We had to walk a couple of miles from our anchorage to the town. We needed to check in, get a few supplies and just see what was happening! We often walked, but we just as often hitched a ride. The local people were very generous to us cruisers. This is the surf that breaks on the edge of town! You can see that this wouldn't be a good anchorage.

Because the Marquesas are on a half time zone we couldn't figure out what time it was.  Here's Annie, Scott and Tom (left) waiting outside the bank for an hour because of time zone confusion. It is a bit warm here in the middle of the day. I think Tom and Annie are thinking that this is a far cry from Alaska where they had joined the Quest on a previous cruise.

If you visit Hiva Oa you must visit Paul Gauguin's grave... He spent his artistic energies trying to capture the beauty of the Marquesas and the Marquesan people. We were awed by the generosity and caring of the local people. We understand why they don't want a lot of intrusion by outside commercial interests.

...And also Jacques Brel's grave. Both are buried in the same cemetery up on a high hill in Hiva Oa.

My strongest impression of the Marquesas is the unbelievable geologic formations and the beautiful flowers.

This church had some remarkable wood paneled doors. Each panel tells a different story of Christ's life. It looks a bit unremarkable as you approach the church, but the doors and many details inside are beautifully crafted.

One of the door panels depicts the birth of Christ. Notice the inclusion of breadfruit in the scene!

This is a picture of breadfruit growing in the back yard of this home. Breadfruit is a staple for most people in Polynesia.  It's a very beautiful tree with shiny lobed leaves and bright green (almost chartreuse!) fruit. This photo also shows how strips of wood are used in the construction of a local house. Providing ventilation in a home is a high priority.

We hired a driver to take us to the other side of Hiva Oa. The scenery was spectacular, but we were glad we weren't doing the driving. The road was one lane dirt most of the way. Each little village had a paved main road. And parts of the road were under construction. Many of the villages are better accessed by boat.

We shared the road with horses, people and big hauling trucks.

The Marquesans use their horses for transportation and as lawnmowers. In some areas the horses are wild. We saw the people cool off their horses in the surf as this man is doing.

We were taken to an ancient religious site. These guys don't look too happy because these single heads depict the victims of human sacrifice. Cannibalism is part of the Marquesan history. It is said that cannibalism didn't stop entirely until the 1960s. So, it's quite possible that there are people alive now who have eaten "long pig" (as humans were called).

These are some of the local deities. The one in the foreground is called "fishwoman." Fishwoman is well-known throughout the Marquesas and is depicted in tapas, tatoos, and other art.

These idols still have tremendous power. And I felt it when I was there! The idol in the background is a tiki of a pregnant woman. The large tiki in the foreground seems to have more power as there were many more offerings left there than next to the pregnant woman. The offerings you see were made in all seriousness by local people. There is something alluring about a god you can see!

We went to a local home where we were served a Marquesan lunch. I enjoyed the attractive way the house was painted and the flowering plants around the home.

Here are a couple of guys that could certainly miss a few meals and not suffer for it! (Scott & Tom, of course!) We were served goat, chicken, poisson cru, poi poi, rice, taro (sweetened as a dessert), breadfruit French fries, French bread, a refreshing fruit drink, and espresso.

We were told that the sewing machine in the foreground belonged to Paul Gauguin. I wasn't sure if it was something on the line of "Washington slept here." I guess that shows my worldly cynicism. In any case, here it is folks!!

On the same property people have a noni operation.  The noni can be harvested all year round. They are cleaned, fermented and put in barrels for transport to Tahiti. Noni is used as a health product, claiming (among other attributes) to contribute to long life and vitality. I guess we'll get some!

Bananas grow wild and people cultivate them for sale. Bananas also appeared to be part of this commercial operation.

Copra is the traditional crop throughout Polynesia.  Copra is dried coconut. It is used to produce oil which is then used in cosmetics, food and lubricants. Copra is subsidized by the French to keep the local people employed. It requires heavy physical labor. We've been in the Gambiers, here in the Marquesas and the Line Islands (or Kiribati) where people harvest copra. Coconut palms are also one of the few plants that will tolerate brackish water. Many of the islands we visited have a very limited fresh water supply (that is, they either collect rain water or rely on very expensive reverse osmosis to make fresh water from sea water. This is actually the method we use on the boat, but we're not trying to grow plants, so our needs are more limited.)

Just a final shot of the northern shore of Hiva Oa. We did not circumnavigate every island. Instead we were more interested in anchoring in leeward bays that were safer and more comfortable (not exposed to heavy ocean swells and winds). Because of this we often took land tours to areas we didn't visit by boat.