Hiva Oa is the second largest of the Marquesas, a long ridge of green peaks leaning into the Pacific, and Tahuata lies a few kilometres off its southern coast like a smaller shadow. The main settlement is Atuona, on a deep bay beneath the mountains, and it is known to the world for two famous graves. Paul Gauguin came here in 1901, tired of Tahiti and the colonial authorities, and died in 1903 in his house he called the House of Pleasure. Jacques Brel, the Belgian singer, arrived in the 1970s, flew his little plane between the islands, and died in 1978. Both lie in the same hillside cemetery at Calvary, looking over the bay, and it is a more moving place than the cheerful frangipani suggests.
The Marquesas themselves have a deeper story. The stone paepae platforms and enormous carved tiki hidden in the valleys, such as the great figures at Puamau on the north-east coast, date back to a large Polynesian society that was ravaged by disease after European contact. The islands are being put forward for recognition as a mixed cultural and natural heritage site, hence this entry.
The riding on Hiva Oa is the real prize. The road from Atuona toward Puamau climbs up a ridge in tight bends and hairpins, drops through palm and breadfruit forest, and crosses a pass with views of rain-lashed valleys. Parts of it are concrete strips or paved, other parts are gravel or mud, and a day with a heavy shower can quickly change the road. It is a fine place for a trail bike, though few visitors bring one, so check with a local pension about hiring. Dry mornings give the best views, and the clouds cap the peaks by afternoon.
Atuona, with about eighteen hundred people, has a couple of shops, a small supermarket, a bank, and a fuel station, so fill up before heading into the interior, since nothing is sold beyond. Local food includes grilled fish, poisson cru, breadfruit and roast pork, and the people are friendly, with strong traditions of carving and tattoo. Respect the tapu around ancient sites, ask before entering, and carry insect repellent against the sand flies, which can bite fiercely.