Backpacker's Guide to Nuku Hiva

By Wynne Hedlesky

           Nuku Hiva is a member of the Marquesas island group, the northernmost group in French Polynesia. This relatively young volcanic island covers 127 square miles of steep mountains and deep valleys. The scenery is spectacular. Lovers of the outdoors can enjoy hiking, swimming, ocean kayaking, horseback riding, and even a little snorkeling if you go to the right bay. The culture is beautiful and unique. There is an overwhelming abundance of archaeological sites, and Marquesan art is exquisite. The inhabitants are the most hospitable people I’ve ever met.

There are plenty of reasons to visit Nuku Hiva, but travel guides will tell you that visiting any of the Marquesas is prohibitively expensive. Flights are not cheap, rental cars are over a hundred dollars a day, and the price of a beer will numb the mind. But we’re here to tell you it’s quite easy to do the Marquesas on a budget, and here are some tips:

Sights and Activities

There is no shortage of fun to be had on Nuku Hiva. Kristian and I spent two full weeks traveling around the island, and we didn’t even hit everything on our list. Here are a few of the things we explored.

Nature

Nuku Hiva’s greatest draw is its pristine, unpolluted natural beauty. Steep, jagged mountains blanketed in green sprout literally dozens of waterfalls during the rainy season. In fact, the second highest waterfall in the world, and the highest
one accessible to visitors, is located in one of the island’s more remote valleys. Over every breathtaking ridge is another turquoise bay, another valley with coconut-covered slopes, and another village with simple but colorful houses and carefully-tended gardens.

Those seeking white-sand beaches and coral reefs may be disappointed. Nuku Hiva, a geological youngster, does not have a large, fully-developed coral reef. The dark sand on most of the island’s beaches is ground-down volcanic rock. That said, there is one bay on the north shore of the island, called Anaho, which has a coral reef and decent snorkeling. It also happens to be unbelievably beautiful and remote, accessible only by boat, horse, or on foot.

Nuku Hiva does offer great hiking. Even walking along the island’s “roads” is both breathtaking and rigorous. There are also many trails to explore. If you’re camping and worried about your gear, make friends with a local and have them keep it somewhere secure while you tromp around the island. Guidebooks recommend that you hire a guide, because trails are unmarked and grow over quickly in the tropical climate. Some trails can be dangerous as well, especially when it rains, so ask around and make sure you’re not getting in over your head. You can arrange horseback riding excursions as well as guided hikes. We didn’t have the money for guides, so we poked around on our own. It’s also easy to make friends with a local who would be glad to show you around for free. People offered to show us ruins back in the woods, take us hunting up in the hills, and to lead us by land to Hakaui, the valley with the famous waterfall. The locals are proud of their island and its beauty, and happy to share what they know.

Archaeology

The Marquesas are exceptionally rich in archaeological sites that testify to the dense population and vibrant culture that thrived on the islands before the arrival of Europeans. If you hike through the woods in some parts of Nuku Hiva, there are jumbled remains of pae pae, or stone platforms upon which the Polynesians erected their buildings, literally everywhere. Some current structures are even built on ancient stone foundations. Near the village of Hatiheu, on the north shore of the island, is a meticulously restored and maintained site that allows visitors to get a clear sense of the space in which ancient Polynesians lived their lives. These sites are a must-see if you go to the Marquesas.

Arts and Culture

Modern Marquesan culture is vibrant as well. In 1979, when Marquesan culture was almost forgotten, Marquesans decided to start teaching their native language in schools again (instead of Tahitian), and to hold an annual arts festival, hosted by a different island each year. Nuku Hiva also hosts two major festivals each year, in July and Decmeber, with traditional dance competitions, tiki carving, handicrafts, and tattoo demonstrations. The Marquesas are famous for being at the front of a revival in the art of Polynesian tattooing. In addition to dance and the arts, Nuku Hivans love outdoor activities such as paddling pirogues (Polynesian outrigger canoes), horseback riding, fishing, swimming, and gardening. Generally, we found the people on Nuku Hiva to be very connected to the natural world around them. I would list the openness and generosity of the inhabitants as one of the main reasons to visit the island.

Transportation

Getting There

Now that I’ve told you how great Nuku Hiva is, I suppose I should share the bad news: it’s hard to get there. There is no international airport, and all flights to the island are through Tahiti. They are infrequent and expensive, about $350 one way plus hefty per kilo baggage fees. That doesn’t even include the price of airfare from your home country to Tahiti.

Of course, you can travel by boat. The non-option for the average penny-pinching backpacker is the Aranui III, a large cargo/passenger vessel with regular stops in the Marquesas. The full tour of French Polynesia will set you back a few grand. A little more realistic for backpackers is hitching a ride on one of the cruising sailboats that stop in the islands.

Many boats to the Marquesas leave Panama after going through the canal. Some also leave from the west coast of the United States or Canada, from Galapagos, or from other parts of Central or South America. To get to one of these areas, you can fly; or you could always hitch a sailboat ride from somewhere else. Most sailboats head to the South Pacific between March and July. There are several good ways to find a boat.

On this blog we have listed websites which post openings for crew positions on sailing yachts. Use your best judgment to avoid the horny old men plying the Internet for a “female companion,” and, with some dedicated effort, you’re sure to find a suitable option. It helps to check many sites every day. Not every site updates daily, but if you’re a member of five or six, your chances of finding something increase dramatically.

            Another good way to find a ride on a sailboat is to head to your local dock (if it happens to be in one of the areas I mentioned) and ask around. Don’t be shy. Try to get to know people, their plans, and their boats. Post a note on the marina’s bulletin board. Eventually something will come up. It took a couple weeks, but this is how Kristian and I found a ride out of Nuku Hiva to Tahiti.         

Before you commit to spending three weeks to a month in the middle of the world’s largest ocean, talk to the owner or captain and make sure the situation sounds good. Be sure to discuss costs. If the owner or captain asks for anything more than your share of food, diesel, and dock fees (for example, if he or she asks for a flat daily rate that seems like more than what it costs to feed you), they are technically operating an unlicensed charter business, and that’s illegal. Make sure you’ll get along with your shipmates. Of course, an experienced skipper is always a plus. Ask about safety equipment on board. Understand what your daily schedule will

be like. You really don’t want to get stuck out there on an unsafe vessel with people you can’t stand. On the other hand, if you find the right boat, it can be a blast, and you can go to the most weird and wonderful corners of the world.

A final bit of advice. If you’re looking to join a sailing vessel as crew, it’s important to have a positive attitude, be ready to learn, and willing to work hard. Although sometimes you’re hanging out on deck in your bikini, at other times you’re too hot, too cold, exhausted, wet, haven’t bathed in ten days, hungry, thirsty, or in mortal peril. You will be asked to stand watches—usually 4 hours a day plus 4 hours a night—so this is not just a vacation on a cruise ship. Life on a boat is different from life on land, and you should be ready to change your habits to use less water, less electricity, and be generally more mindful of resources. In Nuku Hiva, Kristian and I met many friendly and reasonable people who refused to take us on board because they have had “bad experiences taking on crew.” People who are unwilling to work and unable to get along with their shipmates make it hard for good sailors to find a gig. You don’t need to have any sailing experience as long as you have a good attitude. Follow the old sailors’ order of priorities: ship, shipmates, self. Otherwise, volunteer crew get a bad reputation and it becomes harder for the rest of us. So stay at home if you are not ready to work.

 But hopefully, if you’re ready to rough it around the world, you’re ready to travel by boat. And when it’s good, it’s good—ocean, sky, stars, dolphins playing at the bow, and all that stuff.

On the Island

            Getting around the island might seem a bit tricky at first. Although the quality of the roads on Nuku Hiva is steadily improving, many are still rocky, rutted dirt tracks that basically become creeks when it rains. Every vehicle I saw on the island was four-wheel-drive. There is a limited public transportation system, with a bus running between a few of the major villages twice a day. Aside from that, here are the options, from least expensive to most expensive:

            Kristian and I opted to hitchhike. Hitchhiking is surprisingly easy. We would set off from a village with our massive backpacks, and before we’d walked twenty minutes, someone would stop and offer us a lift. We didn’t even have to stick out our thumbs. Since hitchhiking is so common and accepted on the island, it’s a relatively reliable way to get around, as long as you’re not on a tight schedule. And it’s very safe. We never felt the slightest bit uncomfortable, and never heard any horror stories.

If your feet are hurting but your wallet’s not, you can always hire a driver and explore the island’s beauty by 4x4 or rental car. There are several companies that can arrange driving tours or transportation from village to village. Since Kristian and I never hired a driver, I’m not sure of the cost. However, I do know that for the freedom of a rental car, you’ll pay over $100 a day. If you really want to get the big picture quickly, or want to cover many sites in one day, this might be worth it to you. If your priority is saving your dimes for a beer or a night on a bed, remember that the entire island is accessible by hitchhiking.

What to Bring

So you’ve decided to go to Nuku Hiva—by air, by sea, by teleportation, however—and you want the backpacking experience. Here are a few backpacker’s essentials:

·         Warm weather clothes (the temperature is rarely under 80º F)

·         Comfortable shoes for hiking in damp conditions.

·         Sunscreen and bug spray. We got used to the bugs after a while but the tropical sun will require lots of screenage.

·         Rain gear for yourself and your equipment. In some parts of the island, it rains almost daily in June and July. In addition to raincoats, we brought high-quality dry bags for our electronics and valuable documents.

·         Camping gear. Make sure this includes a waterproof tent. Seriously waterproof. We also brought cooking equipment.

·         Fishing gear (optional). It is helpful in order to take advantage of free natural resources, though you might not want to plan to live off of fish unless you’re already a knowledgeable fisherman. Also, it turns out that fishing gear is the same price or cheaper on the island as in the USA, so it would be a good idea to get there, and then ask locals what kind of gear you should get.

·          A sharp pocket knife. This will come in handy for tons of things, from eating pomplemousses, to gutting all those fish you’re going to catch. We also found having a machete very handy for many things, especially cutting firewood and opening coconuts. Unless you already have one knocking around, this is another thing you can acquire once you’re there.

·         Cigarettes for gifts. They’re expensive on the islands and thus sharing them is a good way to make friends with the locals. We aren’t regular smokers, but we brought a carton. We’ve managed to give most of them away.

·         Basic medical supplies. We found bandages, hydrogen peroxide, antibiotic ointment, antifungal cream, scissors, tweezers, and tape very useful. We were lucky and avoided traveler’s diarrhea, but we brought anti-diarrhea and anti-nausea medications just in case. It’s a good idea to talk to a travel doctor before you set off on a voyage to exotic places with exotic diseases in order to be up to date on vaccinations and get a full compliment of prescription medications such as antibiotics. For more information on staying healthy abroad, see http://wwwnc.cdc.gov/travel/.

·         If you don’t know French, bring a French phrase book and dictionary. Not many people speak English, even in the island’s main town. However, with the friendly inhabitants, a smile and the willingness to fumble along will get you far.

Many products are not as expensive in Nuku Hiva as we were told they would be, so it’s not necessary to bring five pounds of sunscreen or bug spray. Cheap, portable foods like dried beans and rice are not much more expensive there than in the United States, so there’s no need to stock up on food either. Being overly prepared just makes your backpack heavier.

Accommodations

Camping

Due to our lack of funds, Kristian and I decided to spend most nights camping. When we were planning our trip to Nuku Hiva, we scoured the internet trying to find information on camping on the island. There was nothing. If this blog ever makes it onto Google search, that will change.

There are no official campsites on Nuku Hiva (nor that I’ve heard of on any of the other Marquesan islands). However, camping is fun and easy, and there are plenty of great spots. Camping is basically unregulated on Nuku Hiva, since the island doesn’t see more than a few campers a year. Our method of finding a place to camp was to ask the locals.

Honestly, it is difficult to tell whether some beaches or cleared areas are private property or not. On some privately owned areas community members come and go freely, enjoying the sun on what is technically a private beach, or using someone’s private driveway as an access road. As far as we could tell, we were welcome to do so as well, though we always asked first, and were ready to explain our presence if anyone inquired. People did frequently inquire—not to get us in trouble, but because Nuku Hivans were always curious about us, where we came from, and what we were up to. After finding out that you’re camping on what turns out to be their property, locals are more likely to invite you over for dinner than kick you off, as long as you are respectful.

Although we found the locals to be universally friendly and generous, we were still careful to always ask advice about where to camp before pitching our tent, and we were respectful of obvious property boundaries. For example, we never took fruit from obviously cultivated trees without permission, we never entered fenced-in areas, and so on. Of course, we followed the general backpacker’s rule, leave no trace. We always picked up our trash and made no irreversible changes to the natural environment. If future backpackers on the island are respectful toward the land and its inhabitants, hopefully camping will remain unregulated, and mutual respect and good will between visitors and locals will remain the norm.

Pensions

            Occasionally, we treated ourselves to a night or two in a bed. There are quite a few affordable pensions, or family-operated boarding houses, on the island. They come in several flavors. You can get a room in what you would normally think of as an inn or small hotel, or rent a one-room bungalow. Some families just rent out rooms right in their home. Kristian and I stayed in a pension where our room was an extra bedroom which doubled as a storage area, and we shared the bathroom with the family. Obviously, getting a private bungalow or a room in an inn where you don’t share a bathroom with anyone is more expensive. Many pensions also offer meals for an extra charge.

            The farther we went from Taioha’e, the better value we saw in accommodations. We paid about $50 for our storage room/bedroom in Taioha’e. Later, on the north shore of the island, we paid $70 a night for our own bungalow and an epic complimentary breakfast. For two weary, stinky backpackers, it was a wonderful treat. A decent travel guide, such as Lonely Planet, will have a relatively exhaustive list of accommodations and the nightly rates. Of course, you can always just ask a local.

Food

            There is no shortage of good eats on Nuku Hiva. As Kristian put it, “food basically grows right into your open mouth.” Fresh seafood is cheap and readily available. Grapefruits, bananas, coconuts, guavas, mangos, breadfruit, and various types of citrus are everywhere. There are two ways to acquire fruits and vegetables: by paying for them, or by not paying for them.

           

Paying for Food

Purchasing fruit and vegetables on Nuku Hiva is slightly more challenging than you would expect, especially considering they grow literally everywhere. Grocery stores do not carry fresh produce. My theory is that since everyone’s back yard is full of grapefruits and bananas, few people have much of a reason to go buy them at the store. In Taioha’e, there is a small open-air market, open daily from about 7 AM to 5 PM, that sells a limited variety of fruit and locally-grown vegetables. The fruit is reasonably priced, but veggies are a bit expensive. I have also heard (but never got up early enough to see firsthand) that early Saturday morning, from about 4 AM to 7 AM, right by the central dock in Taioha’e, people sell large quantities of fruit and vegetables out of the back of their pick-up trucks. The produce frenzy is apparently completely over in a few hours, so get there early. I have also tried to buy fruit directly from local residents by walking up to their homes, knocking on their doors, and offering to purchase it right from their trees, but I haven’t succeeded in buying produce this way because they have simply given it to us for free.

           

Not Paying for Food

That brings me to the second way of acquiring produce. Kristian and I have found that if you ask, people will be willing to simply give it to you. We usually offer to pay first, and they tell us to just take what we would like. More often, people have simply given us food without us even asking. It is easy to make friends with the outgoing inhabitants, and almost anyone you make friends with has a fruit tree. We received mangos, breadfruit, oranges, limes, hands of bananas, and trash bags full of grapefruits without even asking. We did not, however, make a habit of taking fruit from trees without permission, and always made sure to respect property boundaries.

We acquired other items for free as well. The generosity of the inhabitants sometimes extended to more expensive store-bought goods such as bread, coffee, jam, butter, paté, or alcohol. And if I’d accepted the invitation to smoke weed every time it was offered, I would have spent half of my time on Nuku Hiva stoned. We even fished and hunted a bit. A good friend of ours in Taioha’e used his dogs to hunt wild chickens, and together we prepared and cooked them. The generosity of people on the island is truly incredible.

            That said, we didn’t want to end up being a couple of useless mooches, and I don’t recommend showing up on the island expecting food to appear on your plate for nothing. We did purchase most of the food we ate. Almost everything in the grocery stores is imported, and imported foods are not cheap. It is still possible to eat affordably if you shop carefully. Dried beans and rice are quite inexpensive, and relatively easy to cook over a camp fire. Bread, which is baked locally, is unexpectedly cheap and delicious. Fresh baguettes are only about 70 cents, though grocery stores do tend to run out of them by late afternoon. Some canned meats are affordable. We sometimes splurged and got frozen sausages to cook over the fire, which were quite delicious. We also became breadfruit connoisseurs. A breadfruit is a lot of food for the money, and if you roast it on the fire, cut it into pieces, and fry it in oil, it’s exactly like pan-fried potatoes.

Eating Out

When it rained too hard to start a fire, we would sometimes eat out. During the month of July, most restaurants in Taioha’e close down, and all of their clientele assembles at the grounds of one of the two annual festivals of Marquesan dance and culture. There are three restaurants on the festival grounds. Entrées are about $10.00, but the portions are ample. During the rest of the year, there is a relatively affordable pizza place on the first floor of a local pension, and a few other small, informal restaurants, or snacks, by the central dock. Additionally, there are several roulottes in Taioha’e. People cook and serve food right out of the side of a large van. Again, it’s about $10.00 for an entrée. Outside of Taioha’e there are far fewer dining options, but every town we went to at least had a snack. There are also restaurants that open for guests with reservations only to ensure that there will be enough business to justify firing up the kitchen. Some pensions also offer meals for guests.

Language and People

            As I briefly mentioned before, French is the main language spoken in the Marquesas. Most people also speak native Marquesan. Unless you happen to study Polynesian languages, learning some French is your best bet at verbally communicating with Nuku Hivans. Although many people study a bit of English in school, there isn’t much of an opportunity to practice it on the island, and in reality, very few people speak English functionally, even in the main town.

            If you don’t know French, don’t be too discouraged. There is no better place in the world to begin learning a second language. The inhabitants are outgoing and hospitable, and happy to struggle along with you when it comes to communication. No one will criticize your grammatical mistakes or miniscule vocabulary. A French phrase book, a dictionary, and friendliness are all you really need to interact with the locals.

            Kristian and I have already gushed about how wonderful the island’s inhabitants are. Nuku Hiva is not swamped with rude, photo-snapping tourists who demand the lifestyle and infrastructure they’re accustomed to back home and are unwilling to interact with the inhabitants on equal terms. I theorize that because of this, Nuku Hivans are still warm, generous, and curious about travelers. Although Nuku Hiva’s charm derives from its location off the beaten track, we hope that the information that we’ve provided here will encourage a few adventurous souls to make their way to this wonderful corner of the world.