Taiohae (9°S, 140°W) is located on the south side of the island of Nuku Hiva - the largest of the Marquesas Islands, and the second largest in French Polynesia after Tahiti. The town is said to be in the center of an ancient volcanic crater, half of which collapsed into the ocean, creating a beautiful horseshoe-shaped bay, protected by tall rocky promontories. The nearby mountain of Muake rises to a height of 2,834 feet.
Even though the island of Nuku Hiva is large, the population is small -- only about 2,700, and half of them live in the village of Taiohae. Residents are predominantly Polynesian, with a small number of Europeans, mostly from France. Roman Catholic is the predominant religion.
All the Marquesas Islands are volcanic, with high, craggy mountains. Nuku Hiva is very pretty to look at from our vantage point in the bay, with verdant green mountains. But the interior of the island is mostly rugged, mountainous terrain that’s drained by small rivers and streams that flow through deep valleys. There are only two major roads on the entire island of Nuku Hiva, and to travel between sides of the island, boats must be used.
The Marquesas were first “discovered” by a Spanish explorer in the late 16th century, and they gave them the name, by which they are still known today. In the 18th and 19th centuries, portions of the Marquesas were claimed, in turn, by Americans and the British. But, eventually, all the Marquesas were annexed by France in 1842. Total population of all six islands now approaches 10,000. It was said that at one time there were 100,000 residents in the Marquesas before foreign sailors in the 19th & 20th centuries brought diseases and firearms that decimated huge numbers of natives.
On the first day we were anchored in Nuku Hiva, Jim ventured off the ship, via tender boat, into Taiohae. Ginny remained back onboard Symphony, as transiting onto and off of the tender was somewhat challenging, with sea swells causing a little rolling and rocking of both the ship and the tender. Once on shore, passengers were greeted by a large group of school kids dancing and playing drums. They had a lot energy and were very welcoming.
Bringing the port map with him that the Crystal Symphony staff provided, Jim walked along the main street of town, which goes along the curving shoreline of the bay.
Saturday, March 24, 2018
Oceania Marina departed overnight, so we had Nuku Hiva all to ourselves today. Jim signed up for a shore excursion titled, “Scenic Island Drive.” It was the only excursion offered in this port, and it was available both yesterday and today. There were about 50 passengers on the excursion. After taking the tender boat to shore at Taiohae, we were met by 20 4-wheel drive vehicles (Jim’s was a pickup truck). We were warned in advance that the drivers would not be able to speak English, and that was the case. There was one Frenchman acting as tour guide for all of us. He came to Nuku Hiva more than 20 years ago as a language teacher and decided to stay. He spoke very good English, as well as French and the native language.
Our parade of vehicles stopped first at the Notre Dame Cathedral. The guide talked about 15 minutes on Marquesas history, the Polynesian legend of how the islands were formed, and about the Catholic Cathedral here in Nuku Hiva. He was most proud of the revival of Marquesan culture, which was initiated and encouraged by a new Catholic Bishop who arrived here in the early 1970s. Prior to his arrival, the British, American, and French missionaries had outlawed all forms of personal expression, such as tattooing, flowers, dancing, native music, native art, and use of native language. This Bishop reversed the edicts, and the native people love him for it. The Catholic church flourished in Nuku Hiva, and this beautiful Cathedral was built. In its construction, ancient patterns and techniques were used where possible.
Inside the church, a local youth group was rehearsing for the Palm Sunday service. Our tour group members filed in quietly and spent no more than 5 minutes looking around. Jim was glad he had visited the Cathedral the previous day but learned a lot from the tour guide also.
Next was the same Piki Vehine area Jim visited yesterday. Again, the guide explained the significance of this area but allowed only about five minutes to look around.
Back on the road, we observed more spectacular scenery through the island’s interior on the way to Taipivai Valley, on Nuku Hiva’s eastern side.
Taipivai was made famous by Moby Dick author Herman Melville, who took refuge here for several weeks living with Taipi people, and this was the setting for his first novel, Typee (1846). We were told that recently Taipai was the setting for one season of the TV program “Survivor.”
We finally arrived at the Taipivai Village, where the 2011 Art Festival of the Marquesas was held, which once again brought together residents of all the islands (including Easter Island this time). Local people set up a table of local fruits for us to sample (banana, coconut, breadfruit, grapefruit), as well as a table of local handmade handicrafts for sale.
We made a quick stop at Hooumi black sand beach, so that we could say we had reached “the end of the world,” as our tour guide called it.
Then we returned to our tender port, on the same nail-biting route (in reverse) as we used earlier in the day. This was a good visit to an island we had never heard of before, and it is almost totally undeveloped. They seem to be restrained by mountainous terrain and a lack of natural resources, other than rain, sunshine, and enough fruits and vegetables to feed the population. That, and a lot of beautiful scenery might be enough to live a happy life, as long as the French people support them.
We had an onboard World Cruise special event last Friday, March 23rd, called Casino Royale, which was held partially in the “Luxe” (High Rollers Club) and partially in the ship’s casino. All full-world-cruisers started with 10 free chips, and we could try our luck at Blackjack, Craps, and Roulette over a 2-hour period. Most of the ship’s entertainment team was there, in costume, and we had a lot of fun. We also learned not to use our own money for such games, as we lost everything rather quickly at Blackjack. They gave us (and almost everyone else) a few more chips along the way. Ginny was a big winner at the slot machine tournament and won big bucks, which we used to claim prizes.
Neil Lockwood returned for the third time as entertainer of the night that same evening. We always attend his shows, because he is the “real deal,” a very charismatic and talented entertainer. We never knew that hard rockers such as Neil were really that talented. This show featured a journey through his career, including when he was lead singer for The Alan Parsons Project and Electric Light Orchestra Part 2.
We also attended a short, 30-minute show, “Rock & Pop-A-Mania” starring the Crystal Ensemble of Singers & Dancers, as well as the versatile Crystal Showband. This show was in the Starlite Club. But we skipped the Dance Production “5, 6, 7, 8” later that night in the Galaxy Lounge. They were doing this show for the 3rd or 4th time, and once was enough for us.
A large group of enrichment lecturers are now onboard. We’ve attended and enjoyed all their lectures – Tom Faranda (World Affairs), Bob Alberts (Geography, and Destination Lecturer), Hilary McCormack (a Crown Prosecutor in Canada – same as District Attorney in the US – and DNA expert), Captain John Creighton (former NASA astronaut who flew on three Space Shuttle missions, twice as commander), Glenn Rosenblum (Special Interest Lecturer – Broadway and Hollywood), Dr. Ed Sobey (Oceanographer, museum director, and explorer).
We’re now cruising in a south-southeasterly direction, heading for Easter Island. We’ll see Pitcairn Island on Tuesday (Mar 27), but not go ashore, and then reach Easter Island on Friday (March 30).
Jim & Ginny
Our parade of vehicles stopped first at the Notre Dame Cathedral. The guide talked about 15 minutes on Marquesas history, the Polynesian legend of how the islands were formed, and about the Catholic Cathedral here in Nuku Hiva. He was most proud of the revival of Marquesan culture, which was initiated and encouraged by a new Catholic Bishop who arrived here in the early 1970s. Prior to his arrival, the British, American, and French missionaries had outlawed all forms of personal expression, such as tattooing, flowers, dancing, native music, native art, and use of native language. This Bishop reversed the edicts, and the native people love him for it. The Catholic church flourished in Nuku Hiva, and this beautiful Cathedral was built. In its construction, ancient patterns and techniques were used where possible.
Inside the church, a local youth group was rehearsing for the Palm Sunday service. Our tour group members filed in quietly and spent no more than 5 minutes looking around. Jim was glad he had visited the Cathedral the previous day but learned a lot from the tour guide also.
Next was the same Piki Vehine area Jim visited yesterday. Again, the guide explained the significance of this area but allowed only about five minutes to look around.
Then the real scenic tour began, with a steep climb (and lots of switchbacks) up the mountain on what our tour guide said is one of only two roads on Nuku Hiva Island (the other road leads to the airport). We made one stop at the Muaka overlook site, to take photos of the Taiohae Bay, with our ship anchored there among the many seagoing yachts that call on this port.
Then we returned to our tender port, on the same nail-biting route (in reverse) as we used earlier in the day. This was a good visit to an island we had never heard of before, and it is almost totally undeveloped. They seem to be restrained by mountainous terrain and a lack of natural resources, other than rain, sunshine, and enough fruits and vegetables to feed the population. That, and a lot of beautiful scenery might be enough to live a happy life, as long as the French people support them.
We had an onboard World Cruise special event last Friday, March 23rd, called Casino Royale, which was held partially in the “Luxe” (High Rollers Club) and partially in the ship’s casino. All full-world-cruisers started with 10 free chips, and we could try our luck at Blackjack, Craps, and Roulette over a 2-hour period. Most of the ship’s entertainment team was there, in costume, and we had a lot of fun. We also learned not to use our own money for such games, as we lost everything rather quickly at Blackjack. They gave us (and almost everyone else) a few more chips along the way. Ginny was a big winner at the slot machine tournament and won big bucks, which we used to claim prizes.
Neil Lockwood returned for the third time as entertainer of the night that same evening. We always attend his shows, because he is the “real deal,” a very charismatic and talented entertainer. We never knew that hard rockers such as Neil were really that talented. This show featured a journey through his career, including when he was lead singer for The Alan Parsons Project and Electric Light Orchestra Part 2.
We also attended a short, 30-minute show, “Rock & Pop-A-Mania” starring the Crystal Ensemble of Singers & Dancers, as well as the versatile Crystal Showband. This show was in the Starlite Club. But we skipped the Dance Production “5, 6, 7, 8” later that night in the Galaxy Lounge. They were doing this show for the 3rd or 4th time, and once was enough for us.
A large group of enrichment lecturers are now onboard. We’ve attended and enjoyed all their lectures – Tom Faranda (World Affairs), Bob Alberts (Geography, and Destination Lecturer), Hilary McCormack (a Crown Prosecutor in Canada – same as District Attorney in the US – and DNA expert), Captain John Creighton (former NASA astronaut who flew on three Space Shuttle missions, twice as commander), Glenn Rosenblum (Special Interest Lecturer – Broadway and Hollywood), Dr. Ed Sobey (Oceanographer, museum director, and explorer).
We’re now cruising in a south-southeasterly direction, heading for Easter Island. We’ll see Pitcairn Island on Tuesday (Mar 27), but not go ashore, and then reach Easter Island on Friday (March 30).
Jim & Ginny
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