Ensemble mixte de Hiva Oa-Tahuata and Aire marine côtière de Ua Huka

Waypoint introductions and full write-ups

1. 1. Ensemble mixte de Hiva Oa-Tahuata

   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.

   Read the complete Ensemble mixte de Hiva Oa-Tahuata write-up.

   Recorded stop-planning note

   May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.

   Planning note

   Ensemble mixte de Hiva Oa-Tahuata is where the day begins. Next is Ensemble mixte de Fatu Uku.

2. 2. Ensemble mixte de Fatu Uku

   Fatu Uku, more often written Fatu Huku, is a lump of rock that most travellers only see from a boat. It lies in the Marquesas off the northeast tip of Hiva Oa, a bare, steep islet with cliffs plunging into deep water and a natural arch worn through its base. Nobody lives there. The only residents are seabirds, which nest on the ledges in noisy colonies, and the occasional goat that has somehow arrived.

   Read the complete Ensemble mixte de Fatu Uku write-up.

   Recorded stop-planning note

   May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.

   Planning note

   Ensemble mixte de Fatu Uku comes up about 61 km into the recorded legs. Next is Aire marine côtière de Ua Huka.

3. 3. Aire marine côtière de Ua Huka

   Ua Huka is the dry, rugged island of the Marquesas, where the wind blows steadily, the hills are bare and brown, and herds of wild horses graze on the plateau. The island has about six hundred people, living in three villages, Vaipaee, Hane and Hokatu, and its coastline is lined with cliffs, sea caves, and small offshore islets that are important nesting sites for seabirds. The marine area around it is a protected stretch of water, rich in fish, rays and sometimes dolphins.

   Read the complete Aire marine côtière de Ua Huka write-up.

   Recorded stop-planning note

   May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.

   Planning note

   about 183 km into the recorded legs you reach Aire marine côtière de Ua Huka. Next is back through Ensemble mixte de Fatu Uku.

4. 4. back through Ensemble mixte de Fatu Uku

   Return visit. Read the place description above.

   Read the complete Ensemble mixte de Fatu Uku write-up.

   Recorded stop-planning note

   May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.

   Planning note

   back through Ensemble mixte de Fatu Uku, late in the day. Next is Ensemble mixte de Hiva Oa-Tahuata.

5. 5. Ensemble mixte de Hiva Oa-Tahuata

   Return visit. Read the place description above.

   Read the complete Ensemble mixte de Hiva Oa-Tahuata write-up.

   Recorded stop-planning note

   May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.

   Planning note

   Back at Ensemble mixte de Hiva Oa-Tahuata. That is the ride.