Nuku Hiva, Marquesas Islands 22nd October 2011

The Marquesas Island Archipelago forms a relatively little visited south pacific corner, and is a fine example of unspolit natural Polynesian beauty.  They are the peaks of submerged volcanoes, so they are both mountainous and fertile. Breadfruit, coconuts and tobacco grow easily.  Out of the 10 Marquesas Islands, only 6 are inhabited today. They are very remote.  Giant stone idols are part of the custom and we saw these all over the island.


Nuku Hiva is the second largest island in French Polynesia after Tahiti, but is sparsely populated. It offers an astonishing range of terrain, ranging from windswept cliffs to lush river valleys and deep bays.  The main town of Taiohae acts as the administrative and economical capital of the Marquesas.  The Marquesas are probably what Tahiti and the Society Islands were like about 50 years ago.

This island does not usually have much rain (except in the mountains).  However, the day we were there was an exception!  It pretty much poured of rain most of the day.  Some of the local ladies performed a nice song and dance for us, and didn’t seem to mind that they were dancing bare footed and sitting in the muddy grass. 

The island is quite mountainous – those that ventured further inland on a tour, said the scenery was spectacular (even in the rain!).