Walking through paradise

Trip Start Oct 11, 2009
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Trip End Mar 18, 2010


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Where I stayed
Aranui III

Flag of French Polynesia  , Marquesas Islands,
Friday, February 5, 2010

We did the 16km hike between two bays in Fatu Hiva, where Thor Heyerdahl tried to eke out a living in paradise. He chose the right spot but didn't have the easiest time of it. Our walk took us along the "main road" between the two settlements. Fatu Hiva remains the most wild of the habited islands and the two hours it takes to drive our four hour walk is good evidence for that. A serious uphill slog for 2 hours in the midday sun took us along a main ridge overlooking the central valley. It was great to get into the indigenous flora of the island: some good orchids and herbaceous plants. However, there just aren’t that many native species relative to other places. The islands are 6,000km from the nearest continent and thus relatively poorly endowed on all fronts, though there are some unique surviving birds. We enjoyed the electric blue lorikeet of Nuku Hiva and I think the warbler is endemic.

Back to our walk and we were greeted at the top of the hill by an impressive picnic the Aranui crew had 4WD’ed up – I’d have settled for a sandwich and some water but duck legs, avocado and tomato salad and delicious cake were on offer with some great views.

Most spectacular was the descent to the Baie des Vierges – a beautiful coconut covered valley ending in a bay with steep lava pinnacles. There is some debate as the whether the bay was really called the Baie des Verges after the phallic pinnacles at the entrance and outraged missionaries inserted an “i” to get virgins in French instead of penises. Who knows.
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