Why this ride
The stops in between: Ensemble mixte de Nuku Hiva, Aire marine côtière de Ua Huka and back through Ensemble mixte de Nuku Hiva. It suits an unhurried touring pace.
CURVESCOUT / MOTORCYCLE RIDE
Ensemble mixte de Ua Pou and Aire marine côtière de Ua Huka
Plan this ride
- Recorded distance
- 94 km
- Riding-time estimate
- 1 h 37
- Journey
- Recorded itinerary
Distance and timing basis
Ordered leg totals agree within rounding. Stop distances are approximate sums of rounded legs. Stops, delays, approach and any separate return travel add time. Basis: planning record, not independently verified geometry.
Reading history stays on this device. My road watch requires a separate selection; opening it does not subscribe this ride.
Distances and riding times are planning figures. Check local closures and conditions before you ride.
Waypoint introductions and full write-ups
1. Ensemble mixte de Ua Pou
Ua Pou looks like nothing else in the Pacific. Basalt spires, narrow as organ pipes, rise above the island in a crown of grey rock, some of them over a thousand metres high, and clouds often catch on them and turn the whole skyline into a stage set. This is the Marquesas, one of the most remote island groups on earth, about fifteen hundred kilometres northeast of Tahiti, and the first sight of them from the sea is a good argument for taking the long way round.
Read the complete Ensemble mixte de Ua Pou write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Ensemble mixte de Ua Pou is where the day begins. Next is Ensemble mixte de Nuku Hiva.
2. Ensemble mixte de Nuku Hiva
The Marquesas Islands lie some fourteen hundred kilometres north-east of Tahiti, and they are the most remote inhabited islands in French Polynesia. Nuku Hiva, the largest, is a jagged tropical mountain of valleys, ridges and sheer green walls that fall into the sea. Its people carved stone and wood with great skill, and the island still has ceremonial platforms, called paepae, and giant stone figures, tiki, hidden in the forest. The Marquesas are being proposed for recognition as a mixed cultural and natural site, which is where the name of this point comes from.
Read the complete Ensemble mixte de Nuku Hiva write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Ensemble mixte de Nuku Hiva comes up about 23 km into the recorded legs. Next is Aire marine côtière de Ua Huka.
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 47 km into the recorded legs you reach Aire marine côtière de Ua Huka. Next is back through Ensemble mixte de Nuku Hiva.
4. back through Ensemble mixte de Nuku Hiva
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Ensemble mixte de Nuku Hiva 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 Nuku Hiva, late in the day. Next is Ensemble mixte de Ua Pou.
5. Ensemble mixte de Ua Pou
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Ensemble mixte de Ua Pou 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 Ua Pou. That is the ride.
Leg by leg
Ensemble mixte de Ua Pou to Ensemble mixte de Nuku Hiva
Ensemble mixte de Ua Pou → Ensemble mixte de Nuku Hiva is 23 km of getting across. Ride it tidily and keep the enthusiasm for what comes after.
Ensemble mixte de Nuku Hiva to Aire marine côtière de Ua Huka
Ensemble mixte de Nuku Hiva → Aire marine côtière de Ua Huka is 24 km of getting across. Ride it tidily and keep the enthusiasm for what comes after.
Aire marine côtière de Ua Huka to back through Ensemble mixte de Nuku Hiva
Aire marine côtière de Ua Huka → back through Ensemble mixte de Nuku Hiva is 24 km of getting across. Ride it tidily and keep the enthusiasm for what comes after.
back through Ensemble mixte de Nuku Hiva to Ensemble mixte de Ua Pou
back through Ensemble mixte de Nuku Hiva → Ensemble mixte de Ua Pou is 23 km of getting across. Ride it tidily and keep the enthusiasm for what comes after.