©Lonely Planet Publications Pty Ltd ThePOP 9264 Marquesas Includes ¨ Why Go? Nuku Hiva ................... 168 Grand, brooding and powerful, nature’s fingers have sculpt- Taiohae ........................169 ed the Marquesas Islands into sharp silhouettes that jut up ‘Ua Huka ......................176 dramatically from the cobalt-blue ocean. Waterfalls taller than skyscrapers trickle down vertical canyons, the ocean ‘Ua Pou ....................... 180 thrashes towering cliffs, basalt pinnacles project from Hiva Oa ........................182 emerald forests, and scalloped bays are blanketed with Atuona & Around ........183 desert arcs of white or black sand. Tahuata ...................... 189 Some of the most inspirational hikes and horseback rides Fatu Hiva .....................191 in French Polynesia are found here, allowing walkers and horse riders the opportunity to explore the islands’ rugged interiors. Here the past is almost palpable, thanks to a wealth of archaeological remains dating from pre-European times. Best Places Another highlight is the culture. In everything from to Stay cuisine and dances to language and crafts, the Marquesas ¨ Temetiu Village (p185) do feel different from the rest of French Polynesia. But don’t expect turquoise lagoons, swanky resorts and an electric ¨ Keikahanui Nuku Hiva Pearl Lodge (p173) nightlife – the Marquesas are an ecotourist’s dream, not a beach-holiday destination. ¨ Hotel Hanakéé Hiva Oa Pearl Lodge (p186) When to Go ¨ Closer to the equator than the rest of French Polynesia, Best the Marquesas’ climate is a bit different. Temperatures and Archaeological humidity tend to be slightly higher than in Tahiti. Sites ¨ There is no bad time to visit: in theory, June to September ¨ Iipona (p188) sees heavier rain while November to March is drier (exactly ¨ Kamuihei, Tahakia & opposite from the rest of French Polynesia) and experiences Teiipoka (p175) calmer seas (better for boat excursions and diving). ¨ Tohua Koueva (p169) ¨ In odd number years in December, try to catch the Marquesas Festival or mini Marquesas Festival. 167 History 0 100 km Among the first islands to be settled by the 0 50 miles Polynesians during the great South Pacific migrations, the Marquesas served as a dispersal point for the whole Polynesian Motu One triangle from Hawai’i to Easter Island and Hatutu New Zealand. Estimates of the islands’ col- Eiao N onisation vary from prehistory to between o r AD 900 and 1100. t h The Marquesas’ isolation was broken in e Hatu r 1595 when Spanish navigator Don Alvaro Iti n de Mendaña y Neyra sighted Fatu Hiva by Anaho chance. Mendaña’s fleet sailed along past Mo- 'Ua Huka Hakaui Bay G tane and Hiva Oa, and anchored for around Valley Nuku r Hiva o 10 days in Vaitahu Bay on Tahuata. Mendaña u christened these four islands Las Marquesas p Fatu Huku de Mendoza in honour of his sponsor, the MARQUESAS THE MARQUESAS 'Ua Pou viceroy of Peru, García Hurtado de Mendoza. In 1774, James Cook lingered for four days on Tahuata during his second voyage. Joseph Hiva Oa S Puamau o Ingraham, the American commander of the u t Hope, ‘discovered’ the northern group of the h e Tahuata r Marquesas in 1791, arriving slightly ahead n of Frenchman Étienne Marchand, whose G Fatu Hiva ro merchant vessel took on fresh supplies at up M Tahuata and then landed on ‘Ua Pou. In 1797, SOUTH PACIFIC A OCEAN RQ William Crook, a young Protestant pastor U with the London Missionary Society (LMS), ES landed on Tahuata, but his attempts at evan- A gelism were unsuccessful. HIG S French interest in the region grew as a The Marquesas means of countering English expansion in Highlights H the Pacific. After a reconnaissance voyage 1 Wandering amid the mossy, ancient LIG in 1838, Rear Admiral Abel Dupetit-Thouars tiki (sacred statues) at Puamau (p188). ht took possession of Tahuata in 1842 in the 2 Gazing down impenetrable waterfall- S name of French King Louis-Philippe. streaked valleys while hiking across the Under the French yoke, the Marque- Nuku Hiva (p170) heartland. sas almost fell into oblivion – the French 3 administration preferred to develop Pape’ete Clip-clopping across the fecund on Tahiti, which they thought had a more interior to marvellous vistas in Hiva Oa (p185). strategic value. Only the Catholic missionar- ies, who had been active since their arrival 4 Searching for the rare and beautiful on Tahuata in 1838, persevered, and Cathol- aquamarine lorikeet on ‘Ua Huka (p178). icism became, and still is, firmly entrenched 5 Hiking or boating to the white in the Marquesas. beaches and jagged peaks of Anaho Bay Upon contact with Western influences, the (p174). foundations of Marquesan society collapsed. 6 Raising your head high to see the Whaling crews brought alcohol, firearms tallest falls in the country in the stunning and syphilis. The population plummeted Hakaui Valley (p174). from around 18,000 in 1842 to 2096 in 1926. 7 Settling into island life under the In the 20th century the Marquesas were striking, towering basalt spires of ‘Ua Pou made famous by Hiva Oa residents Paul (p180). Gauguin and Belgian singer Jacques Brel. 8 Enjoying a picnic on a secluded white- Slow but sure development of infrastructure sand bay of Tahuata (p189). has helped lessen the archipelago’s isolation, 9 Forgetting what day it is on lost and while archaeological surveys are uncovering lush Fatu Hiva (p191). a culture that was lost only a comparatively short while ago..