We weren’t presupposed to be headed to the Marquesas Islands. However when the captain of Star Breeze introduced a dramatic change within the itinerary because of a storm bearing down on Tahiti, I paid shut consideration. “It’s going to be very windy, very moist and never very nice if we keep the course we deliberate,” Captain Simon Terry advised me. “As you may respect, our intention is to be sure to stay comfy and protected. So, now we have taken the choice we’re going to be heading for an inaugural name within the Marquesas.”
I most likely wasn’t the one one who instantly launched a Google map on their cellphone to determine the place we have been being diverted to. However the three surprising days we spent within the Marquesas Islands proved to be a scrumptious crash course in a spot many people couldn’t have beforehand positioned on a map. Right here’s what I found.
Lesson Discovered, #1: French Polynesia actually sprawls
Located roughly midway between South America and Australia, Tahiti is the very best identified and largest of this South Pacific island chain — it’s additionally most populated, and the place to begin for many voyages. However French Polynesia isn’t just Tahiti, neither is it comprised of solely the Society Islands, the archipelago that stars the nation’s most seductive landings, Bora Bora and Moorea. In truth, French Polynesia is made up of 5 distinct archipelagos, which additionally consists of the Austral Islands, the Gambier Islands, the Tuamotu Archipelago, and the Marquesas Islands. A complete of 118 islands are unfold throughout a swath of ocean 5 occasions the dimensions of France.
French Polynesia is already fairly distant. Once we set off for the Marquesas it turned out we have been headed 900 miles northeast of Tahiti. By some measures, the Marquesas are essentially the most remoted islands on the earth — farther from any continental landmass on the earth (the closest shoreline is Mexico, greater than 3,000 miles away). Because of this, whereas the Marquesas have many cultural traits in widespread with different South Pacific islands, together with Easter Island, these islands have developed an id that’s distinctive even inside French Polynesia.
Lesson Discovered, #2: The Marquesas are actually distinct from different components of French Polynesia
Most islands of French Polynesia are atolls — the remnants of historic volcanoes that eroded over the millennia, abandoning solely an evanescent fringing coral reef, white-sand seashores, and sometimes nothing taller than the palm bushes. Youthful islands, like Tahiti, have solely simply began — in geologic phrases — the erosion course of, so their topography remains to be mountainous. Additionally volcanic, the Marquesas are the youngest islands of French Polynesia and their outlines are outlined by craggy peaks, some towering greater than 4,000 ft on Nuku Hiva, the biggest of the Marquesas. As a result of coral reefs are few, the seashores I noticed are principally black sand.
There’s additionally a special local weather. Although positioned a lot nearer to the equator, the Marquesas are dryer than the remainder of the island chain, and droughts are usually not unusual. In distinction to the remainder of French Polynesia, extremely variable rainfall falls primarily Could by means of July, whereas the northern hemisphere’s winter months are the driest interval. As Star Breeze pulled into Taioha’e Bay, the primary harbor on Nuku Hiva, I swooned because the clouds progressively lifted to disclose the island’s superb, muscular define, riven by sharp ridges and deep valleys.
Lesson realized, #3: essentially the most stunning discoveries within the Marquesas
As a result of our arrival to Nuku Hiva was an unplanned inaugural name for Windstar, the Star Breeze workforce scrambled to place collectively a shore tour that might take within the island’s main sights. There was a fleet of a number of dozen 4x4s to greet us, most of them pushed by girls, and most of whom didn’t communicate English — the 17 phrases of French I recall from highschool got here in helpful. At every cease although, an English-speaking information named Annie offered beautiful interpretation for our convoy. We began on the Notre-Dame Cathedral, constructed within the Nineteen Nineties on a web site sacred to the Marquesans who got here right here about 2,000 years in the past. The open-air church was constructed utilizing stones from every of the Marquesas’ inhabited islands and large wood sculptures depicted the stations of the cross.
Steep, inexperienced, and bathed in mist and thriller, our drive took us up and over the island to the village of Taipivai, the place we adopted a river lined with houses, passing all kinds of bushes, flush with breadfruit, grapefruit, mango, papaya, and banana. Pigs, horses, and numerous chickens wandered unattended. If I make it again to Nuku Hiva I’ll look into hikes resulting in towering waterfalls, horseback excursions, climbing and diving.
The second largest of the Marquesas is Hiva Oa, and while you pull into its bay, you may discover you’re anchored on the fringe of a half-submerged historic volcanic crater, with one half of the rim rising as much as a pointy fang known as Mt. Feani. I skipped the tour of Hiva Oa in favor of exploring on foot — looking back, I missed out, as they visited a number of of the island’s archeological websites, which presently sit on UNESCO’s record of potential World Heritage websites. The island additionally has Polynesia’s richest assortment of stone tiki scattered all through the island. As a substitute, on a sizzling day with little breeze, I contented myself with a swim on the seashore fronting the island’s most important city, Atuona. Usually a bit rougher, I used to be advised, on the day I visited it was virtually lake calm. The sand right here is silky black, with tiny flecks of gold that glitter within the daylight.
One of many smallest inhabited islands within the Marquesas is Fatu Hiva, however alas, Star Breeze was not capable of name right here because of excessive seas that made a switch to tender boats too rocky. It’s some of the dramatic, fearsome, and alluring locations I’ve virtually been — 33 sq. miles of superior cliffs plunging to the ocean, topped by razor-thin ridges that result in deep, slim valleys. The volcanic isle seems to be uninhabitable, however about 600 folks reside right here, we have been advised, and a 10-mile dust path with a whole lot of twists and turns snakes from the port of Omoa on the south finish to Hanavave within the north.
Lesson realized, #4: the Marquesas entice an uncommon kind of celeb
Okay, the Marquesas are usually not the place to go to in quest of celebrities, however a number of notables have made their option to these far-flung islands. Norwegian ethnographer Thor Heyerdahl, who led the Kon Tiki expedition in 1947, lived along with his first spouse on Fatu Hiva, of all locations, instantly after they married. Dwelling off the land in largely primitive circumstances for 15 months, it was right here that Heyerdahl first developed his theories about trans-Oceanic contact between folks of Polynesia and South American cultures.
On Nuku Hiva, Annie defined how the village of Taipivai is the place creator Herman Melville jumped ship in 1842 and hid amongst cannibal tribes, the place he was accepted into the group. This expertise was the inspiration for his e-book, “Typee,” earlier than he went on to put in writing “Moby Dick.” I knew the one concerning the white whale, however that earlier e-book may supply an attention-grabbing glimpse into Marquesan tradition and id.
Hiva Oa isn’t any slouch within the name-dropping division. Impressionist painter Paul Gauguin spent the final 8 years of his life right here, first on Tahiti and ultimately Hiva Oa, the place he painted and sculpted with wooden till his dying in 1903. The island’s different brush with fame was when Belgian singer-songwriter-actor Jacques Brel, who offered greater than 25 million data, spent many of the final 3 years of his life on Hiva Oa — he handed away in 1978. Within the village there are small museums devoted to every, and embrace a duplicate of Gauguin’s home and the precise airplane Brel flew in. I walked up the hill to the small Calvaire Cemetery the place the artists are buried amid frangipani bushes. Each are stated to have settled within the Marquesas particularly for his or her isolation, and their graves are easy and particular.
Lesson realized, #5: as a substitute of touristy buying websites, you’ll uncover fantastic, locally-made souvenirs
Let nobody inform you the Marquesas are a spot to go looking for souvenirs. However perhaps Gauguin and Brel have been interested in greater than the isolation — it might even have been the Marquesas’ inventive legacy: A few of Polynesia’s most revered tattoo artists are stated to be from right here, and carving on wooden, bone and stone is famend, crafts that unfold to Hawaii, Easter Island and New Zealand. On reflection, I want I’d spent extra time analyzing the wares obtainable within the small galleries on Nuku Hiva and Hiva Oa. A couple of days later, in Bora Bora and Tahiti I discovered galleries promoting the beautiful carvings of the Marquesas, at lofty costs. (There’s additionally a small choice supplied within the boutique aboard Star Breeze, at what appeared like honest costs relative to outlets on the islands.)
I like strolling by means of the grocery shops of distant locations — what are the issues they’ll’t develop or catch simply within the Marquesas? Fortuitously, what I did discover on the most important grocer in Hiva Oa was positively value bringing dwelling: miel des Marquesas, honey of the islands. I grabbed a pair jars off the shelf, and when gifting one to a buddy at dwelling I stated, this could be the purest, most untainted honey you’ll ever style.
Windstar’s Star Breeze presents particular voyages to the Marquesas Islands by way of its Star Collector: Complete Tahiti and Marquesas Journey and Tahitian Treasures and Magnificent Marquesas.