The entrance to Hakatea Bay is very narrow and sometimes
tricky, but we picked “our weather” well, which is not too hard to do during
the southern hemisphere summer – or better – the calmer dry season. No breaking
waves for us, just a big pod of dolphins along the way, and an easy approach
into the hidden and comfortable bay. This anchorage is commonly called
“Daniel’s Bay”, but Daniel has not lived there for decennia and, actually, has
passed away a few years ago.
After an afternoon of rest, a quick morning walk to the
neighboring bay and cluster of houses, where we met the friendly Marquesan
couple Teiki and Kua, and a tricky dinghy trip through a river into a lagoon (a
bit hairier than in Taipivai) during high tide to get 24 gallons of fresh
drinking water and to trade for some fruit and avocados, we were ready for an enjoyable
evening. Our friends Patrick and Rachel on SV Namaste had arrived in the small
bay and – being the only boaters here – we all gathered on shore before dark to
make a fire on the beach. We cooked some food, had a couple of drinks and
enjoyed a relaxing evening, only to be disturbed by a group of wandering cows,
curious crabs and a local man on a horse, making sure we were responsible in
regards to the bonfire.
The following day, we packed our lunches, plenty of water
and bug repellent and some netting for our adventure in Hakaui valley. The 2-hour
walk to Vaipo waterfall (the third biggest in the world) is reputed to be one
of the nicest – and most buggy - expeditions in the islands, and after a lot of
sweating in the humid climate, we were looking forward to a refreshing dip in
the pool. The cliffs of the narrow valley rose up next to us after we passed
through the well-maintained gardens and plantations of the 12 or so inhabitants,
the vegetation was green and lush and we stumbled upon multiple maerae and
other ruins, remnants of a grand Marquesan past.
The straightforward, relatively flat and mostly shady path crossed
a few rivers and stopped at the end of the valley. Some water trickled down
into a very cold pool and along vertical walls. The main part of the massive
waterfall had dried up over the last couple of weeks, a result of the absence
of rain. As we expected this, we were not disappointed to miss out on the “big
highlight”. The hike had been very nice and the ice cold
water felt good. Our
place of rest was bathed in direct sunlight for about an hour, while we swam
through some crannies and caves further in. The men tried to catch some fresh
water shrimp, but failed miserably. Our bait kept floating to the surface of
the pool, feeding the smart creatures that avoided the net, but enjoyed
nibbling at our feet.
The narrow gorge was soon in the shade again, and after
eating and swimming a bit more, we released the three shrimp that were
skillfully captured after an hour of trying. "A" for effort! The hike back to our
new friends’ house was pleasant, and felt shorter than before. Patrick managed
to trade a few things for fresh lobster, so that night a tasty and special
dinner was had on Irie!
Teiki had raved about being a great hunter before and had proved to
be a good fisherman already, when he and Kua showed up at Irie the next day.
With a big smile and the words “One bullet, one pig!” he hopped on board and
handed us two hunks of freshly butchered pork. He had left his house at 4am and
returned four hours later with a 100 pound pig, so he said. His hunting dogs
had done a great job and it had only cost him one bullet. We shared some
stories and let them try our home brewed alcohol. They were as impressed with
our fermenting skills as we were with their hunting and farming successes!
On our last day in Hakatea, we climbed one of the hills for
a grey view of the two surrounding bays and went for a swim in the warm and
murky water. The fridge had been running for days on end – first to preserve
the lobsters, then to cool the pork – and needed some servicing. Mark and I had
to run other errands as well, so this morning we returned to Taiohae, aka civilization,
for a couple of days. We managed to rent some fridge gauges and add gas to the
system today, and plan another doctor’s visit, some shopping and more internet
tomorrow. Our next destination is Anaho Bay, along the north side of the island.
It is proclaimed to be paradise in the Marquesas, and a day sail away.
With the land and beach behind us (see previous picture), this anchorage has all around protection
Cows strolling and resting on the beach at sunset
A local guy told us about cows using their horns to play with dinghies, so we (Patrick) came up with a dinghy fence out of dead wood, before leaving for a long hike! (Photo by Rachel)
Who would have guessed... a phone booth in the middle of nowhere. If only it took coins, I could have called my oma for her 93rd birthday!
Scenery along the beginning of the trail
Steep cliffs and lush vegetation
Ruins of an old Marquesan settlement, We wondered whether they kept "long pigs" (= humans) in the deep pit before they cooked and ate them...
The end of the lush and pretty valley
Pool at the bottom of the falls
Trying to catch fresh water shrimps for dinner (Photo by Rachel)
Refreshing swim in the gorge and the caves (Photo by Rachel)
What is left of the > 1000 foot waterfall during the dry season
One of the river crossings on the way back to the start
Teiki and Kua drying bananas at their house (Photo by Rachel)
Teiki, the fierce looking fisherman, hunter and farmer (Photo by Rachel)
One of our new Marquesan friends' (pregnant) dogs. Her name is Vai (water) and she is extremely sweet! (Photo by Rachel)
Last week, Mark and I borrowed Axel’s spacious car to visit
friends two hours north of Auckland. For the occasion, the car was turned into
our closet, kitchen, lunch counter and internet café, while we visited boating
friends. Due to a cold front, the weather was very chilly and rainy, but the
company of our fellow cruisers made up for the discomfort. After two nights on
SV Amandla in Gulf Harbor, hanging out with Fabio and Lisa, we continued north
to Whangarei, taking a somewhat scenic road, and stopping a few times along the
way.
It was fantastic to see the SV Iona family again after a year! Cute Leili had grown a bit, Dylan more than a bit. For the next two
nights, we stayed on their cozy boat, while Chris cooked for us and Katie was a
gracious host. We combined some work in the local library (good WiFi), with
being part of their lovely family, and enjoyed the warmth of their home and
personalities. One afternoon, we all drove out to Whangarei Heads for a beach
walk and picnic. The scenery was spectacular and the faint sun very welcome!
On the day we left, back south to appreciate the hospitality
of our friends Fabio and Lisa once more, Mark and I tried to organize our
imminent accommodation and transportation needs for a few hours and had just
enough time left to check out Whangarei Falls. This was an easy and beautiful
detour, so we decided to walk the trail to the Kauri forest, instead of driving
there. Some fresh air was just what we needed and the exercise was very
welcome. Along the boardwalk in the forest, we gazed at the tropical vegetation
– I love those “fern trees” – and the ancient Kauri trees, which are hundreds
of years old. Ah, to be in nature again…
