The first time we sailed across the Pacific, our first stop was Nuku Hiva. But on our second Pacific crossing, we decided to stop (for several reasons) in Hiva Oa first.
On Google Maps, if you find French Polynesia and zoom in to the northwestern islands, look for an island uniquely shaped… maybe if you squint it looks like a chicken leg? Below the big island is another island called Tahuata.
Both of these islands have a magical feel to them. Removed. Like if you ever wanted to disappear from society, you could come here.
As we sailed in and saw the towering mountains and plunging cliffs, we were totally in awe. So, want to know the highs and lows of sailing Hiva Oa and Tahuata?
Related:
Swimming with Manta Rays in the Marquesas Every Day
I Ran a Half Marathon in Hiva Oa
Crossing the Pacific by Sailboat & Almost Losing Our Boat
Hiva Oa
Let’s start with the bigger parent island, Hiva Oa… part of the beautiful Marquesas island chain and one of the best stops in French Polynesia.
Highs
The Mountains
Wow. That’s all I could think any time I looked up while we were in Hiva Oa.
Every glance outside revealed these tall, steep, green mountains. While anchored in the main harbour, you can look up and see the main peak towering over you. It’s amazing!
The People
The Polynesian people are so special. They always have a big smile, but at the same time they won’t suffer fools.
It’s like island villagers mixed with French culture and you get these amazing people.
Also, they somehow manage to pronounce the names of the islands completely differently to us every single time.
Easy Clearance and a Cute Town
Clearing in was a really smooth process once we had our documents organised, and the cute little town had everything we needed.
The Food
After spending almost a month at sea, you’re usually very, very low on fresh food of any kind. Stepping into the supermarkets and seeing lettuce… it’s almost overwhelming to the senses.
We’d also been dreaming of fresh baguettes for weeks, and Hiva Oa’s bakers did not disappoint.
The Little Surf Break
Yes, believe it or not, we managed to find a small wave here.
The local surf scene was the friendliest we’ve ever experienced, and even if the waves weren’t the best, they always smiled at us when we rocked up.
Running a Half Marathon
We actually had the opportunity to join a half marathon from one side of the island to the other, and it was one of the coolest experiences.
You can check out the full story of how it happened here.
Lows
Rolly Anchorage
Remember how I mentioned there’s a surf break?
Yeah, well, it’s kind of close to the anchorage and at the same angle. In short, there is very little protection from the swell in the main anchorage.
This made getting in and out of the dinghy a bit of a challenge, but if you spent most of your days exploring the island, it wasn’t too much of an issue.
There’s also the option to move into the inner anchorage, though we found it was usually pretty crammed. If the weekly supply ship was arriving, you would be asked to move out of the way.
That said, it was definitely less rolly if you could find a spot.
Long Walk to Town
Yeah, the walk to town isn’t short… maybe half an hour?
The harbour is around a headland from the town, so the walk has you going up and around.
Oh, and there’s a shortcut if you walk along the beach and scramble up the ridge a bit. You’re welcome.
Not Much Space
Like I mentioned earlier, the anchorage isn’t huge, so just be aware that you might need to do some creative positioning to find a spot.
Thankfully, there’s a beautiful island nearby with one of the coolest anchorages around…
Tahuata
Just nine nautical miles from the harbour anchorage in Hiva Oa is the island of Tahuata.
As you round the headland, this paradise-like anchorage slowly reveals itself.
The first time we headed across, chasing rumours of a white-sand beach and manta rays, we came around the corner and found… so many boats.
Here’s why.
Highs
The Crystal-Clear Water
The water here is incredible.
You can see more than ten metres down, and any time the locals come to visit, you can watch them gliding through the water beneath you.
The Manta Rays
I don’t know about you, but manta rays have to be one of my absolute favourite animals.
They’re just so graceful and otherworldly.
And they come to visit this magical island every day.
If you want to read more about how these creatures graced us with their presence each day, head over and check out this post.
The White-Sand Beach
This might seem like a random highlight coming from a sailor who sees white-sand beaches quite often…
But it’s one of the rare ones in the Marquesas.
Like, the only one.
It was super fun to swim there, sit in the sand, and watch the sunset. The younger crew even set up a swing and opened coconuts.
The Limes
Yep. Limes.
Super random, but wow, there are so many.
In the same bay as the white-sand beach, there is what must have once been a garden that is now completely overgrown.
But the thing that has thrived and continued to grow is the lime trees.
There are heaps of them.
No one lives there or comes to harvest them, so we took it upon ourselves to eat as many as possible while we were there.
The Local Banana Man
A few bays around from the beautiful beach is a small village we would dinghy to.
Here they have a small convenience store and locals who grow fruit. Specifically, the banana man.
He sells huge bunches still attached to the branch, which you buy and then share with all the other cruisers because there are simply too many for one person to eat.
Yep, definitely a highlight for me. Endless bananas for smoothies.
Lows
The Stinging Jellyfish
Remember the manta rays?
Well, they eat plankton, jellyfish, and other tasty little things, so there were quite a lot of jellyfish in the bay.
And some of them sting.
You just had to time your swims with the tides and hope you didn’t come out with too many stings.
Worth it to swim with manta rays, though.
The Coral, Rock, and Sand Bottom
The main bay in Tahuata is very popular with cruisers, so there’s usually a lot of boats around.
That’s fine, but it means you need to find a good spot to drop your anchor because the seabed is a mix of coral, rock, and sand.
We found it best to locate a patch of sand, drop the anchor, and then dive on it to check whether the chain would get caught.
In the end, we “floated” our chain… that process is a whole other post.
The Wasps and Bees
You’d think being on a boat would mean no bugs.
Well… not here.
In both Tahuata and Hiva Oa, there were a LOT of wasps and bees, which probably explains the incredible vegetation.
Unfortunately, they liked flying around the saloon and looking for holes in the roof or walls to build nests in.
Weird, I know.
We ended up taping over the holes and dealing with it.
Summary
Wow! Thanks for coming on the journey through the highs and lows of sailing Hiva Oa and Tahuata.
We absolutely loved our time in both places, and I hope I’ve given you a bit of a feel for what it’s like to sail there.
Of course, there were so many cool experiences that didn’t make it into this post, but the things that did were definitely the highlights.
And the lows? Well, there are always lows wherever we go. In Hiva Oa and Tahuata, the highs far outweigh them.
Do you have questions, thoughts, or want to share your own experience sailing in the Marquesas Islands? Leave a comment below. I’d love to hear from you!