March 4, 2019
Nuku Hiva Day #1: Hiking under a Brilliant
Blue Sky & Enjoying a Local Folkloric Show
February 16, 2019
NUKU HIVA ISLAND, French Polynesia – The best weather yet on our trip, a 40-foot-tall tiki statue atop a hill that was the site of an early 1800s fort, an outstanding hike to a viewpoint overlooking a gorgeous bay, a delicious dinner aboard Oceania Marina, and an amazing local folkloric show by Nuku Hiva dancers and drummers – it all adds up to the best day so far on our cruise around French Polynesia.
Got up at 12:50 p.m. Oceania Marina was scheduled to anchor at Nuku Hiva at noon, and I managed to sleep through it. Bummer.
Nuku Hiva, 127 square miles (a bit less than twice the size of the District of Columbia) is the largest of the Marquesas Islands, one of five archipelagos that make up the far-flung territory of French Polynesia. It has a population of 3,150. If you’re a fan of the “Survivor” reality show, you might recall the fourth installment was filmed on Nuku Hiva. The island features Vaipol Waterfall, the tallest in French Polynesia at 1,148 feet.
Mom and I went upstairs to have lunch at Waves Grill, fulfilling our mutual craving for a burger and fries.
Then we took a tender ashore at 2:54. After a short trip to the Petit Quai (small pier) in the main town of Taiohae, we were greeted by a pair of female dancers dressed in colorful pareus and headdresses.
To the left is the town’s beach, which is so brown it looks like mud. Can’t say I’ve ever seen a beach like that before!
Taiohae is located at the edge of an ancient volcanic crater that collapsed into the sea, forming Taiohae Bay.
Oceania only offered one shore excursion here despite the fact we’re visiting for two days. There are multiple times for the tour, but they were all sold out before the cruise, so Mom and I are self-exploring.
Hiking to Tehaatiki Viewpoint
Mom headed for a few vendor stalls near the Petit Quai while I set off at 3:18 for a hike. Time to stretch my legs after 47 hours at sea traveling nearly 1,000 miles here from our last port of call, Bora Bora Island.
Just uphill from the small pier I came to the most fantastic thing I’ve seen thus far in French Polynesia: a hill overlooking the bay with numerous carved figures, the most prominent being Tika Tuhiva, the highest contemporary sculpture in the Pacific. It features a 40-foot-tall female tiki next to a 26-foot-tall male warrior.
The sculpture park sits atop a hill that previously held a military post, Fort Madison, which was built in 1813. Tiki Tuhiva was commissioned in 2016 to erect on the hilltop a monumental tiki expressing the Marquesan culture.
“Its iron structure is entirely covered with shotcrete coated with ‘keetu’ (a reddish volcanic tuff used by Marquesan stone carvers) mixed with various volcanic stones,” according to an information sign. “Both statues needed six months and six people to be erected. … With the ancestral strength inherited from woman tiki – The warden of tradition and knowledge – Warrior Tuhiva steps forward to master his future.”
There are several other smaller sculptures surrounding the enormous main piece.
Standing in front of Tiki Thuiva, there’s fantastic views to the left of a small white-sand beach and to the left of the sailboat-filled Taiohae Bay.
Leaving the hilltop, I set out to find the trail to Tehaatiki Viewpoint. I was lost for a few minutes before coming upon a directional sign. I passed above the Grand Quai, the large pier where small cargo ships dock when calling at Nuku Hiva.
I reached the end of the road at 3:58 and continued on the hiking trail. The weather was spectacular today – by far the nicest day Mom and I have had during our 11 days in French Polynesia. Being so far northeast of the Society Islands, the climate here in the Marquesas is much drier. Whereas it’s the rainy season in most of French Polynesia, here the island looks semi-desert, lacking the lush green jungle slopes we’ve seen on the four previous islands we’ve visited. Today was the bluest sky I’ve seen yet on our trip and the sun was blazing. A nice change of pace from all the gray clouds we’ve seen above nearly every day so far.
Tehaatiki Trail leads clockwise around the bay to the overlook, which I reached at 4:30 p.m. after hiking 2.18 miles from the small pier. My phone’s GPS showed an elevation of 475 feet as I looked down on fabulous views of the bay. Yeah it’s hot, but what a fantastic day!
I started back down at 5:01, taking a short detour to Haetapatu Beach, a small pebble beach. The trail ended at somebody’s campsite (nobody around though). The descent to the beach was extremely steep, so I opted not to go down there.
Delicious Dinner
Returned to Petit Quai just before 6:00. My hike came to 4.38 miles. Tendered back to the ship. Relaxed on our cabin’s balcony sorting and posting today’s photos, then headed to the Grand Dining Room for dinner. I started with a shrimp cocktail. Next I ate a green mango-papaya salad with cilantro dressing.
For the main course, I devoured lobster pad thai – the first time I’ve ever eaten this signature Thai noodle dish with lobster! Mom and I are both amazed that you can get lobster pretty much every night aboard Oceania Marina. Definitely something I have never seen on a cruiseship before.
Everything was delicious. Oceania prides itself on gourmet dining, and so far we have been quite impressed by all the wonderful food. To top it off, and to reward myself for that hike I did today, I gorged on dessert: milk chocolate mousse cake with a caramel ganache, and a bowl of raspberry sorbet. Unrequested, we were also offered a tray of homemade cookies and “petits fours.”
Fantastic Local Folkloric Show
Most every night on a cruise, my tales of the day conclude with dinner. I normally retire to my stateroom to work on photos, videos, and blog writing; read; and/or watch TV. But tonight was the one time on this cruise I would attend the show in the Marina Lounge. Since we are spending the night in port, we were treated to a local folkloric show, “A Taste of Nuku Hiva,” at 9:30.
This is the kind of local entertainment I wish Oceania Marina offered more often. I don’t care for the boring typical shows that you could watch on nearly any cruiseship. When traveling somewhere exotic such as French Polynesia, I want to be exposed to the local culture. I was highly disappointed Marina offered no local performance when we overnighted at Bora Bora.
The 40-minute show was fabulous, featuring four male and four female dancers as well as five drummers. The dances were mesmerizing, and the costumes definitely not something you see often.
Audience participation played a role in several of the dances. Both Mom and I were among those brought up to stage to try to emulate some of the local dance moves. It upped the entertainment value greatly – and oh my you don’t realize how much physical exertion these performances require until you are up there yourself!
The Nuku Hivans invited passengers up for photographs after the show. This was definitely a special night.
An absolutely wonderful day winding down, I was I bed at 10:33 to tackle my regular nighttime tasks: sorting and posting photos as well as watching TiVo. Fell asleep about 2:20 a.m.
We’ll spend a second day here tomorrow, then set sail at 6 p.m. for our sixth port of call, Fakarava Atoll in the Tuamotu Islands.
