We rented a car for the day to drive across the island to visit some of the peaks, waterfalls, and archaeological sites. On Nuku Hiva, the remains of old villages—some dating to the 13^th century–can be found all around. The early Marquesans used boulders and rocks that are strewn about this old volcanic island to build walls and various structures that still stand in place. There are two principal roads on the island that climb up over the central ridges: one heads to the airport and the other heads to the northeastern corner. We took the latter and found ourselves bumping along on a dirt road, with vistas of waterfalls and plunging canyons, and with lots of birdsong. There are no snakes or poisonous insects in the Marquesas so we felt fine tramping off into the forest edges, stopping to visit with the roaming horses and wild goats, and wandering through ancient villages.

A few days later, we hoisted anchor and set sail around the eastern shore of the island, bound for Anaho Bay. Anaho is a spectacular, protected bay on the north shore. Apparently, Robert Louis Stevenson wrote pages eulogizing its beauty; we’ll have to find that when we’re back in Heath.

Anaho Bay is the first place where we’ve come across several kids boats. Gavin has had a wild time playing with kids in the water on kayaks and floaties. We don’t seem too worried about the Black Tip sharks swimming about nearby.

A 30 minute trek along the shore and over a small pass takes us to a farm where we are able to buy more fruits and vegetables. We have a long talk with the farmers about how they make a living and what weather and pest challenges they face on the farm.

We stay a few days in the Bay before heading back to Taiohae and plans for one more stop on Nuku Hiva: Daniel’s Bay.

Above is a photo of Manta Rays in Taiohae Bay that we took from our tender.  As we left for Daniel’s Bay, out boat was surrounded by them.  We’ve since learned that when they travel in long processions, it is in preparation for mating.

There is a 2 hour hike  in Daniel’s Bay that brings one to the 3^rd largest waterfall in the world!  Gavin here could not help finding every rock and cave to climb and explore.