There was a bit of a delay with regards to the paperwork for our duty free fuel. This was a bit frustrating for all of the boaters but well worth the wait. Early Wednesday afternoon and the fax came in. And Thursday was a holiday and the fuel dock was going to be closed so the boys had to work fast to get the extra jerry cans into the dinghy and then head over to the fuel dock, fill them up, bring them out to the boat, syphon the fuel into the tanks, go back to the fuel dock and do it again. Not quite so easy as pulling up to the pump and saying fill her up! That whole exercise took 3-4 hours.
The regular price of fuel is approximately $1.30 US a liter. But with the tax exemption we get it for approximately 60 cents a liter. 240 liters - that makes a substantial savings for us!
The delay also gave us time to get a few things done on the boat. First and foremost was the head - yes we now have a working head. Thank you David!!!!
David also took a look at the wiring for the starboard solar panel and found some corrosion. Or as he put it - the positive wire on the starboard solar panel had turned into a green ball of crap. So he replaced the wiring and we are back to getting power from both panels.
There was also a leak coming from the fresh water pump. The rubber damper needed to be replaced. Done. No more leaks.
And then I had enough time to get the blog up to date. We can expect Wifi to get even more iffy as we venture to other less populated islands so it was nice to get caught up. I also got to send out a few emails to family and friends.
And as always - add a few more provisions.
Clearance was not necessary but it is recommended that you pay the Gendarme a visit - just to say goodbye.
0933 05-May-2016 Anchor up and we depart Baie Taiohae. Our destination is Baie Taioa or better known as Daniel's Bay and the town of Hakaui. There are only two families occupying this bay, providing services to the boaters.
1053: Anchor down in 14 feet of water.
4 other boats in the anchorage. Sail cover is back on. Tarp is back on. Why bother to take it off in the first place? Especially for such a short passage? Well we always want to be ready to raise the main and be able to sail in those rare instances that the motor stops. Always be prepared for the unexpected!
Daniel's Bay is a beautiful well protected anchorage. In the early 2000 the government made a deal with the TV station filming Survivor to take over the bay. The family was asked to move out for the season and the cameras moved in. So for those of you who watch Survivor - the entire season of Survivor Marquesas was filmed here. I never did get into the Survivor series - maybe some of you will recognize some other the sites in the pictures. The story itself is kind of disappointing as the family bungalows and their restaurant were destroyed to accommodate the filming crew. Daniel and his family moved over to the other bay - not sure if they were given any compensation - the sad point was the fact that the family was not included in any of the negotiations. In the end their title to the land was never removed and they were able to return a couple of years later, once the film crew was done.
The main attraction in this area is Hakaui falls. It is 350 meters high and surrounded by large cliffs. Paul, a relative of one of the two families that live in this valley came to meet us as we portage up the river. At high tide you can get through with your dinghy. One's imagination does not have to stretch very far to picture what this area looked like 1500 years ago. And everyone is related at one time it was the home of the Royal family but you will not see any signs of grandeur. Just simple wooden frame homes but again, with lovely gardens.
They have a tap attached to a hose from a spring 3 km into the valley. Anyone is welcomed to fill their water jugs. And it is wonderful water. We topped up our tanks before we left.
But first the hike! Paul guided us along a trail ( I use the word loosely) that followed the river. Descendants from these two families have formed an association including roughly 800 people still living in the Marquesas and 2000 world wide. They return to this area for celebrations and as part of project groups to restore and preserve the natural beauty of the site. In 2000 they cut this trail to the waterfalls. They also come together to collect and dry copra ( dried coconut)' pick limes, pick pamplemouse (large sweet grapefruit) and bananas for export. It was this group that was responsible for laying the 3 km of hose from the spring in the valley to the shoreline.
Paul started us up the path to our first stop to make arrangements with Monette and Marie and Matteus (his aunt, cousin and uncle) to have a lunch ready for us upon our return. Part of the trail followed an old road and then we were in the jungle. I am not sure if we could have found the trail without Paul. One of the guys from another boat had already tried it three times with no success. This time he came with us. We had to cross the river six times, which was a blessing as it cooled us off!
After a little over one hour we made it to the first view point. And after more than two hours we made it to the base of the waterfalls and a large pool. It did not take anyone very long to jump in! Perfect for Northern Ontario standards. Cold for Marquesan standards. We were able to crawl over the rocks and swim right under the falls. When we were climbing back to the shore Paul pointed out the eels in the water. Not sure I would have gone in if I knew they were in there.
Something I forgot to tell you about our road trip. There are fresh water and salt water eels in this area. At Yvonne's cafe where we had lunch you can throw your fish scraps into the river beside her place and watch the eel feeding frenzy. Some were over 4 feet long. The ones at the falls were not this long but still plenty full.
We dried off and proceeded back to the home of Monette, Marie and Matteus where we were in awe of the spread that they had put on for us. We started with large bottles of homemade limeade accompanied with green papaya salad, chicken and potatoes, poison cru (pickled tuna in lime juice and coconut milk) - wonderful! Bread fruit (plain and with coconut milk) - none of us liked this, rice and fried bananas (I really liked) Boiled chestnuts were put out for dessert - not a hit for us either but they were very proud to offer these to us so we ate them and smiled.
Before getting into the dinghy we stopped at a cousins and traded for some pamplemouse, bananas and limes.
It was a truly wonderful day and the cook got a day off.
The next morning David and Armon went back up to get the water. Then anchors up for the return to Taiohae Bay.
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