Taahuku Bay - Atuona, Hiva Oa, Īles Marquises

---

Hiva Oa

View towards mountains

Green & welcoming bay

Several cliffs circle the anchorage

Peaks surround the bay, remnants of an old volcano crater

Anchorage at Atuona

17 April 2003, Monday

Our first day on shore in 28 days! After 4 weeks on a boat, we were so happy to stretch our legs and walk around town! It felt so good to explore and smell the flowers and foliage after spending so long within

Lush riverbed

the confines of our little home. After being off the boat, going back to it, we realized that it had its own special aroma! I prefer the flowers!!!

All in all, it was SO worth the trip!!! The islands here are amazingly beautiful! We are in awe of these rocks that sprout up from the middle of the ocean and are covered from top to bottom with a lush green carpet of fruit trees, flowers, grass and more. It is so awesome that we might not have believed it if we had not seen it for ourselves. No words can really describe it accurately, so I will stop trying! :)

Our first stop was the village of Atuona (Baie Tahauku) on the island of Hiva Oa. We had to stop here first in the Marquesas to check in. The check-in process was easy as we already had obtained 3-month visas for French Polynesia in San Francisco (via our friend Ben from Waking Dream). We were

Fresh limes straight from the grower

happy to explore by land and use our legs again after a month at sea. :)

For the first time since California, over 5 months ago, we were able to buy really good bread!!! French baguettes are sold everywhere for approximately 40 cents US. They are so good! At cafes, you can buy interesting sandwiches which all come on these baguettes - such as a chow mein baguette!!! Our friend Tomos on Merlin's Magic (15 y.o.) decided that since chow mein worked, why not try Mac-n-Cheese on baguette. He's now hooked! Actually, while we can't support the Mac-n-Cheese, the chow mein variety was quite nice. We admit to being skeptics at first!

We're doing well and happy to be where we are! :)

Anchorage
Taahuku Bay - Atuona
09^o48.20' S
139^o01.90' W

< Marquesas : Hiva Oa : Fatu Hiva >