The Islands of Ua Pou and Nuka Hiva

Located 30 miles South of Nuka Hiva, the island of Ua Pou emerges from low-lying clouds smothering various spires from mountain tops. Fittingly, Ua Pou means “two pillars,” and the orography first reminded me of The Chronicles of Narnia scenes.
It is difficult to describe how special it feels to sail upon scenes that look like this. Truly, no matter how difficult a passage might be, seeing new islands with fresh eyes imbues a sense of wonder, reminding me of a young child’s first image of pure joy.

Chocolate and Waterfalls
When we arrived in Hakahetau anchorage, we set our flopper stopper (a device that helps keep the boat from rocking too much) and headed to land. We had heard about a German chocolatier’s home, nestled at the base of one of the spires shooting into the sky.
Eager to stretch our legs and meet the German legend, we proceeded up the hill, enjoying a free swim at one of the waterfalls.



Next top: The Diverse Nuka Hiva

After a few hour’s sail from Ua Pou, we arrived in a vast bay called Taiohae. We dreamed of the multiple restaurants (including pizza) and grocery stores to restock our provisions. Due to the small size of the store in Hiva Oa, this was the first place we knew we might find things like lettuce, tomatoes, and chicken after our long passage from Mexico.
With the help of our trusted French Canadian friends, we easily navigated the stores, farmers’ market, and restaurants. But the highlight of our stop here was going on a guided tour around the island. “Richard,” our guide, regaled us with island facts, history, flora, and fauna for at least 7 hours. He stopped along the road, allowing us to pick wild basil and hot chili peppers; he explained the history of tattoos on their island and shared facts about the turbulent history with their French “benefactors.” Aside from the wealth of knowledge we acquired about the Marquesan islands, he exuded warmth and friendliness (he even gave us a ride back to the grocery stores at the end of the day.)







Plenty of Anchorages to Explore



Anaho Bay, a Special Anchorage

Unlike some of the other exposed anchorages, Anaho Bay attracts lots of sailing boats for its pristine water and the ability to tuck in behind a protected hillside.
We loved everything about this anchorage–except for the terrible No-See-Ums, microscopic biting insects which leave itchy red welts on any exposed skin.




We spent almost a month exploring the lovely and dramatic Marquesas, but the Tuamotos, a cluster of atolls ripe for water exploration further West in the vast South Pacific, was calling our names.
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