Ua Pou, Ua Huka, Tahuata, Fatu Hiva

Ua Pou

The artists' island

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. Its sugarloaf peaks overlook the island's center and deep valleys among which one can find the valley of the Hakamoui kings and its numerous archeological sites which are accessible from the village. On Ua Pou, one can find the enchantment that led R.L. Stevenson to enjoy the happiness of these islands, this authentic place reminding one of nature's sovereignty. A 4X4 trip will take visitors to the Hohoi Bay, also named "Bay of flowered stones" because of its flower- shaped stones, unique in the world, and scattered over the black sand beach where the road ends.

Along that road stretching among acacias and mango trees, wild horses gallop through the lush vegetation of the island. Previously uninhabited, the valley of Hakahau leads to the wonderful, white, sand beaches of Anahoa, now the island's capital. Home to a mixture of local culture and Christianity, the church hosts Marquesan sculptures and is one of the most remarkable monuments. In this flowered village, inhabitants invite visitors to discover traditional crafts such as pandanus weaving, wood painting or carving as well as the fabrication of bone, shell or mother-of-pearl ornaments.

Ua Huka

Nature and culture

With its 48 square miles of mountains, Ua Huka is one of the smallest islands of the Marquesas. Home of the "great house" of gods overlooking the ocean, this wild and deep universe offers a preserved nature with steep slopes and desert plateaus. These wide, greenish areas are overrun by goats as well as more than 3,000 wild horses which one can see on the island's only road not far from the botanical reserve. Paradise for tropical plants, this exceptional garden and arboretum hosts more than 300 different trees where the largest collection of citrus trees in the world can be seen. Ua Huka is also the place where the Marquesas most ancient archeological sites can be found, lost under abundant green forest.

The mysterious petroglyphs of Vaikivi, carved in grey stones, as well as the three superb tikis of the Hane "me'ae" site, invite visitors to enter the Marquesan culture, well represented in the village's museum. Traditional arts, seen in tapa factories (beaten bark decorated in Marquesan style) or monoi fabrication places (kumu hei) are also preponderent in wood or stone carving. Craftsmen work with miro or tou woods as well as volcanic stones or even bones shaping tikis, spears or coshes displayed in the villages of Hane, Hokatu, or Vaipaee, deep inside the valleys on the south side of the island.

Tahuata

The monoi island

Discovered in 1595 by Spanish navigator Mendana, Tahuata ("sunrise" in Marquesan) is the smallest island of the archipelago. Accessible only from Hiva Oa, this volcanic structure with sheer cliffs is dominated by Tumu Meae Ufa (3,181 feet) which separates the five wild valleys of the island.

Seduced by the white sand beaches and the lush vegetation which lines the twin bays of Iva Iva Nui and Iva Iva Iti, navigator Alain Gerbault wrote : "one of the rare times I wished I was a land owner". The monoi island is the only one to be edged by coral formations that gave her wonderful, desertic, white sand beaches bathed in clear waters such as Hana Moenoa.

Build on the edge of a large bay along an ancient paved road, one finds the village "Hapatony". Charming houses, huge churches and memorials give this village a provincial at-the-end-of-the-world style. Its crafts center reminds us that most men in Tahuata are sculptors, carving rosewood, horse bones and even swordfish rostrums, reinventing the meaning of Marquesan traditional patterns.

Fatu Hiva

The island of tapa

Fatu Hiva is an extreme island : the most southern, the wettest, the lushest, the most remote, the most authentic of the Marquesas... The island is made of two volcanoes joined together with tormented relief doused in sunshine and the rhythmic gait of wild horses. Cut off from the world, sheltered by high cliffs which border open, green spaces descending to the ocean, the two peaceful villages of Omoa and Hanavave are linked by just one road that can be taken by 4x4, by horse or by foot. The unforgettable eleven mile road to the magnificent "Bay of Virgins", so called because the contours of surrounding relief take on feminine shapes is one of the most beautiful sights in the world.

Center of Marquesan arts, the island of "tapa" is the craftsmen's domain where tree bark drawings inspired by ancient tattoos are produced. It is traditionally the "mamas" task to paint those tapas, but they also make "umuhei", perfumed flower crowns which impregnate the hair with their sumptuous aromas. In Omoa where the last coconut carver lives, the gentleness of the population will leave visitors with the colorful impression of an atmosphere full of history.