Catching Up, Fatu Hiva

Hello Again!

We are currently in Papeete, Tahiti after leaving the Marquesas and spending a few weeks in the Tuamotus.

We have a lot to catch up on so here are some pics from the Marquesas…

After spending too much time in Hiva Oa (loved it) we finally had a weather window to head south. We had a wonderful 40 mile sail from Hiva Oa to Hanavavae Bay, Fatu Hiva.

Fatu Hiva, even more dramatic than Hiva Oa. My pictures just don’t convey the beauty of the landscape. Sun-up entering Hanavavae Bay:

Hanavavae Bay (bay of virgins):

If you look at the shoreline under the coconut palms, in the lower center of the picture there is a roundish rock split diagonally in two. This is called Lizard Rock, it’s on the chart. The smaller triangular piece is the lower jaw, the larger rounder piece is the head and if you look closely you can see a third rock jutting up from the lower jaw which forms the tongue.

Dea Latis:

Black volcanic shoreline:

The day after arriving we took a wonderful hike to a nearby waterfall. We had been told the fall was dry but the hike still beautiful so we did it anyway. The hike was about an hour and a half each way, great exercise and wonderful scenery.

“mooooo” or…whatever…

Paved road turned to dirt, getting close. Wonderful scenery:

The last quarter mile +/- was quite aggressive:

Once off the obvious path, people erect these little markers to mark the trail:

Through here:

and around/under here:

To here. It poured during the night so there was a trickle of water over the fall. The falling water was warm but the pool below was quite cold:

It was really hot so I had to take a swim:

…foliage:

After a nice swim we hiked back to “town.”

Coconuts are a huge industry in French Polynesia:

Fruit grows everywhere:

Back on paved road, loved the scenery:

After a few days we departed Fatu Hiva and the Marquesas for the Tuamotus.