Atuona. Hiva Oa 09 48.19S:139 01.84W
Dinghy ashore and leave a stern anchor so the dinghy doesn’t bash up on the rocks with the swell. Darrell in front with John, Gary in the back (twin cab) and Janelle and myself take the back back, the open bit at the rear. Not long and we were up in the clouds and damp which wasn’t so good for photos. This side of the island looks to be constantly wet and is very lush. This changed as we got to the top of the ranges and came on to the dry hot side of the island but with spectacular views. A hairy ride along a winding road right on the edge of the mountains took us up high and down to villages along the fringing bays. Stunning scenery. We visited the cultural village of Puamau and spent some time in an ancient ceremonial site with several tikis. This site is surrounded by beautiful ginger plants all in flower presenting a wonderful sight. From here we had lunch down by the beach before the winding climb back up the mountains out of the sun and back into the rain on the other side. The dinghy was full of dirty water from the run off on the dock and the rain…The joys of sailing!!!! It was too wet for us to complete the tour to the grave and museum of Gauguin the French painter. He lived here for some years and while France didn’t like his paintings ( a bit too modern for them) the islanders loved him so he was a famous citizen. I think he died in 1903. We will find out when we go today (Thursday) to finish our tour. The supply ship (the Aranui) is due to arrive today and the news is that everything is fresh this afternoon. From here you won’t hear from us for a couple of weeks as we won’t have internet for that long, but as soon as we have service I’ll send off a blog.