Short power boat ride around SW of island to Hakaui Bay with our guide Jean Pierre ( a native Marquesan of the Typee tribe ) to start our 6 KM hike to Hakaui waterfall - the tallest in the S. Pacific. Beginning at "Survivor Marquesas Beach" ( Kim in her reef shoes, having left her fancy new "Powerdrain" shoes in Texas), we traversed around a beautiful bay to trail on private property, guarded by goat, cow & horse skulls. Through dirt avenues on small banana...

Best advice to survive the mosquito and no-see-ums is to cover from head to toe with Manoi oil with Citronella before going out. A miracle! Drove to North of Nuku Hiva in 4WD, via Baie de Controleur, & Hooumi. Visited the ruins at Taipivai before continuing on to Hatiheu. Lunch at Chez Yvonne on the beach. (Kim bravely worked her way thru the goat she ordered, thinking it was a dish with goat cheese). Attempted 4WD trail across mountain to Anaho but wrong ...

These are the cast of characters we spent the evening with our first night. Geoff from Alabama, Renan from California and Angel( she is a whole story within itself.) Later in the evening we were joined by a Kiwi by the name of Ash. They had all been crew on different yachts and their experiences both on sea and life were most interesting! Geoff an underwater welder, Renan a lighting technician in Hollywood, Ash a yachtsman in New Zealand and Angel......????

Left Tahiti on very early flight for the Marquesas. Three hour flight and then a two hour drive through the winding countryside to Taiohae. Another beautiful welcome with leis, refreshing lemonade and cool towels, all to the beat of a traditional drum. Maru met us the door to the Keikahanui Resort overlooking Taiohae bay and village that would be the start of a most unusual experience thus far on our journey!

Sadly - casting our Leis into the lagoon, on a close reach back to Apooiti Bay to return yacht. Debriefing. Laundry. Packing. And time to pick out Paroa for Kim, search for vanilla & collect sand from Raiatea beach. (Oops, forgot to collect sand on all the other pure white Leeward Society Island beaches we visited). Very kind French taxi driver & his cute daughter helped us on our mission. His story - as were the stories of many others in the Leewards ...