Our new exhaust manifold showed up at the end of May, and Mike quickly had it installed and the engine running we were finally mobile again, a strange and wonderful feeling!
Our first stop was Hakatea, aka Daniel’s Bay, just a few miles west of Taiohae. It is nestled against the western wall of the volcano crater rim which forms the main backbone of the island of Nuku Hiva. Other cruisers who have seen all of the islands say that this is one of the most spectacular spots they’ve visited. We anchored in one of the two lobes of the bay, in a delightfully sheltered spot – a relief after swelly Taiohae. The place is famous for a gorgeous hike up to Vaipo, a 900-plus foot waterfall, which more than lived up to the hype.