The fabulous anchorages of Nuka Hiva just keep getting more fabulous. Or in French, fabuluex (the "x" is silent, your upper lip curling up snootily for best effect). Fantastique also comes to mind. (French spelling - pronounced with long "ahhs" and "steeck" the ending). Fawntahsteek!

We are anchored at Baie Hakatea and spent yesterday hiking up and back to the waterfall at the head of the Hakaui valley. Fabuleux! The outing starts on a beach called Daniels, named for Daniel and his wife Antoinette who lived here for over 60 years, but who recently passed away. Rumor has it that this beach was also the site for one of the camps in the fourth "Survivor" series. Perhaps one of the shows fans can confirm this for us, never having much watched the show ourselves. But I would choose this beach for a camp. The beach is isolated and primitive, yet with a decent power boat the film crew could commute back to the main city around the corner in under 20 minutes and spend their nights in air-conditioned comfort.

In an odd irony, Nuku Hiva was discovered by Polynesians who settled the island and quickly divided into two tribes. Warfare between them continued for centuries. Is Survivor is a parody of Polynesian history?

Although the trek up the valley is billed as a waterfall hike, it has multiple attractions. Just up the beach and along the river are several small farms. Although one farmer we spoke with was loading up his doorless pickup with produce for delivery to town, the 7 or 8 small farms we passed along the way seemed more intent on subsistence farming, growing the produce for their own use. I've gone on and on in previous posts detailing the profusion of fruits grown in these valleys and here was no exception. The difference? A visually stunning setting.

Are you familiar with Mount Si in the North Bend area? Close to an area we call Bybee farm, Mount Si soars off the valley floor. Here in the Hakatea valley, the relief of Mount Si would qualify as flat - or perhaps a gentle slope. The farms in this valley have soaring 2,000 foot vertical cliffs as a backdrop. In fact, at one point up the valley, it looks like the mountains are leaning out over you. It is truly unbelievable and I hope that the photos we post in the galley adequately convey the effect.

On the opposite side of the farmland is a small river (or very large creek) flowing through the valley, providing water for irrigation and even power. Do you have a desire to engage in sustainable agriculture? It's been happening here for over 800 years - with occasional breaks for raids on the neighboring valleys - or defending yourself from raids by those same neighbors. All kidding aside, it's difficult to imagine a place more gifted in terms of soil, climate and available water.

Walking up the valley, the soil turns to volcanic rubble, the farms give way to jungle and the cliffs begin to close in from both sides. But the evidence of man remains ever-present. Not today's man, however. Around every corner are constructions by yesterday's man. Pae-pae, rectangular rock bases constructed as platforms for houses are still to be found. Trees now grow up through them, pushing the rocks apart and ruining what men built who knows how many eons ago. Much of the trail up to the water fall was built of rocks as a former road, wide enough for two people to pass side-by side complete with fills and tall rock walls built over creek beds to keep the trail reasonably level. In places, one actually walks alongside the old trail, as the vegetation has grown up through it, rendering it easier to walk alongside the old trail rather than on it. Totally fascinating and a little eerie.

The finale is the waterfall with not a lot of water but with a huge amount of fall and a dramatic closed-in canyon. Again, I hope the pictures do it justice, but it is so big and so in-your-face that it is impossible to fit it into a typical camera lens. We tried.