Tahuata and Puamo

Tahuata and Puamo

After checking in at Hiva Oa we made a small hop to another Island called Tahuata.  This small, sparsely populated island has beautiful white sandy beaches.  We went to an anchorage called Hanamoeoa which we nicknamed  ‘Steve’s beach.

                                    

We enjoyed snorkelling in the clear water and seeing the fish.  Some were bright blue and some were almost translucent.  There was also a ferocious puffer fish hanging out under the boat.

                              A very nice guy named Steve lives on this beach and is a Marquesan Robinson Caruso.  We brought him chocolate and some other treats.  He took Seth snorkeling, shared coconuts and made us Marquesan espresso.  

Later Steve caught a wild pig and cooked up a feast for us and his American friends from another boat anchored in the bay.  It was a once in a lifetime experience.  The food was cooked to delicious perfection on Steve’s open fire. 

Robert joins the Crew

We went back to Hiva Oa to meet Robert.  Unfortunately the day we needed to sail back gave us a brutal 30 knot wind.  We spent five hours beating into the wind with a double reef.  Merry Dolphin did quite well considering and eventually we clawed our way east of the rocky headland to make our way back into the Atuona Bay.

After a day of rest we rented a car and drove over the Island from Atuona  to a small village that is home to an ancient site with “Tikis”.  Tikis are the Polynesian equivalent of totem poles.  The road over was brutal.  We had a 4 wheel drive Toyota but it was still a push.  The road was worse than the most dangerous BC logging road but the payoff was huge.

After climbing down the mountain to the coast we stopped and body surfed this beautiful beach with soft silver sand.

Tikis

The site in a little town called Puamau  has a well preserved sanctuary where the tikis are located.  The site is an ancient place of great religious significance,