Saturday, January 13, 2018 Taiohae, Nuku Hiva, French Polynesia, Taipivai Adventure

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We arrived at Taiohae at 8 AM after leaving Los Angeles on January 5; it took seven sea days to get here.




With the absence of a major dock, we tendered ashore to a smaller dock where we were greeted by a tiki guard and local entertainers.








We thereupon embarked on a vehicle ride to the top of the mountain and down the other side.  If we concurred one switchback mountain turn we did fifty.  We were captivated on this off-the-beaten-track excursion to the hidden place immortalized by writer Herman Melville. Disappointingly for the sailor and author, his book Typee was originally rejected by Harper & Brothers in New York. Eventually published in London, the tale of the beautiful island inhabited by cannibals was deemed “unbelievable” until two years after its release, when his fellow castaway, Richard “Toby” Greene, confirmed the adventures related in the book were indeed true. Our 4x4 vehicle stopped at the most spectacular viewpoints on the island, overlooking the coast, the bays, our cruise ship way down in the harbor, and the valley. Stunning vistas of the beaches left us in awe as we explored this lush paradise. We enjoyed choice chilled refreshments and a visit to Piki Vehine, a paepae containing modern sculptures and a dozen magnificent tikis made by the island’s artisans.


The primary source of the 9,500 residents of this lesser of the three French Polynesian Island groups is coconuts.  They gather and dry coconuts then ship the meat off to be made into oils, lotions, cosmetics, medicines, etc.

 This young boy was escorted by his dad; they get early starts at life.



 This tiki and other monuments were at a site where we sampled island fruits.





Our first stop after backtracking to the primary side of the island was at the Catholic Church.



 The inside wood and carvings are very elaborate and modern.

 Quite the lecturn!



 As you can imagine, the flora and fauna are very beautiful.










Our last stop was at an archaeological site with tikis and other historic figures.






We had a great view of our cruise ship from the archaeological site.

We are presently on our way to Tahiti where we will overnight Monday evening and take in a walking tour of Papeete.

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