The Zuiderdam sailed into the bay at Taiohae, Nuku Hiva very early this morning. It looked like it was going to be a nice day, even though a shower passed over the island around 7am. Detailed directions were printed in the Daily Program, so everyone that wished to go ashore knew how to get tender tickets. Those that were on the one and only tour here did not need the tender tickets, nor did the Club Orange, Neptune & Pinnacle guests, or President's Club members.
We had no intentions of going over early, so a leisurely breakfast in the dining room was what we chose to do. This morning there were six of us. Back in our room, we watched the tenders being lowered and some guests proceed to board them. Everything slowed down to the point we noticed that the boats were lined up, but going nowhere. At 9:30am, we placed a call to the front desk, where we were told that all was going well with the transfer. Then within seconds of calling, an announcement was made that due to the low tide, they were having great difficulty getting guests off of the boats. In addition, they were concentrating their efforts to get the tour groups off first. We had planned on leaving by 10am, and that's what we did. The idea was planted early on that access to the pier was dicey at best in Taiohae, and unless you considered yourself able-bodied, you might reconsider going over to the island.
We had noticed while watching from our veranda, that Captain Frisco had donned a baseball cap, and personally drove one of the tenders to shore right after that announcement was made. We're guessing he needed to see that everything was being done in the safest way. By the time we lined up at the tender platform, he had come back to the ship. He must have been satisfied with the process.
Perhaps that warning was exaggerated, but there were plenty of helping hands or arms as we embarked the boat and got off at the concrete tender pier. Not a problem that we could see. It was not crowded at all in the tender area, which was fine with us. Henk was on hand to make sure the tendering was safe as could be, as he always does.
Here's a tidbit of info about French Polynesia. Did you know that French Polynesia's 117 islands are spread over a marine area the size of Europe? That equates to 2.5 million square kilometers. The total population is 280,000 with Papeete being the capital. The language is French or Polynesian. Because of the great distance between islands, the language evolved quite differently. Local dialect may not even be understood among the diverse islanders separated by miles of open ocean. Each of the five archipelagos that comprise French Polynesia offer a different adventure. You can dive azure lagoons, relax at luxury resorts, hike the steep mountains, see the waterfalls or take in the views of the lush valleys. The aroma of the tiare flowers and frangipani blossoms fill the air no matter where you visit.
Nuku Hiva is one of the Marquesas Islands, the furthest away from the other archipelagos. It can be described as an island of snaggle-toothed volcanic peaks covered with brush and native trees. And did you know that that this island is the largest of the 117 French Polynesian islands? Even bigger than Tahiti. Even to this day, it is common to see many natives wearing their tribal tattoos, including some of the ladies. The capital is more of a large village, and easily walked from end to end. That's exactly what we did today, like we just did back in November. Packing the umbrellas insured us that it would not rain until later in the afternoon.
Despite the clouds passing overhead, it was most warm and humid. So we took our time, and walked all the way to the end of the road, and went right for the Le Nuku Hiva Pearl Resort. By now it was close to 11:30am, and the thought of sipping ice cold beers kept us going. We had passed the several local stores, cafes, and a bank. The high school grounds were full of kids getting ready for their lunch break. The crowd of cruise ship passengers thinned out dramatically at this point. The most sought-after icon to visit was the Cathedral, which was about at the halfway point. We decided to stop on our way back.
One thing we noticed was how much greener the area looked compared to last November. At that time, the shoreline trees had lost many of their leaves, and the grass was brown. An effort had been made to water the grassy areas with hoses. These were missing today, and mother nature was taking on the chore of keeping the grounds damp. Many trees were blooming yellow blossoms and the flamboyant trees were full of red flowers. Bougainvillea was brilliant with several shades of blooms.
It took a few extra minutes to summit the road up to the hotel, as it is steep. But it was worth the climb to be seated on their newly-stained spacious patio, and take in the views of the bay and the boats in the water below. Our ship was anchored a bit further away today, perhaps due to the tidal changes. We would stay here until 10:30pm, which is the latest we have ever left.
What happened next made our day. We headed for the table we always use, and when the waitress came over, she instantly recognized us from our last visit in November. She gave us a resounding welcome back, surprising us that she remembered our last visit. We placed our order then started with two ice cold Hinano beers. Boy those went down easy. You never realize how dehydrated you can get in this tropical heat. They were so good, we ordered two more….medicinal purposes, right? Served with the beverages were fresh hot French bread rolls with butter. Offered a choice of two types of bread, she gave us each two rolls.
Our lunch consisted of a shared chicken club sandwich with a side order of fries. Our waitress gave each of us a basket of fries with our sandwich, then followed with a shared dessert of a chocolate lava cake with vanilla ice cream on the side. It was difficult tearing ourselves away from this setting, but we had a long walk to get back to the ship.
By now, the patio began filling up with guests, and among them were friends Peg and Rich, frequent repeat world cruise travelers like us. Finally, we had some time to visit with them since we were all sent home almost three years ago due to Covid. Nice to see them back, they admitted to coming to this hotel because of reading the blog. They had done an independent tour and had their driver drop them off up here. Like us, they walked back to the ship.
On our way back, we took the time to hike up to see the Cathedral, even though we did that last year. This time the school kids were out, and playing around the church grounds. It appeared to be a big deal with them if we said hello as they ran by us. We did make several short stops to cool off in the shade along the way, and that got us back to the pier by 3pm. Thank goodness there were crew members handing out either ice water or lemonade before we boarded the boat back to the ship. We had brought water with us, but every single drop was gone. The ride back was quick, and once again, there were many helping hands at the tender landing getting us back onboard safely. Once we got back in our room, we never left until dinnertime. Passing showers began close to 4pm, and continued off and on until dark.
Dinnertime found our group all present, everyone with a different story for the day's activities. Barb and Susie had planned on going to shore together, while Woody would hold down the fort. However, when it was announced that the conditions at the pier landing were dicey, they changed their minds and stayed onboard. Too bad….they could have done it easily. Greg and Heo had never stopped in Nuku Hiva before, and did get off making it as far as the Cathedral before deciding to turn around and go back to the produce market. They even bought a few of the local pineapples and brought some to dinner to share. They were as sweet and tasty as Ian had mentioned in his port talk. Right before joining our table, the guys made a visit to the already started "Glamp-Out", a new special event held in the Lido pool area. Based on the new idea of glamorous camping, the experience offered snacks like cut-up hot dogs and Pringles (for sale) for starters. Many other snacks and desserts were available while the Band played music and lecturer Andy Fletcher gave short campfire talks poolside. A canoe had been put in the pool as well. This event lasted until 10pm. The rest of our tablemates, including us called it a night, but not before we finished our meals of crispy spring rolls, salads, a complete turkey dinner, and one salmon plate. The sliced pineapple complimented everyone's desserts.
The Zuiderdam left the bay silently around 10:30pm, then headed towards Tahiti, our next port of call in two days. We are happy to have two sea days to rest up.
Bill & Mary Ann
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