paradise Polynesian Discoveries

Transcription

1 Hakahau Bay wih Aranui 5 docked a he quayside unloading cargo for he residens of Ua Pou Polynesian paradise Se in a vas area of he Souh Pacific, he Marquesas Islands make a magical impression on Clive Nicholls during he rip of a lifeime PICTURES: CLIVE NICHOLLS 32 JULY 2018 CHOICE 33

2 Clockwise: The whie cross on Ua Pou; Rangiroa, a sunning aoll in he Tuamoo Islands; Life on board Aranui 5; sunning sunrises; welcoming smiles; radiional dancers and he barges going from ship o shore The view across Hakahau Bay is simply sunning. Blue sky, fluffy clouds, urquoise sea, yachs bobbing on he genle breeze T HE TALL whie cross sands proud on he hillop above he village of Hakahau. The walking rail up o he cross is seep bu manageable and, aking i seady, I m here in 20 minues. I s no he cross I ve come o see, however. I s he view across Hakahau Bay and i s simply sunning. Blue sky, fluffy clouds, urquoise sea, yachs bobbing on he genle breeze and he sar of he show, he cruise liner-cum-supply ship, Aranui 5, alongside he pier. I ake he picures bu hen ake ime o enjoy he view. I s oo easy o see all he bes bis of your holiday hrough a camera viewfinder I m he world s wors bu i s someimes beer o sore memories in your mind as well as your camera s memory card. So where is Hakahau? I s on he island of Ua Pou in he Marquesas Islands in French Polynesia, in he Souh Pacific, more han 3000 miles from he neares coninenal land mass. They are some of he remoes and mos beauiful islands on he plane. Le me ake you back o he sar of my Souh Seas advenure. I flew ino Tahii ha sounds amazing in iself, bu i ges beer. We ve all seen he shos in he films of welcoming smiles and garlands of flowers, bu his acually happens. I s a long fligh hrough Los Angeles bu by he ime you ve wached a couple of films, eaen dinner and had a nap, i soon passes. I bough some noise-cancelling headphones; hey re a bi bulky bu hey make a huge difference o in-fligh films. The welcome in Tahii is exciing and I can wai for he nex sage of my journey in his Polynesian paradise boarding he Aranui 5, he cruise liner ha doubles up as a supply vessel for hese remoe islands. As I board he ship, once again he welcome is floral, warm and very real he smiles are infecious. Compared wih convenional cruise liners, he Aranui is small; on my rip here are fewer han 200 passengers and jus over 100 crew. Wha makes i ineresing is ha he fron half of he ship is for cargo ha is a lifeline o he islands we ll be visiing. We are carrying everyhing: food, consrucion maerials, whie goods and I can see ha someone has ordered a new 4x4 pick-up ruck. No only ha, we re carrying everyhing needed o unload he cargo: barges (we can always dock alongside a pier); forklif rucks big enough o pick up a full conainer; and we ve even go a high-end fishing boa if you fancy a spo of sea fishing. Jus before we sail from Papeee in Tahii, radiional dancers give an amazing show on he pool deck. The men, all 34 JULY 2018 CHOICE 35

3 Clockwise: The ug urns back as we leave Tahii; Supplies ferried ashore; Aranui s bridge; local dancers; cookery classes and someone has jus go a new fridge/freezer. Clouds hug he mounain ops in Nuku Hiva; mooring ropes make a good playground and he beach a Hakahau super-fi, seem o be aggressive (hey re no, I spoke o hem aferwards and hey are lovely); he women s dance is more willowy and hey are simply beauiful. As we leave he harbour, I m sanding on he wings of he bridge where I ve go he same view as he capain. I s amazing; he ship is very relaxed and apar from when hey re involved wih ricky manoeuvres, if you wan o visi he bridge, i s no problem I m loving i already. As we leave he Sociey Islands (Tahii and is neighbours) we head owards Fakarava, an aoll in he Tuamou Islands. We ll be here in he morning; i brings home o me he scale of hese islands. They may be small wih very few people living here, bu hey are se in a million square miles of he Souh Pacific. We approach he aoll a sunrise (he sunrises are amazing and I make a menal noe no o miss one) and anchor offshore. The seamen crane off he barges and pick us up from deck 3. Their skill is amazing; hey are never going o le anyone fall in as we ransfer from ship o barge. There was a blind woman in my group; she was wonderful and everyone loved her, and here was no problem for he seamen wih a secure grip, she sepped on board wih a smile on her face. As we reach he shore i s warm, jus under 30 C, bu he sky has clouded over and here s a bi of rain in he air. I sroll down he main sree of Rooava, drawn by he sound of singing from he Caholic Church. The doors are open and everyone is welcome. You can say for a few minues or ake in he whole service, i s ha sor of amosphere. Jus over 800 residens live on Fakarava; i s a ropical paradise bu hey are dependen on he supplies ha he Aranui brings ashore. I see one of he barges heading back o he ship wih a load of palm leaves. Checking he iinerary I realise hey are for he palm-weaving course and for decoraing he pool deck for omorrow s Planca Nigh dining under he sars. Back on board, we ve go a long run (550 nauical miles) o our nex sop, Ua Pou, he firs of he Marquesas Islands and ha fabulous view from he whie cross. We ll call in a Nuku Hiva a 5.30am (he day afer omorrow) o pick up passengers bu for now we sele in and enjoy a day a sea. I s sill dark when hey launch he barge o pick up from Nuku Hiva bu I can resis being on deck I really don wan o miss a minue. Wih he ransfer complee, we re on our way o Ua Pau and we dock a he end of he pier. My firs prioriy is he walk o he whie cross bu coming back down 36 JULY 2018 CHOICE 37

4 Above: The Caholic Church in Fakarava, everyone s welcome; Woodcarver in Hiva Oa; The sone iki a Pua Mau; Bananas arrive a Hiva Oa; Taiohae Cahedral; Harbour guardians a Fau Hiva; Sunning coasline on Ua Huka and lunchime enerainmen on Nuku Hiva from he hillop, Hakahau has come alive. I s a public holiday and locals are aking o he beach. The ship is busy unloading and a queue of 4x4s are lined up on he quayside o pick up heir orders. I see a Land Rover heading off wih a boxed fridge freezer in he back I be ha s been a long wai, considering he emperaures here. The oher benefi for he local kids is ha he mooring ropes for he Aranui srech ou over he harbour. The more skilled use hem as a ighrope, some shuffle along he ropes, some go monkey-syle. The resul is always he same; hey end up in he waer screaming wih laugher. Some bypass he ropes and jus hurl hemselves off he quayside. A home, healh and safey would have been an issue, bu hey could all swim like fish and were having grea fun. I really like Ua Pau and as luck would have i, we ll call back here laer on in he cruise wih more supplies, bu for now i s back on board for he scheduled sop a Nuku Hiva. Five million years young Aranui 5 is only a couple of years old, buil exacly for his purpose, and is based on refining earlier Aranuis, so island-hopping is boh comforable and luxurious and i s only a shor run o Nuku Hiva. So, we re almos 1000 miles norh-eas of Tahii approaching he larges of he Marquesas Islands. They are all volcanic and less han five million years old. The younges, Fau Hiva, which I ll visi laer a new-born a jus 1.3 million years (sill sounds prey old o me sill bears he same rademarks: poiny, sicky-up hills and mounains, and despie he wonderful weaher, hey all seem o arac a blanke of cloud across he very ops of he mounains. A Nuku Hiva he barges are busy; here i looks like food, building maerials and ha shiny 4x4 are he main hings going ashore. We sar off wih an island our. The cahedral a Taiohae ells he sory of he island. A local woodcarver was commissioned o carve a series of wall plaques ha ie in Chrisianiy wih he local culures. I visi archaeological sies here s sill pleny more o uncover and see he Banyan rees ha inspired he direcor of he film Avaar. I hink in he nex few years more will be discovered abou he pas bu, wih so lile wrien hisory, I can only imagine he sighs ha hese lands have winessed. I s a magical island and, once again, he local dancers more han ge ino he spiri of hings. I check my inerne in he village, buy a few souvenirs and leave Nuku Hiva wih fond memories of his faraway land. The lecures on board are brillian. I really like lecurer Vicoria Andrews. She knows everyhing I wan o know, and more. The daily alks, washed down wih an Aranui cockail of course, make he islands come o life and, no only ha, she also feeds me wih cold remedies when I pick up a bug. Thank you, Vicoria: you made he Marquesas special and my cold is beer now. Nex sop, souh-wes o Hiva Oa, an island of jus 130 square miles and fewer 38 JULY 2018 CHOICE 39

5 Clockwise: Arriving a Ua Pou; Jacque Brel s grave a Aoona; breakfas and shopping on board; home life a Hanavave; beach a Auona han 2000 residens, and Tahuaa, he smalles of he Marquesas. The carved soned Tiki a he sacred sie near he village of Puamau on Hiva Oa are really impressive he bigges around 8f all. Sill shrouded in mysery, he humanlike saues are generally carved ou of a reddish volcanic rock and have given rise o a coage indusry carving wooden copies (obviously smaller) o sell o ouriss a he craf markes. Prices vary across he islands, bu I find Hanavave on Fau Hiva a good place o buy. These are he mos iconic souvenirs of he Marquesas and come in sizes from a few inches o a couple of fee all. If you go for he bigger sizes, jus remember your luggage allowance. We move by ship o he oher side of he island and dock alongside he pier a Auona. The cemeery here has wo famous residens: Jacques Brel, he Belgian singer and songwrier, and he roubled and argumenaive arisic genius Paul Gauguin. Brel was suffering from lung cancer and waned o drop ou of he limeligh. He sailed his yach across he Pacific o Auona bay and se up home in he own in He bough a plane o island-hop and helped he locals ge supplies. In he summer of 1978 and in poor healh, he was flown back o France for hospial reamen where he died in Ocober aged 49. His body was reurned o Hiva Oa for burial in Calvary Cemeery. Gauguin, afer living in Tahii, moved o Hiva Oa in 1901, and died here wo years laer. The wo celebriy graves are jus a few plos apar in Auona. Jus a shor hop by sea (2.5 half miles), prey lile Tahuaa and he own of Vaiahu are on our iinerary. The 600 residens depend on he Aranui for supplies and, as he barge delivers and picks up, I visi he Caholic Church ha dominaes he only sree in Vaiahu. I was opened in 1988, and he church carvings are from local woods and inside, given he limied resources, i s really raher beauiful. All he islands have heir own characer and Ua Huka is no excepion. Capain Faraire Faaora akes he Aranui ino a narrow gorge and urns her wih jus fee o spare a he bow and sern. The sailors leap ashore wih mooring ropes and he whole manoeuvre is very skilful, very impressive and grea enerainmen. On shore here s a boanical garden where I m encouraged o ea he frui I never could resis ripe mangoes a brand new museum and some of he mos specacular scenery you could ever wish for. On board i s he Polynesian evening on he pool deck, wih fabulous dancing, grea music, fine food and wine. I s a balmy evening under he sars and one of hose nighs you jus don wan o end. My rip will soon be over; as we head 40 JULY 2018 CHOICE 41

6 back souh-wes I ll be leaving a Rangiroa and will miss Bora Bora and he reurn o Papeee by sea I ll be flying in. As we ener he lagoon o Rangiroa, he waer changes from blue o urquoise his is he larges aoll in he Tuamoo Islands and i s simply sunning. As oher passengers ake a our of he oyser farm, I spend my ime in he shade of a palm ree waching he crysal-clear waers lap up he coral beach. Life doesn ge much beer han his. As he barges reurn o he Aranui 5, I wach as she weighs anchor and ses course for Bora Bora, reflecing on my magical cruise on his wonderful ship. So many highlighs ruly a rip of a lifeime. I head owards he small airpor. I s shu bu a kindly woman wih a bunch of keys and a fabulous Polynesian smile opens i up for me. I wai for my plane o fly in and, as he incoming passengers disembark, hey are me wih flower garlands and warm smiles. Sadly, I m leaving bu he show goes on. Banyan ree on Nuku Hiva and palm leaf weaving lessons on board I was rubbish! Cap Faaora akes he Aranuiino a narrow gorge and urns her wih jus fee o spare a he bow and sern. The sailors leap ashore wih mooring ropes and he whole manoeuvre is very skilful and grea enerainmen 42