Nuku Hiva

      

    A good stretching of the legs was in order after a long stint at sea. It is hard to miss the large ridge of Muake that stands 864 Meters above Taiohae Bay so I high tailed it up to the ridge to gain a different perspective of the island. The top of Muake offers an excellent view and fired goose bumps  up my arms. While sitting eating lunch and the Balena a little speck of white floating in the bay far below, the realization of what I was doing and the exploration that lay ahead really set in. The only sound was from the lush forest and I sat for a good spell pondering many thoughts a young man would who has come this far alone to a place few have seen. I continued on to the North side where you can see how large the Island really is and decided it best to push on to the next bay the following day and walked back down to town after some fruit hunting in the forest.   An Australian couple had me over for dinner on their 16 Meter Ketch “Nowornot” and we decided it a good idea to sail close by “buddy boat” for a bit since we already had the same plan for the next series of islands. I first wanted to explore Nuku Hiva before pushing on so we planned to meet en route to the Touamotos.  Hakatea Bay lays about 3 miles West of Taiohea and has a secluded anchorage that was quite protected. From the head of Hakatea one can walk through what I refer to as the “The garden of the gods” and after a two hour hike up the valley you can find the second tallest waterfall in the world Ahuii waterfall.

 So on August 2^nd I anchored in Hakatea in the afternoon and rowed the dink ashore to see if I could find the trail to the waterfall. The trail was found and after a river crossing I found myself in a place I will never forget called Hakaui. This so-called village had a hand full of small dwellings, all of which were vacant at the time, and surrounding them in the valley were the residents’ gardens which consisted of acres upon acres of all of the fruit you could imagine. Bananas, Mangoes, Papaya, Breadfruit, Star fruit, Coconut, and many that I have no idea about. I kind of walked along slowly with my mouth open in awe of what I was seeing, the valley cliffs rising steeply on either side all covered in palms with large white birds gliding across the forest canopy. The smells were overwhelming, super sensory overload. I was alone in this valley that I could not believe was real, it was getting late in the afternoon and I knew that the waterfall was two hours from the head of the bay so I returned to Balena for a very secluded dinner at anchor. The following morning I sprang up full of excitement to get back ashore for exploring. I could tell no one else had been down the trail because it was full of spiders with their webs strung across the path to trap anything that would pass. I soon was tired of pulling the webs off of my chest and face and knocking strange spiders out of my way so I found a long green stick and sort of bounced it vertically in front of me as I walked and it proved long enough to clear the webs and their residents as I walked at a fairly quick pace. This time through the garden of the gods it was dawn so the many colors sounds and smells were all different than the previous day. I was again floored by the beauty of this magical place and after passing I soon disappeared into the forest along a small path marked periodically by stacked rocks. As described by a fellow cruiser it was like being in Jurassic Park without the dinosaurs. There are ruins spread throughout the valley leading to the waterfall that date back some 500 years and I found many of them overgrown with vegetation but it was clear where the many structures used to stand with only the stacked rock foundations left. About an hour in you come across an opening in the forest canopy and can see Ahuii towering over the palm covered valley.  As you get closer the cliffs grow tighter together and after three river crossings you find yourself walking into a very small cove cut by the water with the cliffs rising directly overhead to about 1000 feet. The base of the Ahuii was not as spectacular as the view from across the valley. The only section visible from below was about 50 feet tall which cascaded into a small murky pool that was very cold. It soon began to rain so I found a covered area to eat my lunch before returning to the area with ruins for a bit more investigating. I found two horses there that were just wandering around the ruins so I said hello, gave them each a pat on the head and moved along. Being alone two hours inland from a bay only accessible by water among 500 year old ruins was a very interesting experience, I knew that many cruisers and tourists do the same hike routinely but this day was mine alone and sitting in this place imagining what had happened here and what the different structures were used for was quite fascinating. I actually never felt alone the entire time. I was careful of where I stepped and did not touch any of the fruit on my way back through the gardens mostly because it just did not feel right… forbidden I guess. I returned to Balena after about six hours in the forest, spent another night and headed back to Taiohea the next morning. There was word that a Colombian girl was seeking passage West so I thought it best to see if she was interested in coming along. After finding out she had other arrangements I was immediately on my way to the Touamotos.

Cruising notes:

-          No fresh water in Taiohea or Daniels Bay, best option for refilling tanks is in Controller Bay.

-          Welcome to the most expensive place to purchase provisions, if at all possible stock up before leaving the Americas to avoid very high prices throughout Polynesia. Alcohol and beer especially.

-          Internet hotspots are very slow and expensive, there are no cafés on Nuku Hiva and Hot Spot WGD was my best option.

-          No No flies do not like lemons

-          Watch the local dancing and drums, it is very good

-          Deep water anchoring, despite what cruising guides say it is recommended to not use a stern anchor due to strong gusts from every direction, it is better to swing on a snubber than to get blown over sideways. Anchorages are all very rolly and not a good place to work aloft.