Nuku Hiva

Friday morning we awoke to the sound of the anchor dropping! A glance out our window showed hills! Towering rocks! Greenery! Trees! I couldn't wait to step outside but, of course, first did my spit test and health survery. Then photo time! Sunny skies, white sailboats on blue water! After taking in the view from our balcony and breathing deeply of recognizable air - not sea air, but floral scented grassy smell - we settled on the Aquavite Terrace with fresh fruits and omelettes to await our turn to go on the restructured tour. As it was almost time for the first group to go ashore the announcements started. The first was that Port Clearance was not yet complete and we were awaiting word that we were 'free' to go ashore. I quote that because no one was 'free' to go ashore - there would be a "bubble." Carol and I often like to just reach the land and wander. We take a tour if there good things to see or do at a distance but are happy to be independent. We didn't make any arrangements of our own as I sometimes do beccause we were pretty sure that they would not be doable, and you know why. Next was that we were cleared and so we knew crew was going ashore to put everything in place. The welcome tent and banners. Making sure the locals were all verified and ready to roll. That Viking Entertainment and Shore Excursion Hosts were in place. There is surely a lot involved in making sure that all 450 guests would have a safe and enjoyable experience. Finally, we knew the next announcement woud call Group One to meet in the Star Theater. It did not. Silence overcame the breakfast chatter and we held our breath. There was another delay so .... all tours were pushed back a half an hour! A sigh of relief! It sounds like we were still going to be allowed to go ashore! Another announcement .... another nervous hush fell. Another half hour delay. I commented that if there was a final one saying we were not going Mr. Lee would have a whole new topic to lecture about. The Mutiny on the Orion!!! At last people were allowed to board the tenders (lifeboats) and begin to go ashore. We were in group 8, now leaving at 3:15. There were nine groups and 450 onboard. We knew at least one person not going. Our new friend Adrienne was nervous about the tenders. It will not be a great trip for her as the only place we can dock is Tahiti. So the math tells me about 50 people per group. Groups wer separated by time and space. We were greeted upon landing by men and ladies in native dress. Drummers drummed, conch shells sounded their deep horns. Ladies swayed in their cocopalm leaf skirts. The bright greens and reds and yellows were so fun to see after weeks onboard our Scandanavian decorated ship. The simply built wooden, brightly painted, building was the 'Yacht Club'! Going up a gentle hill we were directed to the parking lot across the street where the trucks waited. Viking always has an included tour - the basic island or city visit. We did not opt for the 4x4 tour thiinking it might be too rough over the mountainous lush terrain. But, as all things on this very safe cruise, everything changed. The tours were combined. So 4x4 people got refunds and were probably disappointed. For us it was a sort of upgrade as now we mostly rode rather than walked. Our vehicles? Pickup trucks! Sue took a front seat while Dean, Carol and I were in the crew cab of a very small Toyota. Some were in the bed of other trucks on seats with a hand hold! As rough as the streets were, a cobble and sand and grass mix, I was happy to not be doing that. Also the broiling sun was beating down on them - perhaps frying their brains! Our driver, Miranda, was a very pleasant, perhaps late middle-aged lady who used her basic English to say hello, tell us her name, and communicate that she had always lived in Nuku Hiva. Miranda had been to the other Marquesas over time but not outside her island group. We formed a convoy of 12 vehicles and drove around the edge of the bay. The buildings were homes and small buisnesses. Some of a stone and stucco blend and some of wood. All well kept and nicely deccorated. One white house had black shutters and what appeared to be a black wrought iron fence. That would be very expensive on this island that boasts no metal resources. It may have been cleverly carved and decorated wood. The island is known to have very skilled stone and wood workers. It took less than five minutes to reach the cathedral just as the previous group's vehicles were leaving. Totally a carefully separated rotation system. The church was stone and rock. Very much designed after the European model the Missionaries would have brought from home. But modified. What appeared to be the entrance was actually an open gate. The buiding itself was completely open with no doors able to be closed. Stone from each of the Marquesas island was used to build the walls. Some reused from other sites even bearing petroglyphs. The stone was identifiable by color as to from which island it came. The interior had dark wood pews carefully marked with masking tape to identify safe COVID seating. The statue of the Virgin Mary - the island is almost 100% Roman Catholic - the tall pulpit and the 14 Stations of the Cross are intricately carved rosewood which is kept carefully polished so that it gleams in the filtered sunlight. Our guide there, Thomas, was light-skinned as are most all Marquesans, but still heavily tatooed in the black ink of the island designs. The men and even some of the women begin tatooing at an early age and can eventually be completely covered in dark ink and light lines. Each part of the design depicts a certain characteristic trait they aspire to show, or a status of their family. Our next stop was a lagoonside open air field that serves as a town hall meeting place. Replicas of the original stone carved statues are seen here. Most of the originals are inaccessible to us as they are considerd sacred spaces. The stone carvings are reminders that the people of Rappa Nui, Easter Island, migrated from here. A local guide was a woman who was not tattooed but dressed in slightly shabby leggings similar to the tattoo sleeves we sometimes see at home. Her white tee shirt made her seem qite ordinary but her lusterous black hair was crowned with a floral wreath. She explained the history of the place, the statues, the simplicity of life on the island. Also the use of the nearby Kava. An open-sided hall traditionally a place where the women lived as a group. in the morning they would roll back the screens on the side and let the "priest" enter. Closee it again. Then open to let them leave after whatever mysteries took place. The procedure was repeated in the evening. A beautiful young lady performed the Bird Dance. Several of the poses were easily recognizable as a crane or seabird. Unfortunately the music had to be blue-toothed from the presenter's phone to the boombox speaker. Sort of took away from the genuine feel but was quite lovely anyway. This was a reminder that although life here is simple, it is not innocent. Internet is available and the new sarongs have cell phone pockets! We had just a few minutes to take in the Memorial wooden sticks of past ancestors and the enjoyment of seeing our ship from land! The Royal Poincianna trees gave off a sweet scent. The rocky beach did not seem inviting. Back in truck Number 23, 10 or 12 trucks in each convoy, we turned back toward the dock. Here were demonstrations of all the uses of coconut inclucing using the husk, Survivor style, to start a fire. This then went into a stone firepit similar to a Chimenea. Coconut slivered, chopped and squashed is cooked. Breadfruit is sqaushed to the consistency of mashed potatoes. This, then, is the first baby food! It also demonstrates the value of the breadfruit trees that captain Bligh was sent to retrieve. The next hut was focused on the palm leaves and the many uses of them. Shade, walls, and woven into crowns to support the flowers. Little girls were showing us purses and shopping baga, all supporting the eco friendly lives of the people. The men had a carving and drum station set up. Carving of tikis to 'hold the mana' of the gods, the 'spirit' of their natures, is important both culturally and economically. Mana only stays in the tiki for the day but leaves at night and has to be invited back. Kind of like the Elf on the Shelf! Fresh fruit was offered for us to place on bowl like palm leaves but I do not eat off the ship in places that are so kind to make the offering. I don't court the possibillity of an incident of any kind! In the largest hut was the gift shop and nearby an information station with post cards for a dollar each. I did not buy anything but did see a very reasonably priced carved wood 12 stringed guitar or maybe it was a ukelele. But how would I every safely get it home to Maddie T.?! We all made our way back to the tender and returned safely to the Mother Ship. So happy after eight days as sea to be on land, even if only for a couple of hours! Remembering how to walk without compensating for the roll of the decks made me think how the Little Mermaid must have felt. At the end of the well orchestrated tour we did have a little time to pretend to be real tourists. We did sail back 'home' with whomever got to the dock at the same time, so were not totally confined to the same group once the tour itself was over. But at the stops there was no wandering, no free exchange with locals other than those vetted by Viking. But oh so nice an afternoon!