No one will take any money for the fruit; it seems to be the norm that you just give something in exchange. 

At William’s “Yacht Club” we were also given a lesson in the Marquesan language and now can use a few words of greeting and thanks instead of our rusty French.  Robin was surprised to find quite a few similarities with Maori in New Zealand.  Unfortunately Tahiti has a difference language so we will have to start learning again soon.  Unusually, William spoke good English and for the last 30 years has been welcoming yachts to Hanaiapa.  We signed his latest book while he told us that he sadly lost most of the previous years’ books to a fire.

From Hiva Oa we sailed up to Ua Hika but were unable to stop because of the huge swell running into all the anchorages.  We reached Ua Pou by sunset and anchored in Baie d’Hakahaetau.  On Sunday morning we visited the village, another picture postcard place.  Uao Pou is distinctive for its pillars of volcanic rock that create a magnificent skyline.  It also has a unique rock that is only found there and used for carving tikis.  We had a lovely walk past an archaeological site which gave an idea of how the early communities lived on the islands before they were decimated by the Europeans and Americans.

 In the afternoon we set sail for Nuku Hiva.  On the way we caught a 30 kg yellow fin tuna.  As Robin was reeling it in we realised it was being chased by a good sized shark. (One really doesn’t want to fall overboard around here!) Before Nic gaffed the tuna the shark had taken a good chunk out of its tail.  Miranda has been working hard over the last couple of days to process all the meat and preserve it in oil, resulting in 19 large jars.

FIRST IMPRESSIONS

Having arrived at night we had only a vague feeling for our anchorage on Fatu Hiva until the next morning.  It rightly has a reputation as one of the most spectacular bays in Polynesia.  High cliffs rise on either side adorned with coconut palms and crowned with tall pillars of volcanic rock.  Originally called Baie de Verges (phalli) for its topography, visiting missionaries disapproved and inserted an “i” in the name.  A river feeds into the end of the narrow bay where there is a glimpse of a white church and the hint of a little harbour behind a stone breakwater.  Spinner dolphins provide daily entertainment but we didn’t see any of the “enormous sharks” mentioned in the pilot book.

The Marquesas, although inhabited by the Micronesian people who populated Hawaii and Easter Island from about the 1^st Century AD, were first “discovered” by the Spanish in 1595.  On arriving in Fatu Hiva, Alvaro Mendaña, was greeted by the tattooed natives paddling out in their canoes in welcome.  He responded by massacring over 200 of them and leaving syphilis as their legacy.  Over the following centuries the islands’ population was further decimated by disease dropping from 80,000 (early 1800s) to 2,000 in 1926.

After 2 weeks at sea we really feel we have finally reached a completely new part of the world.  Very different from the Caribbean, there is a distinctive “South Seas” feel to the place; it is the archetypal tropical paradise.  The Marquesas are the most isolated part of French Polynesia and we found that much of the economy still functions through bartering and exchange.  A fishing lure or some good rope can have more value than euros here.  The picturesque village, bordering the river, is pristine and all the houses abound with fruit trees and flowers.  We now have about 25 kilos of enormous grapefruits and, after someone shinnied up a tree to pick them, a sack full of oranges.  We also collected leaves from the extremely fragrant lemon trees to make tea.

The people are incredibly open and friendly and gave us a warm welcome.  Wood, stone and bone carving seems to be the major occupation and we visited several sculptors to look at their work.  Robin and Miranda bought a stunning tiki carved of rosewood.  We were tempted but they are too large and heavy for our hand luggage!  Sunday morning we attended the Roman Catholic church service which was conducted in the native Marquesan language.  The singing was fantastic and their lovely harmonies filled the building. 

We managed to go on a couple of walks to get our atrophied muscles moving after our long passage.  The island is breathtakingly beautiful, very lush and green with dramatic mountains and steep roads and tracks.  Following a path strewn with blossoms, we visited a waterfall and had a refreshing dip in the cool waters at its base. 

It has been a wonderful stop before sailing across this morning to larger Hiva Oa to officially check in.