One thing we have never appreciated is that this island is where the NZ Maori's originate from. Its strange to see such likeness, yet they speak French and have a French cultural twist to them.
We have been very fortunate to have anchoreddnear us Des & Carol, from S. Africa, and Terry and Elaine from AU and Andy. We met them in Panama. A very different side of cruising is beginning to emerge, with sundowners and pot lucks and excursions together.
We hired a couple of drivers to give us a tour of this beautiful island. The well built narrow concrete roads take you wind their way through the valleys and ridges, precariously hugging the edge of the road, bringing you down to sparsely settled bays. Here we would alight, to view the catholic churches, with its rustic wood carvings, visit a stone carver, take water from a potable spigot, visit a vegetable grower, or simply take in the tidy hamlets, proud in their simplicity.
Lunch was in the bay of Hatiheu, at an ocean side restaurant. It seamed as though we were the only foreigners in the very quiet hamlet.
We visited an ancient Me'ae, an ancient Marquesan site, arranged for ceremonies and gatherings, with one of the largest banyon trees in the Marquesas. It was huge. Our guide gave us an example of one of the native hakas, the haka of the Pig. He certainly sounded like a honking pig!
Every where we went, everything was tidy, neat, well tended, even the road side seamed to have a regular striming!
The next day, as we went for our walk up the valley from town, beyond the pharmacy, we met an amazingly hospitable young man, called Morris, whose wife is related to the late Daniel, from Daniels Bay. He was tending to his crop of bananas and coconuts, , when we came across 4 barking dogs. Out came the owner, a strapping young man, who in his very little English, began offering us bananas and coconut water. After giving us several coconuts, he made us walk down with him to his house to meet his wife, and on the way hooked off some wild papaws giving us 3 to take home. So generous, happy and proud.
We all came away feeling the joy, the generosity the kindness of the Marquesan people. Unfortunately Nuku Hiva was the only island we visited, We were told Fatu Hiva is a mnd most cruisers go there first.
-Picture of the Catholic Church in Hatiheu-