Off to Sea the Wizard: Daniel's Bay, Nuku Hiva, Marquesas

Daniel's Bay and Hakaui Baie

We've just spent a week anchored in Daniel's Bay only 1.5 miles northeast of Taiohoe Bay. This remote anchorage is calm, protected, but mostly green water. The snorkeling is not so good, but there are other things to do; like the hike to the waterfall through fruit gardens, past ancient artifacts, dinner with the locals and paddle surfing! There are many other boats here. S/V Breeze missed our company so much (ha ha!) they moved over, too. We have made some new international friends:

s/v Kahiba, Austrian couple, Eva and Gunter

s/v JacaRanda, British couple, Sally and Mike

s/v Breeze, Swedish couple, Per, Sabina and Ella

s/v Honu, Hawaiian couple, Suzanne and Craig

We also shared the anchorage with the large motor yacht, m/v SuRi, a chartered luxury boat complete with helicopter, classic criss craft, 2 ski dos and huge water slide from the top deck to water!

M/V SuRi luxury yacht from Santa Monica, Calif

Local family prepare a goat in coconut milk dinner for us cruisers.

Cracking coconuts

John husks a coconut under Teiki's supervision.

We were invited to a local foods dinner prepared by a Marquesan family. Our hosts are Kua and Teiki who are the fruit agriculturists for the area. They export papayas, mangoes, bananas, limes and pamplemousse(? the large grapefruit) to Nuku Hiva and beyond to Tahiti on the freighter. Such a simple farm yet very productive! We were offered to purchase beautiful fruit at reduced rates.

Our dinner hosts, Kua, Teiki, son Matao and mother. Teiki performed a Marquesan pig hunting dance. He had the traditional face tatoo depicting his chosen personality; hunting, fishing and religion.

Our dinner was wild goat( as hunted from the surrounding hills) cooked in coconut milk and onions, fried bananas, steamed breadfruit( bland like potatoes), fruit salad and mango juice. About 10 of us cruisers paid 1,000 francs( $10.00) for this glimpse into native life. Teiki showed us how to husk a coconut and danced an ancient pig hunter's dance. They were very welcoming and eager to share their world.

Pamplemousse anyone?

We hike to the water fall the next day. There is no water falling, but the hike is spectacular through the valley with the sickening sweet smell of rotting fruit everywhere and very humid. The swim at the pool was a great prize at the end!