The Eastern Pacific - Pacific Crossing Notes: A Sailor's Guide to the Coconut Milk Run - page 239

A smiling welcome in Fatu Hiva
Once you've warmed up with that, how about an epic, ten mile hike from Hanavave to
Omoa? The rough jeep track offers incredible views of the island interior and the sea. As
Thor Heyerdahl put it, “Nature on the seventh day.” In Omoa, visit the petroglyphs, buy a
cold drink, or send a Greetings-from-Paradise postcard from the small post office. To
make this a one-way trip, ask Marc or another boat owner in Hanavave the going rate for
the fifteen minute motorboat “shuttle” back.
Ua Pou (map, #5) has several hiking trails, long and short, leading to close-up views of
the stunning pinnacles in the island's central massif. A great one-hour walk that offers a
little of everything runs from the rolly anchorage in Hakahetau, past the interesting Te-
tahuna archaeological site (village ruins explained through interpretive panels), and on to
a stunning - if chilly - waterfall tucked into the mountain slopes. The wet, shady spot is
also a favorite of mosquitoes, but you can hide from them behind the curtain of the water-
fall. There, the roar and sting of the water is another delight for the senses.
Nuku Hiva offers two not-to-be-missed hikes. One traces Herman Melville's beautiful
“Typee” valley. Anchor in Comptrolleur Bay (map, #6) at the southeast end of the island
and ask directions in Taipivai village to the Paeke cult site. It's a pleasant walking trail
that leads to interesting shrines with smiling tikis (thirty minutes each way). The queen of
the cascades in the Marquesas is Vaipo, a sheer 800 meter drop reached by a two hour
hike from Taioa (Daniel's) Bay, on the southwest end of Nuku Hiva. The first section of
the walk winds through a lush, golden valley that can only be described as a Garden of
Eden.