Nuku Hiva, Marquesas

The main bay and village are called Taiahoe. The anchorage is lovely, easy to enter, fairly comfortable with lots of swinging room. The bay is surrounded by the rim of a large volcano on three sides, so it is very sheltered. Ashore, there are 3 shops, all quite well stocked, but prices are high compared to Panama and the Galapagos, especially for beer; a small can costs 261 francs in a shop or 540 francs ($5 approx.) in a hotel. There is a well stocked hardware store, but they didn’t have brass or stainless steel prop shaft nuts. Jeremy had to improvise. He used our old, stripped, brass nut and fixed it onto the prop shaft with a split pin through it. This was held in place with a locking nut. It was another underwater job for Jeremy, but this time we were in a sheltered bay. We hope the job lasts until New Zealand. We had no problems checking in at the gendarmerie and the only cost there was the price of a stamp to send our document to Tahiti. Vive la France!

It was my turn to see a dentist. We walked about a mile to a house built on a hillside and we were shown into an ultra modern, hi-tech surgery. I had a broken tooth and needed 3 injections and 2 x-rays. There was a cavity above the tooth and I had to have root canal treatment and a temporary filling for 5 days. Now, the proper filling has been done and I have to return later today to have a copper band removed. I have not been able to eat on that tooth for 2 weeks.

Our only trip has been to nearby Daniel’s Bay for water. We had to anchor in the bay, take the dinghy filled with containers into the next bay, cross a sand bar with breaking waves into a lagoon, tie the dinghy to a palm tree and walk a short distance to a shed where there was an oil drum sink and 2 taps. Two local guys watched us fill up or containers. There was no charge and the water was fine.

The next day we hiked for 2 hours or more, crossing the river several times, to the third highest waterfall (single drop) in the world. There is still a village next to the river near the sea, where there is evidence of a much older civilisation. We were reminded of the Highland clearances but some buildings must have been on a grand scale. Most of the trail we walked was built from large blocks of stone. We swam in the double pool of the waterfall and looked up to the top, looming cathedral like above us. Only a trickle of water was coming over but it was still an awesome sight. We were almost back at the dinghy when a villager offered us a grapefruit. It is polite to accept a gift and give something in return. We had no money so I gave a box of coloured pencils for the children.

Soon we are going to Oa Pou, about 20 miles away. Then it’s a 4 or 5 day passage to the Tuamotus Archipelago, where most of the 76 islands are atolls. We do not know if the Internet has reached them yet so it might be a few weeks before you hear from us. “Au revoir” or as the Polynesians say “a pae.”

PS Sorry there's no photos, but the WiFi connection is verrrrry slow.