Mehalah's Voyages: Arrival in Hiva Oa, Fatu Hiva and Passage Pictures

Date: 28th April 2023.

Location: Hiva Oa anchorage, French Polynesia.

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We've now been in French Polynesia for just over a week.

I could tell you about the first island, Hiva Oa, the one where we checked in. About the chaotic check in process where our agent decided April was a good time to go on holiday, or the incredibly expensive groceries (think $50 US for a tub of nuts, $10 US for a kilo of oranges), the friendly lady who lost our laundry for three days, or the very tight anchorage made half the size when the cargo ship was due in. I could tell you about the friendly people, the well stocked chandlery and the sailmaker who will mend our yankee sail. All good there but mostly admin and restocking. Or Tuhuata island with its white sand beach and steep beach that threw us and the kayak like bits of driftwood when we managed eventually to land.

Land Ho after 27 days.

Safely anchored in Hiva Oa.

Traditional Polynesian craft share our anchorage.

Tuhuata North Beach.

But really this post has to be about Fatu Hiva. What. A. Place. We knew the anchorage was supposed to be one of the most impressive in the world. And so it is. But the whole island is just mind blowing. Towering rock sentinels, massive volcanic cliffs and green, green, green. Everywhere fruit trees grow wild and in people's gardens. Grapefruits (pamplemouses) the size of footballs, soursop, bananas, mangos (end of season), beautiful flowers everywhere. And the people are amazing as well. We've been given fruit and talked to a guy drying bananas on a wooden frame the size of a pool table. For two weeks whenever the sun is shining (which is just about all the time) he has to turn the 200 or so longitudinal banana slices every two hours. We bought a couple of his completed packs which are said to last 5 to 7 years!

Preparing the bananas for drying.

Skipper in Fatu Hiva

Whilst there we walked up to "Les Cascades" the big waterfall. Instructions were, walk out of the village there is only one road, turn left at the sign by the switchback, by pass the bull on the track, turn left by the small cairn, up the wire to the falls. We were the only ones there so a quick swim in the pool was required. Gill spotted crayfish but we evaded the biting eels the thickness of a man's leg. Gulp!

Jungly jungly - en route to the falls.

At the falls.

Les Cascades.

Bananas

Amazing scenery everywhere.

Grapefruits (pampelmouses).

Today's haul.

Soursop

Perfect.

Red flower.

Purple flower.

White flower.

Another white flower.

So now we're back in Hiva Oa and making friends with the boats that arrived about the same time as us. We've sorted a lot of jobs and breakages which every boat seems to have after their long passages. Mast stabilised, dinghy engine running again, sail repaired and hoisted, fuel topped up, watermaker looked at. And so it goes on. This is the island that Thor Heyerdahl spent over a year living on and it is also where Gaugin the artist is buried.

Here's a nice story. Our friends on Mowzer have two ten year old twins. In Fatu Hiva they swam with manta rays 8' across from their friends' big catamaran. What did they rave about that evening? Only the fact they were able to have a HOT shower on their friends' cat. No mention of the manta rays. The things we take for granted.

Last night we were on board Malvina for snacks. We met Neil (79) and his family friend Heather (61) in Galapagos and they told us of their trips to Spitsbergen, Norway, Canada and beyond. A great raconteur and a special sailor. Tonight we host two boats that just arrived after crossing the Pacific so we've walked in the heat to town, Atuona, to buy a few provisions. As usual we were picked by one of the locals, a French physiotherapist, and given a lift back to the boat.