Making the most of Atuona Hiva Oa Marquesa Islands
Use these notes to shape a realistic day ashore, then confirm any time-sensitive information for the date of your call.
Arriving at the port
Ships are due to anchor in Taaoa Bay, with tenders carrying passengers ashore. Local shops are approximately two miles (three kilometres) away along a hilly road, and taxis are generally unavailable.
Hiva Oa is the largest southern island and the traditional rival of Nuku Hiva. In local mythology it represents the master pillar, or finial post, of the "Great House" formed by the Marquesan archipelago. Shaped like a seahorse, the island has a mountain chain running south-west to north-east, with its principal summits, Mt Temetiu and Mt Feani, creating a wall around Atuona.
Atuona is a quiet little harbour at the head of Taaoa Bay, also called Traitors Bay. It became widely known as the final resting place of painter Paul Gauguin and singer Jacques Brel. Their graves overlook the water from Calvary cemetery and attract many pilgrims. In the village, the Gauguin Museum displays objects connected with the artist's stay at the start of the century, together with copies of his work.
Gauguin's "House of Pleasure" has been reconstructed, reproducing its carved wooden panels and the inscribed lintel. Outside Atuona, towards the airport, a memorial to Jacques Brel occupies a site above Tahauku Bay and Hanakee Islet. Brel's small Beech craft Bonanza aircraft, christened "Jojo", is displayed near the runway. Close to Tahauku, a track also reaches the Tehueko petroglyph site, where the carvings bear an unusual resemblance to those on Easter Island.
Getting around
Island roads are rough, so only 4-wheel-drive vehicles are available to hire or for use on excursions.
Food and shopping
Popular Tahitian goods include black pearls, coconut and tiare soaps, monoi oil, vanilla beans, shell leis, carved wood, woven baskets and hats, and the brightly hand-dyed pareu worn by island residents. Visitors favour the public market. Shops usually trade from about 7:30am until 5:30pm, closing at noon on Saturdays and pausing for a long lunch. Outside hotels, they are normally shut throughout Sunday.
Negotiating or haggling over prices is not normal practice in shops and markets.
Money
The stated exchange is 1000 CFP francs = 8.38 euros, while both euros and U.S. dollars are generally taken.
Staying connected
French and Tahitian are the official languages.