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.
