8:56.67S
140:09.84W
Friday 13th July – Hiking in Hakaui
Wednesday, 11th July saw us leave Taiohae Bay. It was the last place that we would be
able to get any significant provisions before we reach Rangiroa in the Tuamotos
in just under three weeks time.
Having decided that we were not tempted by imported white sliced loaves
that cost the equivalent of £5, Carol experimented with a packet of bread mix
that had not exploded. All of these
had been stored in a plastic box but the heat and humidity had caused the
majority to self-destruct as the yeast fermented. Sadly, the packet used had passed its
expiry date and the dough hardly rose.
Ever optimistic, Carol baked it for the requisite amount of time but the
result was quite inedible. However,
it could have been used as a spare dinghy anchor! The next challenge will be making bread
from scratch.
Our next anchorage was only about 5 miles away; whilst
Taiohae was peaceful, Hakatea Bay is tranquillity
itself, but in the most majestic surroundings. We hoped that it would be less affected
by swell than Taiohae so that the unpleasant job of cleaning Arnamentia’s
waterline could be tackled.
Certainly the water is cleaner in here. On the subject of water, we were amazed
to discover that there is no drinking water to be had in Taiohae, yet the place
is served by a smart hospital, good schools, decent roads, satellite
communications and the internet.
Everyone keeps plastic bottles and jerry cans in the backs of their
pick-up trucks and they all drive over the mountain pass to a village in the
next bay where there are a couple of stand pipes – a round trip of about an
hour.
Arnamentia in Hakatea Bay
The other reason for coming to Hakatea Bay, or Daniel’s Bay
as it is sometimes known, though he died a good few years ago now, was to walk
up the Hakaui valley to the bottom of the Vaipo waterfall – reputedly the third
tallest in the world at 800 metres.
Early on Thursday morning, we donned our hiking trainers and set
off. Landing, and later launching,
the dinghy was a little exciting – the waves were breaking just a little too
ferociously. Then it was time to
carry the dinghy thirty yards or so up the beach as we’d landed at half
tide. The Zodiac and Mercury engine
are quite a bit heavier than the old Avon and Mariner – so that took a little
time and a lot of puffing.
The dinghy landing spot
The walk was about four or five miles in each
direction and not challenging at all, apart from a couple of the half dozen or
so river crossings required. It has
rained a great deal recently so the river is in full spate but there were enough
rocks to use as hand holds whilst crossing it and we managed with only a few
slips and no total immersions. The
track was laid several centuries ago when the valley was home to a number of
settlements. But whilst the
population of the Marquesas as a whole was estimated at the beginning of the
nineteenth century at over 60,000, it had fallen to around 10,000 by the end of
the twentieth century largely as an indirect result (disease, alcohol and tribal
warfare) of the arrival of European seafarers of one sort or another. So, not much remains of the original
settlements. Nonetheless, a walk
along the track reveals, within the dense forest, remains of what were once
substantial and substantially built dry stone buildings, outhouses and
enclosures now all overgrown.
First section of the track
The majority of waterfall could be seen from about three
quarters the way along the track.
However, its base is at the end of a canyon, obscured by over hanging
cliffs and rocks so one can never see it in its entirety. We had to swim across a pool and
scramble around the rocks to actually see the base – a very refreshing
experience. Standing in the natural
amphitheatre leading up to the waterfall is an awe-inspiring experience and one
to which no amount of camera work could do justice – so we haven’t tried.
First sighting of the Vaipo waterfall
Base of the waterfall and pool where we swam
These days the lower reaches of the Hakaui valley are
scattered with a few smallholdings where bananas, papaya, mangoes, pamplemousse
and limes are grown. The somewhat
makeshift houses are surrounded by a riot of gloriously coloured shrubs,
bougainvillea and hibiscus. In one
of the houses (the one next to the most incongruously placed telephone box we’ve
ever seen) we had arranged to have lunch on our return from our walk. We were expecting something simple – a
piece of chicken probably, but were stunned to be presented with crevettes,
caught that morning in the river, cooked in coconut milk, plantain, savoury
banana fritters, papaya, tomato and cucumber salad with vinaigrette, and coconut
bread steamed in vine leaves, all washed down with home made lime squash. It was absolutely delicious and one of
the best meals we’ve had ashore. We
were also able to buy fruit, freshly picked off the trees, which should see us
through to our first atoll in the Tuamotos.
Lunch stop
A gorgeous garden
Also in the hamlet is a tiny chapel, with a table
cloth covered altar and a large stone as a font. Very simple, but obviously well
cared for and used. On the altar is
a small plastic food storage tub containing donations left by visitors. It was apparent as we made our
contribution that many have been pretty generous. Naturally there is absolutely no danger
of any of the locals rifling it.
The consequences would probably involve a complete bypassing of Purgatory
en route for a hotter reception elsewhere.
Hakaui Chapel
That evening we invited a young Swedish couple, Henrik
and Kiki, on board for drinks. They
are quite a remarkable pair; they too are sailing around the world, but in 28’
canoe-sterned (or, double-ended, depending upon your terminological preference)
sloop called Birka. And, being
canoe-sterned it is, internally, a very small 28 footer indeed. Instrumentation? Well, they’ve got an iPad with GPS, an
electronic speed log that doesn’t work and that’s it. Electronic echo-sounder? Pah! They have a large rusty padlock
connected to a length of string knotted at one metre intervals. Henrik observes that it doesn’t work
terribly well unless the boat is at a standstill – the padlock not being lead
and therefore not sinking quite as readily as it would if it were. But, hey, you get used to it. Shades of Slocum’s second-hand tin clock
which worked well enough for his sun sights once he’d boiled it, even though it
was missing its minute hand. Shades
also of Miles Smeeton, when informed by an aspiring ocean sailor about the sort
of electronics with which he thought he’d equip his boat, throwing open his
bedroom door, indicating the clockwork radio by his bedside and saying “That’s
the only electronic navigation aid we had on Tzu Hang for 18 years”! Shame on you, Arnamentia! Henrik and Kiki say they catch fish
almost daily on passage and survive well enough on that. They did a spell as skipper and galley
slave on a large charter catamaran based in Antigua – despite the fact that Henrik hasn’t got the
Yachtmaster qualification normally required. The charter company knew he could sail
and, presumably, weren’t so bound up in ‘elf’n’safety anxieties that they felt
unable to use a bit of discretion. Not entirely surprisingly, Henrik and Kiki
hated it – 7 times round Antigua sailing to a schedule with crews made up of
those who were delighted with the prospect of sailing in the Caribbean but not generally inclined to do much to aid the
process. Yuk!
S/V Birka
Tomorrow we will set sail for the Tuamotos. We could have left today but didn’t want
to tempt fate on Friday, 13th!
P.S. Omitted
from the last blog were the photos of some of the tikis in and around Taiohae;
they are mainly modern reproductions but nonetheless are quite remarkable. Some could well be models for the next
aliens to bother Doctor Who.
