Hello Everyone,
We are now anchored on Ua Huka at 8'55 S and 139'32 W in a bay called Haavei and I am wearing long pants and a sweatshirt with my hood up.! We left Tauhata on Wednesday afternoon after a fun filled morning of walking the beach, boogie boarding and snorkeling. That bay was amazing and in Hindsight I would have loved to stay and play there for a few more days. Steven was always there to help and watch over the kids. He also would gather little shells for them and bring fruit off the trees for little after swimming treats. He was quite that host and we should have known, he is Pifa O'Connor's cousin from Hiva Oa. It must run in the family, this generosity and welcome spirit they have. It is just beautiful and they really show the spirit of the Polynesian soul. We had come into that anchorage 2 nights before and I had mentioned how he had brought the wild pig meat out to our boat... The next day we woke up to torrential down pour rain .... ALL DAY! It was to the point that the kids were actually taking shampoo and were able to get a complete fresh water shower out on the deck. It was really fun to have a full day of rain and everything got a great wash down... This made the next morning extra special with the beautiful sunshine and clear turquoise waters to swim in.
Anyway we are on somewhat of a schedule and in order for us to enjoy the Tuamotus for the month that we would like we needed to move along. We went back up to the north side of Hiva Oa to an anchorage that was suppose to have a wonderful river to swim and play in.... except... Duh! When we got in the bay it looked like a huge mud puddle. Of course with all the rain the day before the river was overflowing with mud into the bay and debris was floating by... UGH>>> I was so disappointed that we left our beautiful beach for this. Well we couldn't go back so we hunkered down and made the best of it and got a good night sleep for our next venture of 60 miles over to the Island of Ua Huka. It was a really windy and bumpy ride over... again I feel so bummed that I have lost my sea legs. As it turned out Tristan, Mykaela and Alina and I all ended up taking Stugeron. The seas as the French say are Mer agitee... seas are agitated...and about 6 foot swells. UGH... The good news is that the wind was behind us and so were the seas so at least it was a decent, none banging ride over... we flew across averaging 9 knots. When we got to Ua Huka, the first anchorage we approached is Hane Bay, this is the one that they say is so beautiful.... it has a small maritime museum, church, and a small village to explore. We got in there and the swells were so big that we decided to move onto the next anchorage. The second bay which is 2.3 miles east is Vaipaee Bay. This bay is called the invisible bay because it is so hard to see from the ocean. There is a very narrow channel of 200 meters wide with swells crashing the rocks on both sides... you literally feel like you are riding the waves into the bay. So we thought this would be a protected anchorage. Well we got in there and the bay is so narrow... and shallow, and there was already another boat in there that when we dropped our anchor we couldn't get a solid bite. The other boat said they had to put 2 bow anchors out and they were pretty much taking up the channel so we decided to move onto the next bay...
Okay so I said 3rd time is the charm. We moved around to the 3rd and last chance to anchor bay and struck gold. We were escorted into the bay by a large school of dolphins and dropped anchor. Granted it is still blowing 15 knots with 20 knot gusts of wind in here but it is a completely sandy bottom, clear water, and a beautiful sand beach filled with huge crabs for amaia to chase. Did I mention the perfect boogie boarding waves. We have a stern anchor out because there is still pretty good swell coming through so it keeps out boat facing the waves and makes it pretty comfortable. This bay is called Haavei Bay and is a privately owned bay by the Lichtle Family. We decided to go ashore and check things out so we loaded up the kids and 5 boogie boards in the dinghy and decided to get a little closer to the beach and throw the anchor in and swim to shore... we were all enjoying the beach, Tristan was boogie boarding with chris. Amaia, Alina and Alexia were building things and playing in the sand. Mykaela and I went for a walk down the beach, on our way back I look up at the dinghy and it had drug the anchor and now our 11 foot dinghy was getting tossed up in the waves and almost getting flipped, Chris had to abandon the board and swim out to the dinghy and then take it back to the boat. He decided to leave it tied up to the Circus Tent and then we would just swim back. Granted it isn't that far... maybe 200 meters but with the 4ft swells that were coming our way it was going to be a challenge for Alina and Amaia to make it back.... Of course they love a challenge and are total surf babes and not only did they meet the surf like a pro and were catching all the waves but when it was time to get back they did it all by them selves and kept up with the big kids.
Depending on the wind conditions tomorrow we will decide if we stay or if we go. This bay is not only beautiful but it is also known to be the home of giant manta rays that you can swim with.... if the waters weren't so stirred it would be amazing if we could see them. If it is really windy still tomorrow I think we will head the 23 miles to Nuka Hiva and check out that island. This is suppose to be the most populated and the capital of the Marquesan Islands so hopefully we will get to reporvision, get on the internet and upload some pictures and maybe go see some more archeological sites, ride some horses and play on more beaches... oh yes.... and get caught up on school work.
All is grand, everyone is healthy, and hoping that you all are enjoying some sunsets of your own....
Hugs and love to everyone..
Heather
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Family Circus
Wild Oaks Family Farm, Shenandoah Valley, Plymouth, CA
Saturday, April 25, 2015
Tuesday, April 21, 2015
Jangles..... by Tristan
THEY'RE NEW... THEY'RE IMPROVED... PRESENTING... ALL TERRAIN JANGLES!!!!!
I have just found out recently that flip flops in New Zealand are called "jangles". To me jangles are a better name than flip flops. The reason we call them all terrain jangles is because I wore them in the river, I wore them when we hike for five hours and when we go anywhere. Two days ago my dad and I went on a hike with our New Zealand friends. The hike was supposed to be a nice hike but instead of that we did two an a half hours of straight up hill then two and a half hours of straight down hill, and when I say straight, I mean straight. Aside from the terrain, the hike had amazing views and I got to bring the machete, and I never put it back in the sheath. On the hike there wasn't anything to cut down but there were lots of banana trees but none were ready except one with a rat on it.
It is really cool over in Fatu Hiva, because of all the tikis and waterfalls. The first day we got to Fatu Hiva we went to the waterfall and it was a blast because the waterfall is probably 450 ft, and there was a little spot on the bottom were you could swim. My favorite part about the waterfall was that we brought the machete and found a coconut and had it for part of lunch. It took quite a bit of hacking to get to the coconut milk and meat, but we finally figured it out, and are getting better at it. I wonder if my Scoutmaster, Mr Steuber, will let me take the machete on the next 50 miler?
The next day we moved to Tahuata and the waves are really cool. They don't crash but they surge, and roll you up onto the beach. A local man named Steven came up to us warning us about the traps for the wild pigs, and later on he came up to us and gave us a lot of raw wild pig he had caught. Today we had a huge rain storm that lasted all day. It is really cool and we collected a lot of fresh water and I took a shower in the rain.
Although Tahuata is nice, I am looking forward to Ua Huka, where there is another waterfall, and maybe we can go diving or snorkeling. Maybe I can take my Jangles snorkeling? TRISTAN
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I have just found out recently that flip flops in New Zealand are called "jangles". To me jangles are a better name than flip flops. The reason we call them all terrain jangles is because I wore them in the river, I wore them when we hike for five hours and when we go anywhere. Two days ago my dad and I went on a hike with our New Zealand friends. The hike was supposed to be a nice hike but instead of that we did two an a half hours of straight up hill then two and a half hours of straight down hill, and when I say straight, I mean straight. Aside from the terrain, the hike had amazing views and I got to bring the machete, and I never put it back in the sheath. On the hike there wasn't anything to cut down but there were lots of banana trees but none were ready except one with a rat on it.
It is really cool over in Fatu Hiva, because of all the tikis and waterfalls. The first day we got to Fatu Hiva we went to the waterfall and it was a blast because the waterfall is probably 450 ft, and there was a little spot on the bottom were you could swim. My favorite part about the waterfall was that we brought the machete and found a coconut and had it for part of lunch. It took quite a bit of hacking to get to the coconut milk and meat, but we finally figured it out, and are getting better at it. I wonder if my Scoutmaster, Mr Steuber, will let me take the machete on the next 50 miler?
The next day we moved to Tahuata and the waves are really cool. They don't crash but they surge, and roll you up onto the beach. A local man named Steven came up to us warning us about the traps for the wild pigs, and later on he came up to us and gave us a lot of raw wild pig he had caught. Today we had a huge rain storm that lasted all day. It is really cool and we collected a lot of fresh water and I took a shower in the rain.
Although Tahuata is nice, I am looking forward to Ua Huka, where there is another waterfall, and maybe we can go diving or snorkeling. Maybe I can take my Jangles snorkeling? TRISTAN
----------
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Hanamoenoa Bay on Tahuata.... Wild Horses! Huh....?
Just a quick addition... I wasn't finished with my blog and accidentally sent it...
Morgan I was so thinking of you during our amazing rainbow sunset because to add to the majesty of the colors of the sky when we looked to our left to see all the shades of purple that is possible... Up on the grassy hillside above the coconut lined white beach were a herd of wild horses... It was so fun for me to watch them move along the hill, grazing and enjoying the sunset with us.. it was one of those hallmark moments that I was thinking of the farm and my sister Morgan and her love of the spiritual horse!
Hugs
Heath
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Morgan I was so thinking of you during our amazing rainbow sunset because to add to the majesty of the colors of the sky when we looked to our left to see all the shades of purple that is possible... Up on the grassy hillside above the coconut lined white beach were a herd of wild horses... It was so fun for me to watch them move along the hill, grazing and enjoying the sunset with us.. it was one of those hallmark moments that I was thinking of the farm and my sister Morgan and her love of the spiritual horse!
Hugs
Heath
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Jurassic Park or Fatu Hiva... That is the question?
Hello Everyone,
I have been lacking in my blog entries... it is so beautiful here that we get caught up in our surroundings.... and not inside the boat... We are now on Tahuata anchored on a white sandy beach with a perfect wave for the kids to boogie board on... but it is raining so I am catching up on school work and blogs.....I will start with our amazing visit to Fatu Hiva...
Well, this is where I would have taken a creative writing class to try and give this amazing island justice. I didn't, so I will have to update with pictures as soon as I can... for now bear with me while I try to describe this heaven on earth. After spending time in Hiva Oa... and touring the island (which is amazing) we sailed for about 6 hours to come over to Fatu Hiva. This island is known for its high cliffs and deep lagoons.... waterfalls, fruit trees, palm trees, and amazing hikes. We came into the lagoon here in Hanavave which is surrounded by steep volcanic cliffs/mountains that drop straight into the water... They are black volcanic rock with palm trees and beautiful green grasses on them that contrast against the black... It literally looks like a scene from King Kong or Jurassic park when you are arriving onto the island. We also hear the goats on the hillsides, haven't seen them yet, but hear them. We got here 2 days ago and have been fulfilling our time with hiking as much as we can. This side of the island has about 200 people living here with about 30 houses that line one street that is illuminated at night by their generator powered street lights. There is one grocery store that is pretty well stocked with necessities and is only open from 7 to 11 and 2:30 to 4pm. There is one church and a school for the few kids that are here. There are no gas stations or banks that we can see and the people sell their art work out of the homes. Everyone is extremely friendly, inviting and helpful. Our first day we walked into town and got ice cream (of course)... and then met 3 artisans who sell tiki's. The offered us a seat in their home while they showed us their work and the kids got to play with the baby goat and a puppy... what more could you ask for. The next day we walked up a jungle path to their famous waterfall and swimming hole. Just the hike alone up this road through town, then further up through fields, tall grasses, streams, climbing over trees and rocks until finally 1 1/2 hours later it opens up to this waterfall that is about 400 feet high of sheer black rock. This waterfall falls into a small pool of water surrounded by all these high cliff rocks. We also found that it is extremely deep after Chris jumped off one of the cliff sides and couldn't touch the bottom. All the kids loved swimming in it and the best thing yet they found was to float on your back and look up at the water coming down on you. Really quite refreshing and it feels so good to swim in fresh water again. Alexia has an amazing description of the waterfall in her entry... She really captures the feelings you have while you are there.
The next day we hooked up with some friends from other boats (Aussie Rules and Bob the Cat) and took our boat over to the town of Omoa. We wondered through town and saw their cute church and the general store where we bought some goodies. All the houses had so many fruit trees and wonderful flower gardens. The thing that surprises me is that all the houses have barbed wire fences surrounding them... I am not sure what they are keeping out or if they are trying to keep something in... There are only 300 people in the village... they must all know each other so there must be some reason for the barbed wire fences... it is the weirdest thing to me. After the store we went on a hike to find the Petroglyph of the giant mahi mahi. Granted there are no signs directing you so we were unable to find it. We asked a few people for directions but these things are often up in the woods and without someone leading you it is hard to find. The kids were getting tired and it was around 1:30 so we started heading back to the boat. We needed to get going because most of the group was hiking back to Hanavave Bay that was about a 4 hour hike and the sun sets at 5:45... It gets pretty dark under the canopy and they didn't have flash lights so they started their hike. Chris, Tristan, Rosie and Dave from Aussie Rules, and Sara, Steve and Melanie from Bob the Cat were on their way. It is a straight hike up to the top of the mountains and then along the ridge line and back down to our bay... it is suppose to be a spectacular view up there and a challenging hike...
Dave, from Bob the Cat, his 2 boys Mattias (7) and Luke (5), Alina, Amaia, Mykaela and Alexia and I all took the boat back to the other bay so the kids could swim and play while we were waiting for the arrival of the others from their hike. The kids all had a great time together... it is always nice when they find kids their own age to play with. The sun was setting and it was starting to get dark so Steve brought all the kids to our boat while he went to shore to wait for everyone... He speaks french so it is easy for him to ask for help if we needed a ride to go find them. Of course, at about 6:30 they all arrived back at the dock safely and had a great time... Blisters is the reason for the delay... Dave on Aussie Rules had developed a hot spot and it was a slow journey coming down the mountain.... Tristan was a trooper hiking in his all terrain flip flops without a problem (we learned a great new term- "jangles" -its the Kiwi term for flip flops)... he credits all the hikes they do in boy scouts and said this hike was a walk in the park... The others didn't quite agree... thought it was more like a 30% grade up and back down...
The next day we left for Tahuata... This is a small island that many people pay to have a boat bring them over from Hiva Oa for their white sandy beaches. It was about a 7 hour sail up from Fatu Hiva and I think being in the anchorages so much that you lose a little of your sea legs... Tristan and I both got sea sick on the way over. The swell and the wind was from behind and going with us so both of us felt like sissies fro being sick. When we got here we stopped in at the first anchorage that has a small village with a beautiful stained glass church and little store to provision at. After we anchored and then looked to see where we could land the dinghy with all of us... we discovered how challenging the swell coming onto shore really was. It was amazing with the waves breaking on shore and then the swell rising up over the dock landing, it was a little intimidating... We were watching another cruiser boat with 2 adults try to land their dinghy to go ashore and saw how after about 15 minutes they were finally successful. Chris and I both decided to pull up anchor and unfortunately skip this little village just because it looked too sketchy with trying to get the kids to jump out of the dinghy at the right time while not being slammed into this concrete dock landing... Hmmmm... I'll pass on this one.
We ended up in Hanamoenoa Bay... Wow... this is a beautiful beach... Completely picturesque.... White sand beach, lined with coconut trees, lava rock on each end along with the one small hut in the middle. We decided to go ashore and let the kids play in the surf. We had to anchor the dinghy off shore and swim in because the waves are too rough to land in and the beach is really steep so you can't pull the dinghy up onto shore. We were playing in the surf when out of my right eye I see a local guy with long hair come running towards Amaia in the water yelling, "Big Wave, Big Wave!" He was so worried about her that he was diving into get her. When I looked up there was this one big wave that had developed out of now where and Amaia was so far down that she couldn't get out in time up the steep beach... It was all in slow motion at this point... she looked at Chris and I, then at the man running towards her and then she just knew she couldn't make it so she turned and dove in and under the wave.... Her little feet looked so small. The wave was probably 8 to 9 feet tall and when it broke it came all the way up to the top of the steep beach and started sweeping everything out into the bay, including my Kayak... Not only was this wave big but it was so powerful that it was pulling me back down when I was trying to grab the boogie boards and kayak... Of course my thought is Oh My God, where is Amaia.... Low and behold I look up and she is playing in the surf like a little seal enjoying the push and pull surges that go with the waves... not even phased. She was so awesome and knew just what to do that it didn't even phase her. Stephen, the local that ran after Amaia lives in the hut on this beach, he saw us come to shore and was coming to introduce us and to let us know to stay on the beach because he has a bunch of wild boar traps up in the coconut trees that he wouldn't want the kids to get snagged in. He is very friendly and was also inviting us to have dinner with him. If we were going to be in the anchorage for a little while he wanted to have a pig roast. He had caught a wild boar and wanted to share it with the cruisers in the anchorage. He also said he couldn't believe how Amaia had dove under the wave like that... she handled it perfectly and he was so impressed for such a little girl to be able to handle that size of wave- he said she had a "warrior spirit"... It really was a sight to see... I wish I could have caught it on camera.
We had a wonderful sunset last night and enjoyed it immensely while Mykaela and Tristan cooked dinner. We had to applaud the sunset tonight... We haven't seen one with so many colors as of yet. If you can imagine the warm glow of the orange on the horizon, blending to yellow as you go up... with a partial new moon illuminated as to where you can see the whole moon, then a bright shinning star right next to it. This star is the one that is so bright it often reflects off the water at night. Then on our right was a small dark rain cloud and behind all the shades of blue you can imagine... but what was more wonderful was on our left we had all the shades of purple.... it looked like a rainbow in the sky.....
While Alexia was finishing up on her homework and we were getting ready to watch a movie there was a knock on the side of the boat. Stephen, our local friend, was with another cruiser boat and he brought us some of the wild pig. He wanted to make sure we got some incase we decided to leave. We tried to give him something in return but you find that the theme among the locals is that they will give you the shirt off their back and in return only ask for a smile. Pifa and Stephen both had the same answer when giving... Just your smile is enough for me.... They are truly wonderful people and really love to share what they have.
Hugs and love to everyone,
Heath
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I have been lacking in my blog entries... it is so beautiful here that we get caught up in our surroundings.... and not inside the boat... We are now on Tahuata anchored on a white sandy beach with a perfect wave for the kids to boogie board on... but it is raining so I am catching up on school work and blogs.....I will start with our amazing visit to Fatu Hiva...
Well, this is where I would have taken a creative writing class to try and give this amazing island justice. I didn't, so I will have to update with pictures as soon as I can... for now bear with me while I try to describe this heaven on earth. After spending time in Hiva Oa... and touring the island (which is amazing) we sailed for about 6 hours to come over to Fatu Hiva. This island is known for its high cliffs and deep lagoons.... waterfalls, fruit trees, palm trees, and amazing hikes. We came into the lagoon here in Hanavave which is surrounded by steep volcanic cliffs/mountains that drop straight into the water... They are black volcanic rock with palm trees and beautiful green grasses on them that contrast against the black... It literally looks like a scene from King Kong or Jurassic park when you are arriving onto the island. We also hear the goats on the hillsides, haven't seen them yet, but hear them. We got here 2 days ago and have been fulfilling our time with hiking as much as we can. This side of the island has about 200 people living here with about 30 houses that line one street that is illuminated at night by their generator powered street lights. There is one grocery store that is pretty well stocked with necessities and is only open from 7 to 11 and 2:30 to 4pm. There is one church and a school for the few kids that are here. There are no gas stations or banks that we can see and the people sell their art work out of the homes. Everyone is extremely friendly, inviting and helpful. Our first day we walked into town and got ice cream (of course)... and then met 3 artisans who sell tiki's. The offered us a seat in their home while they showed us their work and the kids got to play with the baby goat and a puppy... what more could you ask for. The next day we walked up a jungle path to their famous waterfall and swimming hole. Just the hike alone up this road through town, then further up through fields, tall grasses, streams, climbing over trees and rocks until finally 1 1/2 hours later it opens up to this waterfall that is about 400 feet high of sheer black rock. This waterfall falls into a small pool of water surrounded by all these high cliff rocks. We also found that it is extremely deep after Chris jumped off one of the cliff sides and couldn't touch the bottom. All the kids loved swimming in it and the best thing yet they found was to float on your back and look up at the water coming down on you. Really quite refreshing and it feels so good to swim in fresh water again. Alexia has an amazing description of the waterfall in her entry... She really captures the feelings you have while you are there.
The next day we hooked up with some friends from other boats (Aussie Rules and Bob the Cat) and took our boat over to the town of Omoa. We wondered through town and saw their cute church and the general store where we bought some goodies. All the houses had so many fruit trees and wonderful flower gardens. The thing that surprises me is that all the houses have barbed wire fences surrounding them... I am not sure what they are keeping out or if they are trying to keep something in... There are only 300 people in the village... they must all know each other so there must be some reason for the barbed wire fences... it is the weirdest thing to me. After the store we went on a hike to find the Petroglyph of the giant mahi mahi. Granted there are no signs directing you so we were unable to find it. We asked a few people for directions but these things are often up in the woods and without someone leading you it is hard to find. The kids were getting tired and it was around 1:30 so we started heading back to the boat. We needed to get going because most of the group was hiking back to Hanavave Bay that was about a 4 hour hike and the sun sets at 5:45... It gets pretty dark under the canopy and they didn't have flash lights so they started their hike. Chris, Tristan, Rosie and Dave from Aussie Rules, and Sara, Steve and Melanie from Bob the Cat were on their way. It is a straight hike up to the top of the mountains and then along the ridge line and back down to our bay... it is suppose to be a spectacular view up there and a challenging hike...
Dave, from Bob the Cat, his 2 boys Mattias (7) and Luke (5), Alina, Amaia, Mykaela and Alexia and I all took the boat back to the other bay so the kids could swim and play while we were waiting for the arrival of the others from their hike. The kids all had a great time together... it is always nice when they find kids their own age to play with. The sun was setting and it was starting to get dark so Steve brought all the kids to our boat while he went to shore to wait for everyone... He speaks french so it is easy for him to ask for help if we needed a ride to go find them. Of course, at about 6:30 they all arrived back at the dock safely and had a great time... Blisters is the reason for the delay... Dave on Aussie Rules had developed a hot spot and it was a slow journey coming down the mountain.... Tristan was a trooper hiking in his all terrain flip flops without a problem (we learned a great new term- "jangles" -its the Kiwi term for flip flops)... he credits all the hikes they do in boy scouts and said this hike was a walk in the park... The others didn't quite agree... thought it was more like a 30% grade up and back down...
The next day we left for Tahuata... This is a small island that many people pay to have a boat bring them over from Hiva Oa for their white sandy beaches. It was about a 7 hour sail up from Fatu Hiva and I think being in the anchorages so much that you lose a little of your sea legs... Tristan and I both got sea sick on the way over. The swell and the wind was from behind and going with us so both of us felt like sissies fro being sick. When we got here we stopped in at the first anchorage that has a small village with a beautiful stained glass church and little store to provision at. After we anchored and then looked to see where we could land the dinghy with all of us... we discovered how challenging the swell coming onto shore really was. It was amazing with the waves breaking on shore and then the swell rising up over the dock landing, it was a little intimidating... We were watching another cruiser boat with 2 adults try to land their dinghy to go ashore and saw how after about 15 minutes they were finally successful. Chris and I both decided to pull up anchor and unfortunately skip this little village just because it looked too sketchy with trying to get the kids to jump out of the dinghy at the right time while not being slammed into this concrete dock landing... Hmmmm... I'll pass on this one.
We ended up in Hanamoenoa Bay... Wow... this is a beautiful beach... Completely picturesque.... White sand beach, lined with coconut trees, lava rock on each end along with the one small hut in the middle. We decided to go ashore and let the kids play in the surf. We had to anchor the dinghy off shore and swim in because the waves are too rough to land in and the beach is really steep so you can't pull the dinghy up onto shore. We were playing in the surf when out of my right eye I see a local guy with long hair come running towards Amaia in the water yelling, "Big Wave, Big Wave!" He was so worried about her that he was diving into get her. When I looked up there was this one big wave that had developed out of now where and Amaia was so far down that she couldn't get out in time up the steep beach... It was all in slow motion at this point... she looked at Chris and I, then at the man running towards her and then she just knew she couldn't make it so she turned and dove in and under the wave.... Her little feet looked so small. The wave was probably 8 to 9 feet tall and when it broke it came all the way up to the top of the steep beach and started sweeping everything out into the bay, including my Kayak... Not only was this wave big but it was so powerful that it was pulling me back down when I was trying to grab the boogie boards and kayak... Of course my thought is Oh My God, where is Amaia.... Low and behold I look up and she is playing in the surf like a little seal enjoying the push and pull surges that go with the waves... not even phased. She was so awesome and knew just what to do that it didn't even phase her. Stephen, the local that ran after Amaia lives in the hut on this beach, he saw us come to shore and was coming to introduce us and to let us know to stay on the beach because he has a bunch of wild boar traps up in the coconut trees that he wouldn't want the kids to get snagged in. He is very friendly and was also inviting us to have dinner with him. If we were going to be in the anchorage for a little while he wanted to have a pig roast. He had caught a wild boar and wanted to share it with the cruisers in the anchorage. He also said he couldn't believe how Amaia had dove under the wave like that... she handled it perfectly and he was so impressed for such a little girl to be able to handle that size of wave- he said she had a "warrior spirit"... It really was a sight to see... I wish I could have caught it on camera.
We had a wonderful sunset last night and enjoyed it immensely while Mykaela and Tristan cooked dinner. We had to applaud the sunset tonight... We haven't seen one with so many colors as of yet. If you can imagine the warm glow of the orange on the horizon, blending to yellow as you go up... with a partial new moon illuminated as to where you can see the whole moon, then a bright shinning star right next to it. This star is the one that is so bright it often reflects off the water at night. Then on our right was a small dark rain cloud and behind all the shades of blue you can imagine... but what was more wonderful was on our left we had all the shades of purple.... it looked like a rainbow in the sky.....
While Alexia was finishing up on her homework and we were getting ready to watch a movie there was a knock on the side of the boat. Stephen, our local friend, was with another cruiser boat and he brought us some of the wild pig. He wanted to make sure we got some incase we decided to leave. We tried to give him something in return but you find that the theme among the locals is that they will give you the shirt off their back and in return only ask for a smile. Pifa and Stephen both had the same answer when giving... Just your smile is enough for me.... They are truly wonderful people and really love to share what they have.
Hugs and love to everyone,
Heath
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Fatu Hiva Cascade, by Lexi
<> Hey, it's Lexi! <>
We just left Fatu Hiva, an island that doesn't have any interesting histories or background , but has amazing natural features. (Parental editorial note- this is a bit of an exaggeration- Thor Heyerdahl actually played Hermit here for a year and wrote a book about it, and they used to practice cannibalism until not that long ago- CTZ) We hiked up to a cascade, as its known in French, or a waterfall. The hike was very beautiful and peaceful. We had to cross over many streams, but it was all worth it. The waterfall grotto was something out of a fairy tale. Every crack or crevice was filled with the most lively, soft green moss, little flowers covered the river bank, as if the grotto wanted people to be near it.
The waterfall was otherworldly. In fact it was 150 meters of otherworldlyness, Seriously though, it didn't fit in the camera frame. The towering, black, rock wall behind the droplets of refreshing fresh water, was covered in splotches of green moss. There are little holes where you can sit in a little protected ledge that fits only you. The holes provide little dents of shelter from the water of the waterfall. The water trickles all the way down the rock face, and the sides of the seat of the hole, and is surprisingly warm against your skin. Your feet are the only thing touching the cold grotto water. As you enter the grotto pool, there are about five feet of clear, cool, rocky water and then it drops off deep. If you floated on your back, like I did, and looked up at the falling water, the sun would catch it just right and you would be mesmerized at the little drops straying from the downward stream that seemed to dance around as they fell softly to the grotto.
My Dad and I climbed up one of the rocks and jumped off the top, Climbing the rocks was a mild challenge as well as a fun experience. The moss on the footholds provided great cushioning for your feet. The little lizards skitter across the rocks away from your hands and feet as you make your way to the flat rock you'll be jumping off. And when you finally jump off, and break off contact with the rock, there's no going back and its a lot higher than it looks when you're up top. When you're suspended up in the air, for a second, you feel like one of the drops of water from the waterfall, lively and free. And that makes you want to dance too. When your feet touch the water, the cold water sends up jolts of shock that combines with the little adrenaline in you from the jump. and it makes you want to go again and again. So I did.
When it finally was time to go the cold but refreshing presence of the water that lingers on your skin is refreshing on the way back down to the boat. The waterfall felt like an exciting dream rather than a memory, but the little streams we crossed on the way down were proof that it was there, and wasn't a figment of my imagination.
LEXI
----------
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We just left Fatu Hiva, an island that doesn't have any interesting histories or background , but has amazing natural features. (Parental editorial note- this is a bit of an exaggeration- Thor Heyerdahl actually played Hermit here for a year and wrote a book about it, and they used to practice cannibalism until not that long ago- CTZ) We hiked up to a cascade, as its known in French, or a waterfall. The hike was very beautiful and peaceful. We had to cross over many streams, but it was all worth it. The waterfall grotto was something out of a fairy tale. Every crack or crevice was filled with the most lively, soft green moss, little flowers covered the river bank, as if the grotto wanted people to be near it.
The waterfall was otherworldly. In fact it was 150 meters of otherworldlyness, Seriously though, it didn't fit in the camera frame. The towering, black, rock wall behind the droplets of refreshing fresh water, was covered in splotches of green moss. There are little holes where you can sit in a little protected ledge that fits only you. The holes provide little dents of shelter from the water of the waterfall. The water trickles all the way down the rock face, and the sides of the seat of the hole, and is surprisingly warm against your skin. Your feet are the only thing touching the cold grotto water. As you enter the grotto pool, there are about five feet of clear, cool, rocky water and then it drops off deep. If you floated on your back, like I did, and looked up at the falling water, the sun would catch it just right and you would be mesmerized at the little drops straying from the downward stream that seemed to dance around as they fell softly to the grotto.
My Dad and I climbed up one of the rocks and jumped off the top, Climbing the rocks was a mild challenge as well as a fun experience. The moss on the footholds provided great cushioning for your feet. The little lizards skitter across the rocks away from your hands and feet as you make your way to the flat rock you'll be jumping off. And when you finally jump off, and break off contact with the rock, there's no going back and its a lot higher than it looks when you're up top. When you're suspended up in the air, for a second, you feel like one of the drops of water from the waterfall, lively and free. And that makes you want to dance too. When your feet touch the water, the cold water sends up jolts of shock that combines with the little adrenaline in you from the jump. and it makes you want to go again and again. So I did.
When it finally was time to go the cold but refreshing presence of the water that lingers on your skin is refreshing on the way back down to the boat. The waterfall felt like an exciting dream rather than a memory, but the little streams we crossed on the way down were proof that it was there, and wasn't a figment of my imagination.
LEXI
----------
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Thursday, April 16, 2015
Stupendous Spectacular Beauty in Paradise
We are in Paradise, and it is drop dead Gorgeous.....
We left Hiva Oa today, having spent 4 days longer there than planned, as we loved the island, and were so thankful to be able to spend time with Pifa and his extended family. We needed to move on, and headed for Fatu Hiva at 7am,, about 44 miles south and to windward of us. Many more boats had arrived from Mexico and the bay had swelled to 24 boats inside and outside of the bay. We had waited a bit to let the seas die down and we had a spectacular motorsail, eventually getting enough of an angle to fly our full sails, including our repaired batten pocket..
We covered the miles quickly, with the kids sleeping in for the first section, and Heather and I enjoying our coffee. We also had what I view as the Marquesan breakfast of champions: Chunks of fresh Pamplemousse, accompanied by fresh baguettes with Nutella on it - a certain recipe for lifelong happiness and a trim waistline. The seas were flat enough that I was able to make 8 new squid lures with braided steel wire that I bought the parts for at the "hardware store" in Hiva Oa- they weren't successful in their maiden voyage- but we have time. It was nice after all to get back out on the sea and feel the breeze under a spectacular sun. The boat also felt much cleaner after multiple rain showers over the last week, and we were also able to run our water maker again and fill our tanks.
After several hours we started seeing more detail of Fatu Hiva, and with polarized lenses, you really got a sense for the vegetation on the island. As we approached, we were awed by the straight black cliffs, interspersed with steep hillsides covered in foliage. The anchorage is known as the Bay of Virgins, or Baie Hanavave, and it is a small anchorage surrounded by black rocks and cliffs, multiple steep spires of rock, and Palm and Mango trees covering the shoreline. Many say that is its one of the anchorages most seen on the front of Sailing magazines and tourism paraphenelia and it doesn't disappoint. (google Fatu Iva Images if you can, as we wont be able to upload pictures for a while) We anchored amongst five other boats in a mix of rock, coral and sand, and jumped in the 85 degree water for a swim. After anchoring, another cruising boat's dinghy came by and said hello. A group of four Swedes, they had been here for several days, and were on their way in for ice cream. We got the local knowledge from them and followed a short while later, amazed to find a proper break water and simple dinghy tie up- a far cry from the stern anchor, surge carnage we had experienced in Hiva Oa. The tiny protected dock sits directly under a massive black rock monolith that shoots vertically for at least 500 feet high. Walking, we wandered through town past the Church and School, right next to the docks, and in the distance saw the most awesomest soccer field ever- situated right next to the town river, and bordering the black rock beach.
School had just got out, and the kids beat us to the "store", but there was still some ice cream left for us and a few drinks to take on our little walk. We meandered about, local children giggling at us, and all the townspeople very welcoming with their "Bonjours". Our kids are fascinated by the animals, and I love the flowers and trees. We saw many pigs and dogs, and plants were blooming fruits and flowers everywhere. Within 5 minutes we had found the "Marie" or town square and post office, and had started our return along the river when we ran in to three young Germans who had just returned from a hike. We asked about the "cascade" or waterfall we had heard about, and they confirmed the directions we had gotten, and went so far to share a small "secret" map that some Finns had given them. We are excited to go on that adventure tomorrow and find the falls and pool.
The tiny town sits in a very small valley whose sides are straight up for 1000-2000 feet - its quite stunning, and the homes border the river and streams that flow down to the sea. We turned up a street based on a small sign and found a carver working at his trade. Marc spoke fantastic English, and was working away on some stone tikis. He showed us his diamond blade and shaping blades and the various sand paper grades he uses. His wife brought out some stunning shell pendants and wooden tikis he had carved but they were somewhat out of our price range. We enjoyed sitting and chatting though and the kids found a new puppy to play with. He pointed out where the tapa makers live which we hope to explore as well. On the way, one more man pulled us over asking if we wanted to trade for Pamplemousse, which we fortunately loaded up on yesterday, but we saw his wooden tiki carvings, as well as his "atelier" where he plies his trade, starting from a log of rosewood. He asked if I was a mechanic, as he had a washer problem, but sadly that's not in my wheelhouse, I am more in to marine toilets. He also asked about a diving mask, and I will see if we have something to trade tomorrow. I tried to show the kids all the work he did, but alas, he had a 7 month old goat in his front yard, tied to a small anchor, that got all of their attention and several gigabytes of photos devoted to it. The kids want to make sure we get back tomorrow.
We returned to the anchorage, giving three other folks a ride to their boat, and set up getting rum drinks for sunset. I realized one of my favorite parts of French Polynesia cruising now is that the other boats aren't all American or Canadian as they were in Mexico. There are currently two German boats, a Canadian, a Swedish boat and a catamaran with two families aboard from New Zealand that just sailed in from the Galapagos. (and us) Its fun to here the different banter, and making language barriers break down with various phrases and hand gestures. Hopefully we can spend some time with them all and expose the kids to more perspectives.
Sunset was stunning, as you would expect, though we faced away from the mountains and watched the sun go down over Hiva Oa- a rum drink in hand. Its been an amazing day in paradise and we hope to exceed it tomorrow with the trip to the waterfall.
As I type this, a local fisherman in an 8 foot homemade outrigger is fishing off our stern, and has asked to tie up to us. He uses hooks with no bait, and bobs his hand up and down, pulling in "Rouges" - little 6 inch red fish, every few minutes. We have offered him dinner, and he's offered us fish, but he seems quite content working away the night, and occasionally bailing out his boat. The stars are out, the kids are actually doing a little bit of late homeschooling so that we can play some more tomorrow, and all is well.
I wish you could all be here.......... Have a great night. CHRIS
----------
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We left Hiva Oa today, having spent 4 days longer there than planned, as we loved the island, and were so thankful to be able to spend time with Pifa and his extended family. We needed to move on, and headed for Fatu Hiva at 7am,, about 44 miles south and to windward of us. Many more boats had arrived from Mexico and the bay had swelled to 24 boats inside and outside of the bay. We had waited a bit to let the seas die down and we had a spectacular motorsail, eventually getting enough of an angle to fly our full sails, including our repaired batten pocket..
We covered the miles quickly, with the kids sleeping in for the first section, and Heather and I enjoying our coffee. We also had what I view as the Marquesan breakfast of champions: Chunks of fresh Pamplemousse, accompanied by fresh baguettes with Nutella on it - a certain recipe for lifelong happiness and a trim waistline. The seas were flat enough that I was able to make 8 new squid lures with braided steel wire that I bought the parts for at the "hardware store" in Hiva Oa- they weren't successful in their maiden voyage- but we have time. It was nice after all to get back out on the sea and feel the breeze under a spectacular sun. The boat also felt much cleaner after multiple rain showers over the last week, and we were also able to run our water maker again and fill our tanks.
After several hours we started seeing more detail of Fatu Hiva, and with polarized lenses, you really got a sense for the vegetation on the island. As we approached, we were awed by the straight black cliffs, interspersed with steep hillsides covered in foliage. The anchorage is known as the Bay of Virgins, or Baie Hanavave, and it is a small anchorage surrounded by black rocks and cliffs, multiple steep spires of rock, and Palm and Mango trees covering the shoreline. Many say that is its one of the anchorages most seen on the front of Sailing magazines and tourism paraphenelia and it doesn't disappoint. (google Fatu Iva Images if you can, as we wont be able to upload pictures for a while) We anchored amongst five other boats in a mix of rock, coral and sand, and jumped in the 85 degree water for a swim. After anchoring, another cruising boat's dinghy came by and said hello. A group of four Swedes, they had been here for several days, and were on their way in for ice cream. We got the local knowledge from them and followed a short while later, amazed to find a proper break water and simple dinghy tie up- a far cry from the stern anchor, surge carnage we had experienced in Hiva Oa. The tiny protected dock sits directly under a massive black rock monolith that shoots vertically for at least 500 feet high. Walking, we wandered through town past the Church and School, right next to the docks, and in the distance saw the most awesomest soccer field ever- situated right next to the town river, and bordering the black rock beach.
School had just got out, and the kids beat us to the "store", but there was still some ice cream left for us and a few drinks to take on our little walk. We meandered about, local children giggling at us, and all the townspeople very welcoming with their "Bonjours". Our kids are fascinated by the animals, and I love the flowers and trees. We saw many pigs and dogs, and plants were blooming fruits and flowers everywhere. Within 5 minutes we had found the "Marie" or town square and post office, and had started our return along the river when we ran in to three young Germans who had just returned from a hike. We asked about the "cascade" or waterfall we had heard about, and they confirmed the directions we had gotten, and went so far to share a small "secret" map that some Finns had given them. We are excited to go on that adventure tomorrow and find the falls and pool.
The tiny town sits in a very small valley whose sides are straight up for 1000-2000 feet - its quite stunning, and the homes border the river and streams that flow down to the sea. We turned up a street based on a small sign and found a carver working at his trade. Marc spoke fantastic English, and was working away on some stone tikis. He showed us his diamond blade and shaping blades and the various sand paper grades he uses. His wife brought out some stunning shell pendants and wooden tikis he had carved but they were somewhat out of our price range. We enjoyed sitting and chatting though and the kids found a new puppy to play with. He pointed out where the tapa makers live which we hope to explore as well. On the way, one more man pulled us over asking if we wanted to trade for Pamplemousse, which we fortunately loaded up on yesterday, but we saw his wooden tiki carvings, as well as his "atelier" where he plies his trade, starting from a log of rosewood. He asked if I was a mechanic, as he had a washer problem, but sadly that's not in my wheelhouse, I am more in to marine toilets. He also asked about a diving mask, and I will see if we have something to trade tomorrow. I tried to show the kids all the work he did, but alas, he had a 7 month old goat in his front yard, tied to a small anchor, that got all of their attention and several gigabytes of photos devoted to it. The kids want to make sure we get back tomorrow.
We returned to the anchorage, giving three other folks a ride to their boat, and set up getting rum drinks for sunset. I realized one of my favorite parts of French Polynesia cruising now is that the other boats aren't all American or Canadian as they were in Mexico. There are currently two German boats, a Canadian, a Swedish boat and a catamaran with two families aboard from New Zealand that just sailed in from the Galapagos. (and us) Its fun to here the different banter, and making language barriers break down with various phrases and hand gestures. Hopefully we can spend some time with them all and expose the kids to more perspectives.
Sunset was stunning, as you would expect, though we faced away from the mountains and watched the sun go down over Hiva Oa- a rum drink in hand. Its been an amazing day in paradise and we hope to exceed it tomorrow with the trip to the waterfall.
As I type this, a local fisherman in an 8 foot homemade outrigger is fishing off our stern, and has asked to tie up to us. He uses hooks with no bait, and bobs his hand up and down, pulling in "Rouges" - little 6 inch red fish, every few minutes. We have offered him dinner, and he's offered us fish, but he seems quite content working away the night, and occasionally bailing out his boat. The stars are out, the kids are actually doing a little bit of late homeschooling so that we can play some more tomorrow, and all is well.
I wish you could all be here.......... Have a great night. CHRIS
----------
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Wednesday, April 15, 2015
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