Ua Huka was my least favourite island to date. Not that it is not spectacular. It is. It is just that it does not immediately grab you because there are no exaggerated jagged peaks or huge needle like pillars or high ridges crowned with cloud. This is quite a dry island with not a lot of vegetation reminding me of some of the islands in Greece but with much higher peaks.
The Aranui 5 anchored in a very narrow passage leading from a very rough Pacific to the bay of Vaipaee. It comes in bow first then executes a 180 degree rotation on its middle axis so that the bow now points to the ocean and the stern faces the bay. Amazing. I wanted to drone it from above but sadly the entire island had a restriction zone which I could not crack. Because the channel is narrow it gets turbulence from the open ocean so the barge ride to land is especially rocky. Many 4WD were waiting for us at the small port to whisk us in groups of 4 around the island.
Our first stop was the Botanical Garden just outside the village of Hokatu. I do not normally like botanical gardens but this one was exceptional with every type of indigenous and non-indigenous plant (flowers, trees, fruits) to be found on every island of the Marquesas. Literally a one-stop shop to see the fauna of the Marquesas.
Hokatu is very scenic. It has an aqua blue beach and surrounded by ridges. We visited a cultural centre selling local arts and crafts and listened to a local Polynesian band. Nearby was a Petroglyph Museum but not that great.
We then drove the village of Hane for more arts and crafts and more Polynesian music. Very easy. Very comfortable. Very colourful. From here it was a short drive back to a place called Tohua Te Temu which is a series of large traditional huts opposite the airport which once again jammed my drone with no way to unblock. The Musee de la Mer in this complex is also exceptional. Boats, shells and teekes from the island’s naval history. We had lunch in a huge hut next to the museum. The food was local and GORGEOUS !!! Plenty of raw fish including a Sushimi to die for. Earth cooked pork and even a teriyaki style roast chicken. Plenty of coleslaw, breadfruit and tapioca. I limited my intake in preparation of the swim to follow. This took place 45min later across Vaipaee Bay – six laps totalling 1.85km to be exact. Could not do 2km so I could make the last 330pm barge back to the ship.
Once on board, I showered and made a bee-line for Deck 9 to prepare my next 3 posts for work at sea tomorrow. Ua Huka was our last Marquesan island so the whole ship gathered on Pool Deck 7 to throw a myriad of flowers in the water as we sailed out of the narrow channel of Vaipaee and away from Ua Huka and the Marquesas as the sun slowly set on both.
Another celebration tonight, this time in our cabin with guest Meryl, Steve’s sister to watch the second part of my film Amnesia and drink plenty of red wine. A fitting way to end the day…
UA HUKA STATS:
Distance from Papeete: 1,446km
Size compared to Sydney: 0.7% (14km by 8km)
Coastline: 72km
Population: 725
Highest Peak: 855m
Claim to Fame: 1,500 wild horses and the largest botanical garden containing all plant types of the Marquesas.
Feast your eyes on the last of the Marquesas…
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