Paradise Found!
.
Thursday, May 20th – It is not far along the south coast of Nuku Hiva from Baie de Taiohae to Daniel’s Bay. At 1645, we slowly round a point and enter Baie de Taioa. This bay is double-lobbed. Anse Uauka, shallow and uninteresting, is on the east. We continue on to Anse Hakatea staying clear of the undertow and rocks off the peninsula point separating the 2 lobes.
.
We enter Anse Hakatea and immediately feel its peace and serenity.
.
Off the side of the boat is a vertical 1,600-foot mountain ridge whose impressive starkness draws the eye. Then we make a jog to the right, find our spot in the bay and drop anchor. At 1700, we are secure in Daniel’s Bay. We do not need to leave the boat to know the magical perfection of this place. We have found ourselves another tropical Paradise!
.
Anchored in the bay with us is a catamaran Endless Summer whose owners we have met before. During the usual exchange of boat experiences and sailing adventures, we tell them about our fuse problem. It just so happens that they have a spare 250 amp fuse of the same type and would prefer to have a smaller one instead. What incredible luck! Only in Paradise! Another trade is quickly made! We are back to normal operations and can recharge using our generator without blowing all the circuits.
Friday, May 21st – We spend a leisurely morning organizing and sprucing up Avante. We swim a little, relax a little and just plain enjoy the setting. In the afternoon, we launch the dinghy to explore the coastline and shore. Anse Hakatea is also double-lobed. The lobe we are anchored off features a gorgeous white sand beach as well as a typical rustic island homesite. It is here that Daniel and Antoinette used to live. They welcomed cruisers with fresh water and tropical fruit. In return, they only asked that their log book be signed and possibly a donated photo of your boat to add to their collection. From such hospitality arose the cruisers’ name for the spot: “Daniel’s Bay”.
.
We land on the beach and walk along the shore. There are horses are tethered nearby and a few open-sided buildings, but we see no one. How The First Mate would have liked to know if the descendants of Daniel and Antoinette still lived here!
.
Returning to the dinghy, we motor into the second lobe, which forms the opening to a deep, high valley. A spectacular waterfall cascades from a 2,000-foot plateau at the end of this valley. The stream running down to the shore meanders leisurely, and just before it reaches the ocean, it fills a lovely lagoon. The setting is perfect. We motor as far up the river as we can without worry of being stuck in the mud at low tide. Dinghy tied, we proceed onto shore.
There are a few local people about, and it is obvious that people do live here. A hunter has returned from the hills, and the skinned carcass of a goat is hanging from a tree while the day’s catch of fish is being attended to on the beach. Our objective is to find the start of the trail that leads to the waterfall, for that is tomorrow’s adventure. We ask and are readily shown where to head tomorrow morning. Happily, we return to Avante for a swim, cocktails and dinner.
Saturday, May 22nd – With full water bottles, snacks and a couple of plastic bags to hold any stray tropical fruit we might see along the way, we head ashore the next morning. Initially, the trail is a rough dirt road leading back into the valley. To our surprise, we find ourselves walking through a small settlement of homes. People are busy taking care of chores. We can hear the sound of children at play behind the dense foliage in front of most homes.
.
There are no electric lines running into this valley. People must rely on generators or, as the homeowner in the photo to the right has done, solar panels.
.
Our books had mentioned that there were a 2 or 3 families living along this bay, but nowhere did we read of an established community of people. We note a few old cars and trucks which seem strange, for the books had also stated that the only access to this valley was by sea; yet the cars would indicate that they do have a road that takes them somewhere. By sea or by land, they are not far from the town of Taiohae, their nearest source of supplies. Having experienced just the other day what is demanded to build a road across these islands, we are left puzzling about where a road might lead.
.
We hike past a very small, open-air church whose alter has been carefully decorated with fresh flowers.
Our hike to the waterfall will take us deep into a valley where over 200 years ago, a very large population lived. The evidence of this is in the great number of ruins that can still be seen. Numerous carved tikis and large ceremonial platforms or marae are scattered throughout this area extending deep into the valley canyon. We find it fascinating that descendants of those ancient worshippers have appropriated those artifacts for their own practical or decorative use in and around their homes.
.
Here an ancient marae or stone ceremonial platform has been used as very stable foundation for a home, and the home has been further embellished with tikis and other structural elements most likely found deep in the jungle, carried out, cleaned up and put on display.
.
Our hike to the waterfalls begins quite pleasantly as we follow the road thru a veritable “Garden of Eden”. Flowers and fruit trees press in on us.
.
Initially, the road runs parallel to the river. It is an easy trek, but gradually the rough road we are following becomes rougher. Roots, trees and stones block the way. This road does not and cannot lead up and out of the valley. We cross a stream and shortly find ourselves on a narrow trail. We now know for sure there is no land connection out of this valley and that the few cars we saw were brought in by boat. Their use? Maybe just to haul things and people up and down this short stretch of road and to give the people of this isolated valley a feeling of modernity.
.
Deep in the valley, the trail becomes indistinct, and for a while, we lose it completely as it runs through an area of old foundations and ruins. Was this a large ceremonial site or a cluster of homes? We have no idea, but there are a great number of mango trees that The First Mate is determined to investigate on our return trip. Ultimately, we find the trail again and continue on through the heavy jungle growth.
.
Approaching the end of the valley and the waterfall, the vegetation changes dramatically. We suddenly emerge from the densely shadowed, over-grown and decaying jungle into bright sunlight, verdant green foliage and vertical canyon walls. We are following a narrow trail carved through a thick carpet of vibrant green foliage topped with small blue flowers. Without the noonday sun shining down from a vivid blue sky, the feeling would have been quite somber and claustrophobic.
.
Instead, The First Mate feels like Dorothy in The Wizard of Oz romping through the field of poppies with the Emerald City beckoning in the distance. Fortunately, we have no wicked witch casting sleeping spells upon us.
.
We hike on to the end of the trail. The waterfall is not a raging torrent of water, but its height is definitely impressive. One of our books claims that it is the third highest waterfall in the world, though we have learned not to believe everything we read in our books aboard Avante. True or not, the water does spill down from a dizzying height.
.
We relax and absorb the wonder of our surroundings. Tom stands by the water’s edge with the falls tumbling into a cave-like cavern behind him.
.
Can we climb over those rocks and get down into that very private cavern? Of course we can, and The Captain leads the way! After a bit of bouldering, we gain access to the pool below the waterfall and plunge in for a refreshing swim. No angry eels or scummy water this time. Just cool, clean water plunging down from the canyon rim so very high above us.
.
The First Mate knows that the memory of this hike, this valley and the waterfall will be one she will conjure up at those times when she, like all of us, needs a lift.
.
All too soon, it is time to head back. Reversing our steps, we hike out the steep valley and into the woods, stopping along the way to pick up a few fallen mangoes and wild limes. Our last day in The Marquesas — what a marvelous day!
.
Les Iles Marquises are the farthest east of the several groupings of islands that comprise the vast area of French Polynesia. Whether by design or benign neglect, travel of people and goods to these islands from the main distribution point of Papeete, Tahiti is limited. These islands are not on the average tourist itinerary, and the tourist who does make it to these islands must be of the hearty sort, for accommodations are minimal. As a result, The Marquesas are not overrun with a vast and growing number of tourists. The people, especially outside the 2 major towns of Atuona and Taiohae, are friendly, open and welcoming. This was our first stop on our voyage across the Pacific Ocean, we came here looking for the proverbial Pacific Paradise. Disheartened at first by a rough anchorage at Atuona and by the number of fellow cruisers we found in our first anchorages, we eventually did find our version of Pacific Paradise. It is there in the steep ridge-backed cliffs descending from the cloud-covered highlands down to the sea. It is there in white sand beaches along quiet bays fringed with palm trees. It is there in the friendly people going about their everyday business with their welcoming, lilting greetings of “Bonjour”. It is there because this is one of the few places yet to be discovered by the gathering crowds of this world.
.
For The First Mate and The Captain, Les Iles Marquises were beautiful, spectacular and unique. May they stay that way for a long, long time. We plan to return and will tread lightly when we do.