Fatu Hiva - The Marquesas – French Polynesia – May 2018

Fatu Hiva’s Bay of Virgins is the most photographed anchorage in The Marquesas. We arrived just before sunset, a stunning time to admire the beauty of God’s creation. This small island, southernmost in the group, was formed by two successive volcanoes, the second being inside the crater of the first. Rock spires are the remnants of viscous lava surges hardened rapidly into stone and later eroded by water and wind. Vibrant green plants grow here, evidence of plentiful rainfall which we soon experienced.  

 

Up early the next morning, we joined our new friends Henk and Lisa from Harlequin, avid hikers from British Columbia, Canada, to discover our first waterfall.  The winding trail through the jungle and the rhythmic beat of falling rain on huge overhead plant leaves was exotic. When we reached the waterfall, we all waded in wearing our clothes, as we were already drenched by rain.  

Cool and invigorated, we continued up the road which runs along the ridge formed by the inner volcanic crater. Our rest stop provided a breathtaking anchorage view surrounded by volcanic hills.

 

We decided to complete the 17 km walk to the village of Omoa. We picked up countless mangos, a nice snack along the way. We peeled the mango skins off with our teeth and bit into the fruit, which left pulpy flesh clinging between our teeth and  sticky juice running down our chins. Lisa kept a keen eye and ear out for wild lorikeets. Late in the afternoon, as we descended the switchbacks to the next village, we knew that we would not be able to walk back to our boats before dark. Just about that time, a man walked out of the bushes wearing shorts and rubber boots, and Lisa struck up a conversation with him in French. Turned out he worked on the island restoring habitat for endangered Monarch birds, and he offered us a ride back to our moorage in his boat for a reasonable fee.  After walking for over 6 hours, we were certainly glad for a fast boat ride back.