Fatu Hiva
During the dark of night the National Geographic Endeavour dropped anchor in the Bay of Virgins on the west coast of Fatu Hiva. Fatu Hiva is an island of Marquesan superlatives: the most remote, the furthest south, the wettest and lushest, and the most authentic. With no landing strip and infrequent support from islanders on Hiva Oa, Fatu Hiva’s paradise remains relatively untouched. As the sun’s light began to cast illumination upon the geology of the Baie des Verges (Bay of Penises), it was clear that our anchorage was in a stunning locale. Gazing at the bay’s volcanic features, which were topped by dramatic phallic-shaped rock formations, it was clear as to why the area had been so labeled. However, upon discovery by European missionaries, none too pleased with the name, with a flick of the pen they added one letter, and phonetically renamed it the Bay of Virgins.
We were presented with a couple of activity choices on this stellar morning. A few of the more intrepid opted for a long hike (approximately 10 miles) through the island’s interior. Most of us chose to snorkel along the dramatic basalt walls comprising the bay’s southwest flank. From the snorkel platform a very different breed of tropical underwater terrain was revealed. The Marquesas are geologically young, their shores not yet host to reef forming, coralline buildup. However, the fish life was impressive. Scores of surgeonfish, boxfish, triggerfish, and damselfish, among others, swam along the wall. Compact holes in the wall provided refuge for a small community of moray eels. And the invertebrate life, particularly echinoderms and crustaceans, was almost legion.
As low nimbus clouds began to encroach upon a blue palette of sky, we boarded Zodiacs for the short jaunt to Hanavave, the principal town on the west coast of Fatu Hiva. Landing on a concrete pier, which sat directly beneath a jaw-dropping outcrop of volcanic rock, we were greeted by locals selling their crafts. Fatu Hiva is well known for its quality and style of tapa cloths. A few were for sale. Unfortunately the bulk of the villagers’ recent tapa creations had been shipped off to a cultural center in Tahiti. High quality wood carvings of Pandanus, Hibiscus, and Ficus were also for sale.
Fatu Hiva possesses some of the most inspiring and resplendent scenery in the South Pacific. In an effort to maximize our visual intake of its steep verdant valleys and the rugged fins and outcrops of its volcanic topography, a series of walks, varying in degrees of difficulty were offered. All of them started from Hanavave, and then led through a dramatic coastal valley towards the island’s interior. We strolled down the town’s paved main road, walking by simple, yet colorful, well-kept dwellings. Virtually every home boasted a beautiful garden with a riotous array of showy, ornamental flowering plants festooning a neatly-trimmed lawn. A small clear-running stream carved a course through the valley’s center. The longest walk terminated at a textbook representation of South Pacific island splendor – a veil of falling water dropping into an inviting series of crystalline pools.
When all walks had finished back at the edge of Hanavave, the townspeople put on a cultural performance for us at their football field. A spread of local food creations was prepared for our culinary enjoyment. Both the fried bananas and the deep-fried breadfruit chips were quickly dispatched. Following the singing and dancing, the locals demonstrated how tapa cloth is made and dyed. A few of us then engaged the local youths in an impromptu soccer contest and volleyball game. They were spirited encounters, yet all in good fun. It was clear that many of us did not want to return back to the ship at the designated hour. Hanavave and its people had called forth those twin urges within all of us, which are the roots of time well spent – the desires to discover and seize the moment. Our time on Fatu Hiva was an evolution of cultural exchange, which captured the essence of an unscripted program, and evidence of what can transpire between people when minds and hearts are open.
During the dark of night the National Geographic Endeavour dropped anchor in the Bay of Virgins on the west coast of Fatu Hiva. Fatu Hiva is an island of Marquesan superlatives: the most remote, the furthest south, the wettest and lushest, and the most authentic. With no landing strip and infrequent support from islanders on Hiva Oa, Fatu Hiva’s paradise remains relatively untouched. As the sun’s light began to cast illumination upon the geology of the Baie des Verges (Bay of Penises), it was clear that our anchorage was in a stunning locale. Gazing at the bay’s volcanic features, which were topped by dramatic phallic-shaped rock formations, it was clear as to why the area had been so labeled. However, upon discovery by European missionaries, none too pleased with the name, with a flick of the pen they added one letter, and phonetically renamed it the Bay of Virgins.
We were presented with a couple of activity choices on this stellar morning. A few of the more intrepid opted for a long hike (approximately 10 miles) through the island’s interior. Most of us chose to snorkel along the dramatic basalt walls comprising the bay’s southwest flank. From the snorkel platform a very different breed of tropical underwater terrain was revealed. The Marquesas are geologically young, their shores not yet host to reef forming, coralline buildup. However, the fish life was impressive. Scores of surgeonfish, boxfish, triggerfish, and damselfish, among others, swam along the wall. Compact holes in the wall provided refuge for a small community of moray eels. And the invertebrate life, particularly echinoderms and crustaceans, was almost legion.
As low nimbus clouds began to encroach upon a blue palette of sky, we boarded Zodiacs for the short jaunt to Hanavave, the principal town on the west coast of Fatu Hiva. Landing on a concrete pier, which sat directly beneath a jaw-dropping outcrop of volcanic rock, we were greeted by locals selling their crafts. Fatu Hiva is well known for its quality and style of tapa cloths. A few were for sale. Unfortunately the bulk of the villagers’ recent tapa creations had been shipped off to a cultural center in Tahiti. High quality wood carvings of Pandanus, Hibiscus, and Ficus were also for sale.
Fatu Hiva possesses some of the most inspiring and resplendent scenery in the South Pacific. In an effort to maximize our visual intake of its steep verdant valleys and the rugged fins and outcrops of its volcanic topography, a series of walks, varying in degrees of difficulty were offered. All of them started from Hanavave, and then led through a dramatic coastal valley towards the island’s interior. We strolled down the town’s paved main road, walking by simple, yet colorful, well-kept dwellings. Virtually every home boasted a beautiful garden with a riotous array of showy, ornamental flowering plants festooning a neatly-trimmed lawn. A small clear-running stream carved a course through the valley’s center. The longest walk terminated at a textbook representation of South Pacific island splendor – a veil of falling water dropping into an inviting series of crystalline pools.
When all walks had finished back at the edge of Hanavave, the townspeople put on a cultural performance for us at their football field. A spread of local food creations was prepared for our culinary enjoyment. Both the fried bananas and the deep-fried breadfruit chips were quickly dispatched. Following the singing and dancing, the locals demonstrated how tapa cloth is made and dyed. A few of us then engaged the local youths in an impromptu soccer contest and volleyball game. They were spirited encounters, yet all in good fun. It was clear that many of us did not want to return back to the ship at the designated hour. Hanavave and its people had called forth those twin urges within all of us, which are the roots of time well spent – the desires to discover and seize the moment. Our time on Fatu Hiva was an evolution of cultural exchange, which captured the essence of an unscripted program, and evidence of what can transpire between people when minds and hearts are open.
