Ua Pou, Marquesas Archipelago, French Polynesia – Hakahau harbour

Where are the humans now?

*The humans are ‘pretty much’ smack dab in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, not far south of the equator.* *The Marquesas are the most northerly group of islands that makes up the South Pacific nation of French Polynesia.* *Tahiti is the capital island.*

THE ISLAND of UA POU

Ua Pou is an island in the Marquesas of French Polynesia. The island is much younger “geologically” than it’s populated northern neighbours. It is most famous for it’s photographic back drop, the impressive basalt pinnacles, that dominate the interior, and the rare ‘flower’ stones that show up on it’s beaches. Both of which are the result of it’s unusual volcanic birth.
The majority of the tourism on the island centres around cultural festivals, guided hikes to the interior and wood and stone carving. We were fortunate to arrive during Heiva. A month long celebration through out French Polynesia. This coincides with school holidays and everyone in the community looks forward to participating and watching a whole host of activities including many dance presentations.
We have been to Ua Pou before, but only for a quick visit.

Click on the link below, if you want to read about our previous visit:

Hakahetau Bay, Ua Poa, Marquesas, French Polynesia – Rocky spires, tropical waterfalls and a mad German making organic chocolate in the jungle

My humans swore we would return and see a bit more. This time they decided to make the main village, Hakahau, in the north of the island as their base for explorations.

WARNING!

I was out of Internet range for a couple of days and my paws got away from me on the computer. Feel free to jump to the pictures with my furry blessing.

SAILING FROM NUKU HIVA TO UA POU

The humans just finished a refit anchored off the village of Taiohae on the south coast of Nuku Hiva. A refit that should have taken only a few months. Without the financial pressure of PAYING for a yard, they managed to drag out the process FOREVER. They tell everyone it was due to supply problems during the Pandemic. The truth is they escaped to have fun when ever the opportunity arose. No more excuses! It was time to become a sailing boat once again and test all these bits they CLAIM to have fixed.

*The very protected bay of Taiohae on the island of Nuku Hiva. Our home during a refit.*

Of course, you know my humans. Departing Nuku Hiva turned into a whole fiasco. Twisted anchors, huge swells and a lot of time crawling in the bilge. We did actually get going in the end. If you really want the full details, jump to the addition at the end of the blog.
See Addition 1: Leaving Nuku Hiva

*Everyone remembered their job and seating p*lans

*Wind picked up during the crossing so we had to put a reef in.*

*A fast calm passage with the island of Ua Pou and it’s famous basalt spires coming into view*

THE VILLAGE OF HAKAHAU

THE HARBOUR

What a wonderful place!
We had shunned the main harbour in the northeast of the island on our first visit because we were told you need a stern anchor. We were all pleasantly surprised how lovely and protected this anchorage was.
See Addition 2: Pros and Cons of the Harbour as an anchorage at the end of the blog

Sandy clear shallow water for my humans to anchor in and a BIG long protected beach for me run and swim. Even a fresh water shower to rinse off the sand before returning to the boat. I was in heaven! My humans found lots to amuse themselves ashore

HEIVA FESTIVITIES

The July Heiva festivities kick off with the Bastille Day parade and then keep on going for the whole month. It is a great time of year to visit French Polynesia. Last year was the Pandemic, so this year everyone was anxious to get out and celebrate again. Anchor trouble meant we celebrated Bastille Day with a grand parade in the village of Taiohae, Nuku Hiva. But we decided it would be fun to see how they celebrate this festival on Ua Poa.

In the capital, on the island of Tahiti, Heiva presentations are entirely professional dancers, chorographers, designers, technicians and venues are all paid for. Tickets for these extravaganzas sell out well in advance. On the smaller islands, such as Ua Pou, Heiva is still a community affair. Participants and audience are friends, family and neighbours. We were the only strangers and, although too late to participate, we were welcome to observe.

Temporary restaurants were built from palm fronds and tables set up around the covered festival ground. Food and drink was served making it an almost “dinner dance” atmosphere.

*Different groups and activities every night* *during the month of July*

TOURING THE ISLAND

You can rent a 4 wheel drive car cheaper in Ua Pou than any of the other island in the Marquesas. The fact there is no ‘ring road’ around the island, many sections are unpaved, and you rarely leave 2nd gear may be a determining factor. On this excursion I got to join the humans.

We drove around the east coast the first day. It was not the best choice of days. We spent the majority of the trip either in the high rain clouds or getting drizzled on down below on the pebble beaches. That did not deter the humans from hunting for the famous flower stones.

*I enjoyed the beach walks, but the humans never did find their own stone.*

*The weather cleared up for the west coast drive.*

*The northern section of this coastline is drier, but has the best views to the interior spires*

*The south of this coast gets a bit more rainfall and as a result is much more rich and fertile*

*Beautiful colourful villages along this coast line*

*One of the highlights were visiting the tiny airport*

*A few sharks will never stop me catching a cooling swim!* Yes, that is a shark behind me!

If you would like more information on touring around the island by car, see Addition 3 at the end of the blog

SUPPLY SHIP ARRIVALS

Life in Ua Pou centres around the scheduling of the supply ships. These ships come from the capital and bring raw materials and processed goods from abroad. In turn, they are the only market for locals to sell local materials and ship crafts to the bigger tourist markets. There is a flurry of hunting, fishing and fruit picking just before on is set to arrive.

One of the supply ships that visits the Marquesas has converted half their deck space to a cruise liner. A weird combination of cranes, shipping containers and balconies. The Aranui dominates the harbour when it arrives. If you can stand being overlooked, it is quite fun to join in the festivities the village puts on for visitors.

*A intimidating neighbour in the small harbour, but the pilots of the supply ships are very professional.*

*The harbour takes on a party atmosphere when the supply ship arrives.* *Even the kids get into the fun*!

Musicians come out to play, craftsmen put their latest creations on display and a group of ladies always come out to teach the visitors some palm weaving so they can leave the island with a head garland, bowl or purse. *Banana leaves are filled with chopped fruit and chunks of coconut to keep the visitors refreshed.*

*One of the local dance groups puts on a display and than the guest are supplied with a luxurious buffet lunch of local delicacies. It is worth being in the harbour when the Aranui arrives!*

WELCOMING PEOPLE

I can not fault the friendliness of the people on the island of Ua Pou. Even in the busy village of Hakahau everyone made me and the humans feel welcome. Always a greeting with a sincere smile. Many stopped to have a chat, lend a hand, share their fruit or invite us to lunch. The humans shared a few good meals, a few fun adventures and collected more life stories.

*The villagers of Hakahau will not let you starve*

*We learned how much importance Marquesans place on their garden. They can tell you who in their family planted every individual tree. The fruit they bear is a living legacy.*

*Juliette travelled extensively as a French teacher, but could not wait to return home to the simple and clean subsistence lifestyle she grew up with on her families lands in Ua Pou.* *She kept the humans well feed for their hiking adventures.*

HIKING

One thing that my humans love is hiking in the Marquesas. No biting snakes, venomous insects or dangerous carnivores. Wild boar (pigs), are the one exception, but there is no chance my noisy humans would ever surprise one of them.

One problem with hiking in the Marquesas is every trail goes UP. It took a little while for the humans to gain “their stride”, but it was worth it. Going UP does give you the best view of the world. That is, if you do not get completely lost. Some how my humans do this too often.

HAKAHAU to ANAHOA with a visit to the cross

*This is one of the easiest hikes and offers great views*

*You take the road in the furthest eastern corner of the harbour and follow that up and up*

*At the ridges saddle the dirt track will split. One route will decend into the neighbouring Anahoa Bay*, the other track heads north up the ridge towards the white cross. Head for the cross.

*From this vantage point you can get some great shots of the islands interior*

*Now you can descend back down the ridge and into the next sandy bay*

*All the guides warn that the nonos (tiny mosquitos) on this beach are bad. Despite knowing this the humans still managed to get themselves* EATEN ALIVE! *So bring bug spray.*

*Than back to the harbour for a swim to cool their bites*

HAKAHAU to ANEOU (Airport) BAY

*This hike is along paved roads. At least most of it is.*

*Take the road that exits the valley on the far western side. There is very little shade on this hike, so get off early and get the accent done before the heat sets in*

*Once you finish the accent the road follows a high plateau*

*Up on the plateau you get great views out to sea and might spot a some of the wild horses that flourish here.*

*From up here you also get great views of the interior, when the clouds behave.*

*Half way down into Aneou valley you get a great view of the islands tiny airport. The humans were too lazy to hike all the way down as they dreaded the hike back up again!*

*It is hard to find anywhere to land a plane on this young volcanic island. The run here, at 830m*, can only accommodate small planes.

*Walking on a road is easy, and hard for my humans to get too lost. But it is hard on their poor feet. Time to return to the harbour and soak them in the sea*

HAKAHAE to the INTERIOR PINNACLES

My silly humans do like a challenge. There are clearly marked hiking paths up to the interior from the valley of Hakahetau on the west coast. But my humans wanted to find a way to get to them from Hakahau Valley in the north. You just know troubles coming!

My humans had seen a hand drawn map with a clear indication that there was a trail from the north. Did it lead all the way to Hakahau? They asked the local villagers and they said it was possible, but you need to bring a machete and clear your own trail. *Saying that, no one they asked had ever done it themselves.*

*The humans decided to head up and see if they could find a trail. No harm in trying, right?* *As they ascended up out of the valley the locals they met assured them they were on the right trail and to keep going up. They also insisted they load themselves down with more pamplemouse.*

*Higher and higher the humans headed up into the interior. The harbour disappearing in the distance.*

*Then they got lost. Every path they tried ended in the thick jungle impregnable jungle.* *So what did they do? They turned to modern technology and the wonder of google earth imagery and GPS.*

*Confidently heading in the right direction the humans determinately headed onward and upward*. *They were warned they would have to make their own path.*

If you have not hiked in the jungle before, there are a few complication you have to deal with besides the heat, humidity, razor grass and bugs. You really can not see ANY THING through the thick growth of trees. Even on the top of ridges it is hard to get your bearings. Google Earth images have the same problem. All they show is a sea of green.

*The humans used GPS, but surprise, surprise they found a deep river valley between themselves and their quarry.* *Stubbornly they continued along the ridge trying to hike around the valley but ended up at a cliff wall instead.*

*If the humans thought admitting defeat was hard, nothing compared to finding their way back!*

*Anyone MAD ENOUGH to try this, here is another map the humans found and marked out in green and purple is where the humans THINK they went wrong????!!!!*

Sounds like a challenge to try it again. Maybe with not so many pamplemouse in their back packs!

*I will not be joining them. I am a beach bum at heart. The humans are crazy to think getting lost in the jungle is fun???!!!*

If you want to learn more about hikes in Ua Pou, see Addition 3 at the end of the blog.

MARQUESAN TATTOOS

Some humans deal with midlife crisis by treating themselves to a fancy sports car. My silly human treated himself to ink.

*Four years ago my human got a manta ray tattoo by FELIX on the Marquesan island of Tahuata*

Click on the link below if you want to read about the humans first tattoo here in the Marquesas:

Tattoo – Maquesas, French Polynesia

*He has been in the Marquesas too long and gone all native.*

If you would like to learn a bit about the symbolism used in Marquesan tattoo designs, here is an explanation of the humans latest “INK”

I PROMISED I WOULD ADD SOME MORE PICTURES AND VIDEO

If you have not yet had enough of these crazy humans here is more pictures and video.

Here are some more photos, and a short video clip from one of the evening events during the Heiva Celebrations in the village of Hakahau

*One of my humans is now taking dancing lessons here in the Marquesas. This should be funny!*

*Wonder if I can convince my other human to learn to dance around in a little grass skirt*?

A few more pictures from the harbour and visiting supply/cruise ships

*Your authour looking on as the Aranui 5 supply/cruise ship arrives in Hakahau harbour*. Barking did not deter them?

*When Aranui comes to town everyone has a little fun*

*An opportunity to indulge in naughty cake*

Reminder – Do take off your hat if you are sitting in the front row. Take note of the “little ones” in this video clip, they are hilarious.

When the supply ship is not in harbour life is much quieter in the village of Hakahau

*Spirit of Argo quietly anchored just off the beach*

*Big long protected beach for me to run, swim and play on*

*Stunning pinnacles as a back drop to the anchorage*

*If you get bored of sun, sea and sand you can always wander into town*

*Ua Pou is renowned for their stone and wood carving*

*Head up to the church if you want to see some of the communities best work*

*Not the kind of thing you find in churches back home*

*On your way back to the boat you will surely be offered fresh fruits from the local gardens*

*Do not be surprised to find a gift left in your tender*

You want to get away a little further there are great hikes along the north coast of the island

*Obviously, you must except every hike out of Hakahau is an accent*

*The north coast of the island is quite dry, once you are away from the valleys river systems. Not much shade, but than no trees to block the view either*

*Lots of little coves you can explore along the north coast*

Everywhere you go on this island you can see evidence of its volcanic birth. Here you can see the line of a volcanic chimney reaching for the surface. The basalt cores above, left behind as the volcanoes exterior erodes.

*Not up for hiking, or want to get further, renting a car here is easy. Do try not to pick a rainy day.*

The beaches on the east coast of the island are very rocky. Human’s should be used to that as they come from Brighton, UK. But this is where the Flower stones can be found. So out in the rain we go.

*The dry northwest coast with the airport*

*Great sandy beaches on the northwest coast, if you do not mind swimming companions*

Not easy to capture our swimming companions on film, but here is a go.

*The herds of wild horses on the island prefer the open north so they can see trouble coming a mile away*

*Some of the roads here are not for the faint at heart*

*Before their was a road, these villages were linked by sea. Many you can sail to anchor off.*

*The southwest is more lush, but the beaches and anchorages more rocky*

*Love the ‘idiot proof’ warning sign they came up with!*

If you STILL have not had enough of these two crazy humans???? Here is more stuff!

ADDITIONS

If you wanted more information, here are a few extra details

Addition 1: Leaving Nuku Hiva

So, you know my humans have had us anchored much too long in Taiohae Bay.

We had to move anchoring spots a few times, but spent a good portion of the last YEAR in the same spot. First order of business was obviously to get my lazy humans to clean the bottom of the boat, the second the ground tackle. The anchor was well buried in the thick volcanic mud. No where to be seen, but we knew that also meant no barnacles
Of course, nothing goes to plan with my humans, so why should the simple task of raising the anchor go any differently. Glad they started lifting the anchor early, because in the end it took 2 days to come up. That is right 2 days, 2 separate dives, 3 anchored neighbours, one moored friend and a mate ashore. Thankfully the idiots had all this help. Why were so many people needed? Well, it turned out somehow the anchor shaft had bent. The twist meant that the anchor ‘cork screwed’ in the sand instead of lifting. So the humans had to dive down and dig it out, with ever bigger shovels, and then attach a trip line to winch it out forward.

In the end, with half the anchorage helping them, the anchor finally came up suspended between Spirit of Argo’s bow roller and the anchored neighbours genoa winch! With the anchor now unusable, what were we to do? Thankfully another neighbour came to the rescue and let my humans borrow his set mooring while they retrieved and fitted a spare in its place. Thankfully he did because my humans did not store their spare anchor in a very accessible place, to say the least.

On top of having a damaged anchor to find a replacement for, the humans now had 3 new problems. This is the usual living with these two. First problem, what were they to do with a 34 kg damaged anchor?

Second problem, now the spare anchor was removed from the bilge there was nothing to protect the steering system. And finally….to make it all worse…..a rare monster storm in the south was sending up a mammoth swell our way.

Madness aboard Spirit of Argo inssued! And just a few curse words.
Motivated by fear the humans worked tirelessly. They got the damaged anchor off and dumped in a mates garden ashore.

They got the spare anchor onto the chain. All in a very rolly anchorage! Then they got to work fibreglassing batons into the bilge so they could strap down any heavy boxes and keep the steering system safe for a passage. But they just did not finish it in time. All they could do was anchor out with as much chain in the water as they could throw out. The arriving storm swell was worse than predicted. Any boats that remained in the bay spend a pretty scary day and night trapped aboard being throw about. Breaking waves along the shoreline up ended trees, swept rocks onto roads and flooding homes and businesses. Thankfully no one was hurt and no boats dragged.

Click on the link below to a local news broadcast clip- in French

https://fb.watch/ekexQmd9Ey/

One good thing. Rocna anchors have a life time guarantee. The humans got a call back from the manufacturer with a promise to get a new one on the next supply ship from Tahiti. How good is that customer service?

As the humans were a ‘little’ stuck, they decided to attend the Bastille Day celebrations and parade. Everyone on the island dresses up and heads to Taiohae. Festivities start with the raising of the national and regional flags.

*A few long winded speeches thrown in for good measure*

*No grand floats in this parade. Just everyone dressed up and marching down the seafront.*

*Each group represents a club, activity or business on the island*

*The parade stops in front of the ‘officials’ road side tent and performs*

Some of these performances do not turn out as planned. See below:

*A grand start to the month long celebration of Heiva*

*No parade in the Marquesas would be complete without the horses they love and the archipelago’s flag*

Addition 2: Pros and Cons of the Hakahau harbour as an anchorage

Pros
Great location in the main village
Crystal clear shallow waters
Long sandy beach with little or no swell
Hot and cold fresh water showers. Cold at the pier and canoe club. Hot up by the bowling area.
Very friendly, helpful and generous villagers
Central location for car rentals, tour operators and hiking guides
Lots of small economical restaurants and take outs
Shops well stocked with imported foods
Crafts sold at the Cultural Centre if you can not find your own flower stone.
Harbour wall makes anchorage very protected and safe
Main village has the biggest venue during festivals
Plenty of room inside the harbours protected waters to drop your sails
No mosquitoes

Cons
Weekends can be noisy if there is a gathering at the Canoe Club, the supply ship dock or the Civic Centre.
Every 2 weeks the supply/cruise ship Aranui comes in and dominates the harbour and village. If you do not mind this, there are some positives!
The winds shift around a lot through the day so you really do need a stern anchor to sit comfortably to any swell that curves around the main breakwater.
The water available along the shoreline is not potable. You have to walk up to the Cultural Centre, beside the Civic Buildings, for filtered and treated water. It is a short walk away, but EVERYONE gets offered a lift back and is usually loaded with fruit at the same time.

Addition 3: Hiking and touring around Ua Pou

An informative article on touring around the island of Ua Pou:

https://xdaysiny.com/4-days-ua-pou-itinerary-marquesas-islands/

Always a fountain of shared information from other sailors. A free download that is regularly updated:

Click to access Marquesas%20Compendium.pdf

Hiking ideas for the valley of Hakahetau:

Hakahetau Bay, Ua Poa, Marquesas, French Polynesia – Rocky spires, tropical waterfalls and a mad German making organic chocolate in the jungle

NO MORE GUYS!

THIS IS REALLY THE END OF THE BLOG……PROMISE!

2 thoughts on “Ua Pou, Marquesas Archipelago, French Polynesia – Hakahau harbour”

2 Comments

Janet Brown
August 21, 2022, 9:44 am

I really enjoy your photos and tales of adventure.What a marvellous life you have chosen to live and admire your lifestyle not for me but love to see how you cope with all your problems.Love the dog xx
Clive wilson
September 1, 2022, 6:57 am

Sure looks like a great adventure you guys are on. Keep safe Cain 👍

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