Log Date: April 26, 2005

Location: Autona, Hiva Oa / Marquesas Islands

Autona is the main town in Hiva Oa. (Try to find that on the map!)  The natives are friendly.  The walk to town is about 45 minutes and the Polynesians will stop and offer up a ride.  There is a distinction between the French and the Polynesians and I don't think they really care for each other - yet the Polynesians like the benefits from French subsidies.

About 2200 people live on Hiva Oa.  They export Copra (dried coconut) and Noni (an ugly fruit that is shipped to Salt Lake City to be made into juice...).  Other than that they rely on tourism - not many Americans, mostly French, Swiss and Dutch.  Everyone drives NEW 4-wheel drive extended cab pick-ups (with 7 year notes on them) but we are told their houses are shacks...the roads in town are paved but out of town they are dirt paths... there are horses tied to the side of the road everywhere...  come to find out they are for "rent" no sign just a horse tied up...the kids play Bocce Ball in the dirt parking lot by the harbor.

It is so very hilly/mountainous and GREEN.  The harbor is small and there were about 20 boats packed in-all using a stern anchor to keep into the swell. Many boats/people we had met via radio along the way and others were friends from Panama. There are high green hillsides surrounding the harbor and to the southwest there is a mountain peak that usually has a cloud covering the peak.  From this angle it looks like a very large pyramid shape - Chia Pet.

The 8' Tikis in Puamua are the largest in the world except for those on Easter Island.   Seven of us rented a truck and driver to get there. Three folks were stuck in the back of the pick-up racing up and down dirt roads carved into the side of the mountains - in the blazing sun - we were the old ladies so we got the AC in the cab! Before the Christian missionaries arrived the natives would carve "rock idols"/Gods to pray to.  The Christians destroyed most of the Tikis upon their arrival.

There are many sites that have petroglyphs (shapes carved into stone that tell stories).  We forged a river (literally) and hiked through trails that had waist high grass and were pretty overgrown with brush for about 3 hours to see one rock - this was my first trip to land and I was beat at the end of the day.

On this excursion, we ate lunch at a restaurant (a wooden structure with a few tables and chairs) which serves traditional Marquesan cuisine, Banana Poi, coconut bread, fried breadfruit, poison cru which is fish (wahoo) marinated in lime juice and cucumber, rice, pork in a coconut sauce, lamb in a coconut sauce, fried plantain. It was served family style and the flies were free.  They have starfruit trees so we had starfruit juice with the meal. It was great!

They have grapefruit they call Pampelmousse which are about twice the size of Florida grapefruit and avocado, breadfruit, banana, Noni, starfruit, coconut... trees everywhere. Could this be Paradise? You bet!

Enjoying Life Onboard.

Laura and Susan

SV Mystic Traveler