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Enhance your vacation with the following experience:
Land Activities in Nuku Hiva
Nuku Hiva is the largest of the all the Marquesas
Islands, at 210 square miles. Arrange for a 4-wheel drive/hiking
safari or boat ride to explore this island of primordial beauty.
Wherever you choose to go, the journey is as fascinating as the
destination because of Nuku Hiva's verdant, rugged terrain. Horseback
riding is also a great way to experience Nuku Hiva's beauty and
sense of adventure.
 Stroll
through the main village of Taiohae and visit the Notre Dame Cathedral.
The entire church is a witness to how Marquesans have integrated
Catholicism and their own culture. The saints and disciples are
portrayed as Polynesians; local artists created the massive doors
and the unique pulpit from temanu wood. The town is also home to
the Bishopric and a number of beautiful monuments. Local artisans
have beautified the nearby paepae Piki Vehine (paepae is the Marquesan
word for a ceremonial stone platform); it is now used for special
events. Shop for beautiful Marquesan carvings and hand-painted tapa
cloth in the craftsmen's shops of the Kohunui district.
 A
short boat ride from Taiohae takes you to the base of the Hakaui
valley - a must-see. Hike to the bottom of the valley, where the
1100-foot Ahuei waterfall plunges from basaltic cliffs. Hakaui valley
was once a tohua, or royal site, and you can still see the paepae
and stone tikis. Hakaui valley also boasts one of the very few golden
sand beaches in the Marquesas. The walk is about two hours each
way.
Two and a half hours away (by 4x4) is the fishing and copra-producing
village of Taipivai. The adventurer Herman Melville made this village
famous in his 1846 novel, Typee. The village affords a spectacular
view of Controllers Bay. Hike up through forests of mape (chestnut
trees) to the Paeke mea'e (marae), which is guarded by several ancient
stone tikis.
 A
journey to Hatiheu Bay in the north requires a full day and is well
worth the trip. On the west side of the bay, a striking white statue
of the Blessed Virgin stands watch over the bay from high in the
cliffs. From Hatiheu village you can walk to the Hikokua tohua,
with its huge paepae, ancient and modern tikis. A little further
upstream is the Kamuihei Ceremonial Center. Situated in a grove
of banyan trees, the site is a rich cultural find which actually
comprises two tohua and a mea'e. Human skulls and other bones were
found here when the site was first excavated. Today you can still
see impressive large boulders covered with petroglyphs. |
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At Tahiti Legends,
we provide you with all the information
you need to make the right vacation decision. |
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19891
Beach Blvd #107 - Huntington Beach - CA 92648 - USA
Tel: 1 (714) 374 5656 - Fax: 1 (714) 374 7262 - E-mail: info@tahitilegends.com |
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