13Dec
2020
Tahuata (Marquesas)
We spent a few days on Tahuata. It is a nice little Marquesas island not far from Hiva Oa. In fact, the crossing from Hiva Oa took only about 2 hours. We first anchored in Hanamoenoa Bay. This anchorage is really very beautiful. It is known to have many manta rays and is also a popular diving spot. However, the beach is also very picturesque and the bay as a whole is a nice place to relax. For us, just the right thing after all the work in the shipyard and bay of Hiva Oa.
Another anchorage is in front of the village of Hapatoni, i.e. strictly speaking, most boats don’t actually anchor in Hapatoni Bay, but in Hanatefau Bay right next to it [to the north], because there is better protection and also, if you anchor directly at Hapatoni, you often anchor on coral, which is neither advantageous for the coral nor for anchoring manoeuvres. The disadvantage is that it is quite a distance from the bay that you have to go with the dinghy to get to the village. However, the village is very beautiful and super relaxed. There is not much infrastructure, so no shop or post office. But there is a church, a small school and of course a few houses. Everything seems very cosy and it also seems a bit like a dream. There are no paved roads, but there is a very beautiful path along the ocean, overgrown with trees. Clearly something for romantics…
Actually, we had originally considered sailing directly from Hapatoni to Fatu Hiva, because a very good weather window was forecast for the crossing. However, we liked Tahuata so much that we decided to stay a little longer and sail to another bay. Our third stop on Tahuata was in the bay of Vaitahu, which is also the main settlement on the island. It is a little bigger than Hapatoni and there is also a shop and a post office. There are also a few places where you can eat and use wifi. On most islands in the Marquesas (I think all except Hiva Oa and Nuku Hiva) there is only 2G mobile internet (Edge), so you can send text messages, but even opening websites is a pain. You can forget about video or anything else. Therefore, it is sometimes quite good if you can use Wifi, because here the internet is reasonably fast and therefore well usable.
From Vaitahu you can go on some nice hikes. You are usually rewarded with very beautiful views and, with a bit of luck, fruit. There is a lot growing on the island and people are often willing to exchange fruit from their garden for something or even give it away. Everything is very relaxed. Another highlight on the island is the church, which occupies a very central place and has great architecture. There are also some quite beautiful tikis in the yard in front of the church.
Tahuata is a very beautiful island where you can certainly spend some time if you want to have a quiet and relaxed time.
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