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Wind Dancer - LOG 17: Waterfall Hike and Local Lunch



We went for our second anchorage in Nuku Hiva and found ourselves over in Daniels Bay.  There is a small little village at the base of the valley consisting of seven or eight homes, surrounded by lush gardens of fruit.   A walk down the path and you cannot miss the smell of fresh fruit and beautiful colors.  There is so much that the locals cannot use all the fruit they produce.  There is pamplemouse, mango, star fruit, limes, passion fruit, coconut, avocado, papaya, small red chilies just all around.

Prior to the hike, we met with a couple that lives in the village.  They offered us fruit and the possibility of a lunch at their house if we were interested.   We jumped at the opportunity and decided to hike first and then be rewarded with a Marquesan lunch provided by Mathieu and Monette.

The hike to the waterfall is about an hour and a half and involves a couple of stream crossings, bushwhacking and spider web parting.  The trail cuts through the old village recognized by the large stone foundations still intact today.  Upon reaching the waterfall the valley opens up and the cliffs look like they are reaching up to the top of the sky and you realize how small you feel in comparison.  Due to rain the previous few days, the water was brown with dirt, but this did not take away from the beauty of the area, and hid the river eels from view.


Once back down in the village again, we were received with fresh squeezed lemonade, fried bananas and French baguettes.  It did not stop there as the next course consisted of boiled breadfruit, breadfruit in coconut milk, poisson cru and grilled chicken.  It was a feast to say the least.  Lastly we were given pamplemouse as a digestif and some nice vanilla coffee.

Due to the plentiful fruit supply, Monette gave us a huge amount of fruit from the garden, we could barely carry all of it back to the dingy.  To give an idea, she gave us at least 80 limes (these were later juiced by Karson to save from spoiling and use for future poisson cru made on the boat).  We returned to the boat with bellies full and happy for an afternoon repose in what is one of the best bays in the Marquesas. 

The Wind Dancer Crew


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