We anchored in Anaho Bay because we are very well protected and the boat does not roll but wanted to see the sites in the neighboring bay called Hatiheu Bay. The Hatiheu Bay is commonly very uncomfortable. The bay is bigger and open to more swell so the boat would only roll back and forth. We had heard there was an hour and half trail over the mountain to the other village, so we set off in the morning only to return in the evening. The start of the trail looked like we were hiking up a stream and switched back and forth up the mountain. The weather has been off and on rainy so we got the notion we might be hiking up and down in mud, boy we were right. Slipping and sliding in the mud, mud puddles that want to keep our shoes, and pop-up waterfalls all as we ascended to the top and down the back side. The back side of the hike actually ended up being not so bad because there were only a few switch backs and then the road was paved all the way to town.
As we walked down the paved road to town we saw a lovely museum. We were very surprised to see a crowd from the Aranui 3, a small cruise ship. We didn’t see the Aranui in the bay so we were a little confused. We found out the cruise ship was in the main village port, Taiohae, and they took an island and Archaelogical site tour from Jocelyne. We were a little disappointed because we are not used to crowds of people and this little village seemed to be busting at the seams. We also felt we were treated a bit like a tourist, which we know we are, but we generally do not get treated as such so we tried to keep our distance from the crowd. The popular restaurant Chez Yvonne is kind of pricey. We had heard the plates were a little bigger and family style but still at 2,000 Francs($20) a plate we thought compared to the rest of French Polynesia averaging around 1,000 Francs ($10) the 2,000 was a bit high. Josh speaks very well in French and was able to ask the owner Yvonne if we might have one plate from the Arnuii which is a sample of the buffet they had provided at 1,000 Francs per person which turned out to be the largest meal with goat, chicken, fish, breadfruit prepared three different ways. The meal was exactly what we needed to hike back over the hill.
After we were full we decided to try and find a guide that might be able to take us up the hill to the archaeological site. We kept getting pointed to the same man, Alfonso, located in the building next to the church. Each time we ran into him we laughed because everyone kept pointing to the same man. Finally he broke down and found a truck to take us to the Archaeological site only for 1,000 Francs a person paid to the driver for fuel. Alfonso had made the climb up to the archaeological site several times in his life, but his foot was currently injured and in his older age he does not move around that well. He is a wonderful gentlemen who tells the story of the Marquesan bird dance with such enthusiasm. We were recorded it all so once we are back to Hawaii or in Alaska we’ll post it because it’s worth a listen. The driver was kind to drop us off were the paved road ended and the trail began. We made our way back to Anaho Bay exhausted and happy.
Dinghy Update: Wade and Josh used a tap and die set to run two bolts into the prop to stop the inner bushing from slipping. What better way to test the bolt grip then to wake board around the anchorage. We found a stick on the beach for a handle and tied it to a line to make a ski rope. We used our surf and paddle boards as the wake board. At the end of the day not only did the two bolts hold, but we had an awesome time waking the bay.
iPhone Update: As we were able to update our iPhone to install the Google language app in Ua Huka the update came at a price. Sara can no longer fly her drone! Boooo! Apparently there is a new DJI app and if she clicks on the currently installed app it just forces her to the Apple update store and the old app will not launch therefore she cannot fly the drone. We used the internet at the Hatiheu post office and found out the update is 121 megabytes. As the iOS update in Ua Huka took 22 hours for three times the size we figure the update was too big for this trip into town. Maybe she could fly it without a phone? Maybe we’ll find a place on land to try.
Octopus Hunting Update: Josh caught a few more octopus and we were able to confirm that a frozen octopus is easier to cut but still chewy, so if you don’t have a pressure cooker and you don’t want to steam the octopus to cut it up, you can freeze the octopus then chop it up. We prepared the most lovely dish. We pressure cooked the octopus for 35 minutes in just salt water and the skin (chewy bites) literally melted off and the octopus was extremely tender. We cooked it in a little butter, onion, garlic, cream, salt, pepper, and cayenne over noodles. Holy cow Awesome!
Cheers,
Wade and Sara
Anaho Bay to Hatiheu Bay Hike Coordinates:
Dinghy Landing: 8° 49′ 16″ S, 140° 3′ 53″ W
Beginning of the trail in Anaho Bay: -50 Elevation at 8° 49′ 35″ S, 140° 3′ 57″ W Summit: 660 Elevation at 8° 49′ 49″ S, 140° 4′ 18″ W
Turn right at the fork in the road: 330 Elevation at 8° 49′ 55″ S, 140° 4′ 40″ W
Hike turns from trail to paved road: -170 Elevation at 8° 49′ 52″ S, 140° 4′ 45″ W
Road that leads to trail and the beginning of the trail in Hatiheu Bay: 8° 49′ 42″ S, 140° 4′ 57″ W
Hikokua, Kaamuihei, & Tahakia Archaeological Site Coordinates: Road to the archaeological site runs along the post office at 8° 49′ 44″ S, 140° 5′ 3″ W and the ma’ae is located at the top of the hill at 8° 49′ 45″ S, 140° 5′ 3″ W.
