Nuku Hiva, Marquesas

Tuesday 20^th June, Hakatea Bay (a.k.a. Daniel's Bay), Nuku Hiva, Marquesas, French Polynesia.

Hmmm, I've just noticed that there are alot of photos in this blog. Maybe Nuku Hiva is particularly photogenic or maybe I've lost all ability to edit. Vote now.

Anyway, just this morning we arrived in this most spectacular of anchorages, completely surrounded by hills and mountains and with views up the magnificent Hakaui valley. Stunning. And so quiet. Only a few other boats and Daniel's house - no village, no roads, no nothing. Well, some goats bleating and earlier someone was strimming Daniel's very well kept lawn. There are a few houses in the other arm of the bay where Karl managed to stock up our fruit supply. The only thing missing was that Karl failed to catch a fish on the short trip over from Taioha'e, otherwise it's the perfect spot to spend the (southern) Winter Solstice.

The approach to Daniel's Bay took nerves of steel - you can't see the entrance until you're right at it so you just have to trust your charts and point straight for land.

The Hakaui Valley with some houses nestled in the palm trees at the head of the bay.

Shopping Nuku Hiva style - call at a local's house....

.....and have your fruit picked to order.

Daniel's house in its beautiful setting.

After our week lounging around on Tahuata we did indeed get a weather window to sail up to Nuku Hiva (population 3000). My final swim/walk ashore on our last morning in Tahuata was ruined when I noticed a dog coming straight for me (I'm afraid of dogs and I didn't have Karl to act as a decoy) up the otherwise completely empty beach. So I dashed for the water, clambering desperately over slippery submerged rocks. But then so did it! A bloody swimming dog! Yes, I know dogs can swim, but at the time it seemed quite outrageous. I was in complete panic mode at this stage, there was some squealing, there was some yelling, there was some splashing, it was not my finest moment. I made it very clear to doggie that we would not be going for a friendly swim together and he should return to shore forthwith. He eventually did, leaving me floating in the bay trying to regain my breath, composure and reputation. Not a good start to the day. It wasn't the greatest of sails up to Nuku Hiva either: we had a beautiful start, hooning past the Bordelais Channel and Hiva Oa, then some nasty squally stuff ruined Karl's watch and dinner, then I had a perfectly uneventful watch and we got to Controleur Bay the next morning. After nosing into the bay and confirming that the full extent of the ocean swell also seemed to have nosed into the bay we quickly retreated and decided to go straight to the capital, Taioha'e, in the next bay instead where we were greeted on arrival by a dolphin welcoming committee. Correct decision.

Taioha'e (population 1800) is the capital of the Marquesas so there are a few governmenty administrativy buildings as well as a hospital and a cathedral. It's is a lovely town. Fishermen sell tuna fresh off the boat at the dock. A cafe right at the dock turns that tuna into delicious poisson cru. There's a daily fruit & veg market and two good supermarkets. It also had a post office with....wait for it.....SIM cards!!!!! Oh the excitement.

Government building flying flags of French Polynesia, France and the Marquesas.

The cathedral is a distinctly Polynesian take on catholic idols.

They catch serious fish around here.

And serve them up just a few metres away.

Fruit and veg market - a sailor's delight.

There's a giant tiki on a hill in the harbour on the site of what was a US navy base built back during the 1812 (or Anglo-America) War. How obscure. The US established Fort Maddison and Maddisonville on little old Nuku Hiva to stop the British taking over......something or other. I hadn't even known of the existence of that war. They left again in 1814 and no-one apart from the missionaries bothered the locals until France decided to take over in the second half of the century.

Giant tiki on the site of the former Fort Maddison above the dock.

We wandered around town, we hired a car and drove to the airport (no really, it was a beautiful drive) over the mountains and into the clouds, we saw a manta ray just hanging out at the dock, we ate alot of poisson cru and we found a restaurant that had craft beer on tap. I had a proper, indulgent birthday for the first time in years after 2022 (the day after we hauled in Curaçao so I was put to work in the boatyard), 2021 (marooned in JFK airport), 2020 (on passage from St. Helena to Grenada), 2019 (on passage from Torres Strait to Darwin) and I don't even remember 2018. And while in Nuku Hiva there were even a couple of days of heavy rain which we collected so we could indulge in things like baths, laundry and dying my hair.

Outrigger boatshed in Taioha'e with traditional style woven walls.

The Marae in Taioha'e.

Cows looking pretty resentful that we're coming through their patch.

Bracing! More like driving in Tassie or Ireland than in the tropics.

It's all bustle at the airport.

Other excitements while we were there included Karl being Net Controller for the HF net one week, woohoo! He took his preparation very seriously (mainly learning how to pronounce the name of the net and making a bid to change it from "Escapee" to "SKP") and the general consensus was that it was a great success. We also met (when we gave her a lift from the dock back to her boat) an amazing proper sailor, Jeanne Socrates (www.svnereida.com), who was the oldest person to do a single-handed, non-stop circumnavigation via the Great Capes (a real circumnavigation). She's on her way around again but taking her time this time and stopping to smell the roses. And we were in port for the arrival of the Aranui: part container ship and part cruise ship – literally half and half – the main supply line to the outer islands from Tahiti. And now we have a couple of days here in Daniel's Bay before setting off for the next island group – the Tuamotus (or as my brother likes to say the Tuam-otus. You see I'm from Tuam, pronounced "choom", anyone from Tuam would find that hilarious).