Nuku-Hiva
We’re finally sharing our stories and pictures from our first experience in French Polynesia.
After 32 days sailing from Panama, we arrived on the island of Nuku Hiva in the Marquesas, in Taiohae Bay. We completed the entry formalities at the gendarmerie, where François and the boys were able to show their brand-new French passports.
From the moment we set foot on the shore, we witnessed the vibrant and lively arrival of a canoe race. The paddlers had covered over 65 kilometers from Ua-Huka to Nuku Hiva, navigating the ocean waves. The welcome from the community was incredibly colorful, with dance and music!
Later, we were treated to a completely different traditional Marquesan performance by the island’s high school students. It was astonishing. These young people won the third place with this performance, competing against all the other schools in French Polynesia last March in Tahiti.
The following days we participated in a pétanque tournament, which aimed to raise funds for Marquesan youth, and where the prize was a goat… no less! We know how to play, but we didn’t stand a chance. We discovered that the Marquesans are very competitive.
We then rented an electric car to tour the island and see a completely different landscape. Along the roadside, we encountered horses, roosters, wild boars, goats… and incredibly lush and majestic mountain slopes. All of this was adorned with trees bearing breadfruit, starfruit, soursop, banana, cacao, lemon, and, of course, coconuts.
Back in Taiohae, every morning at the fishermen’s dock, they returned to sell fresh, prepared tuna for $5/kg. They also treated us to a sharks fighting spectacle over the fish carcasses. You can be sure that afterward, we were less brave about swimming behind our boat.
So we left for another bay in the north of the island, called Anaho. It was idyllic and so peaceful. The water was crystal clear, and we were able to swim with fish, turtles, and leopard rays. The sharks were surely busy elsewhere (or at least that’s what we told ourselves).
After more than a month, we finally left the Marquesas Islands and continued west to reach the Tuamotu Archipelago. We are currently at Manihi Atoll. We’ll share everything with you very soon, along with more photos.
See you soon!
