In June 1842, Nuku Hiva was the first island to be seen by the whaleboat carrying the novelist Herman Melville about to discover « a country that no description could fit the beauty.

It is into this dark expanse that the sharp cliffs which decorate the impressive mountains of Hiva Oa plunge. High on the hills, among clouds, sits the small airport of Hiva Oa.

Last island of the northern group of the Marquesas, Ua Pou is the most populated and geologically the most recent. Basalt summits give the scenery an impressive strength, making this island one of the most beautiful and typical of Polynesia.