Easter Weekend

Easter Sunday Church Service - Atuona, Hiva Oa

Tikis - Hiva 0a

April 8 2015

Easter weekend

Easter weekend has been quiet for the locals and their businesses but the BPO boats have had plenty to do. The internet café opened Tues so we are trying to catch up on jobs that require wifi. We are so spoiled at home with the speed of service. There is a morning shuttle to town. Each time we have started the walk back to the harbour a local has stopped to offer us a ride back. We are finding the Marquesans very friendly. The island is also very clean.

A number of us attended mass on Sun morning as well as a Sat evening service. Although we couldn’t understand the language we know the message and could worship through the music. There was a lot of good singing with harmony and with tunes that were easy to learn.

Ten of us booked an island tour for Mon. We drove across the island in a 4x4 jeep over very rugged steep roads. The views on the north coast are quite dramatic. Although only 26 miles, it took all day with the stops. There is a marathon coming up on that route which would be a climbing challenge. There are lots of goats living on the steep cliffs. One type of hunting done is to shoot a goat on a cliffside from the boat. Then as the goat drops to the sea, the challenge is to catch it before the sharks do.

A major tourist attraction on the islands are the “tikis” which are large statues carved in stone that were worshipped as gods. We visited one large ceremonial area that had many preserved. When the missionaries arrived many were destroyed or hidden. It has only been in the last 25 years or so that the church has allowed sites to be restored for historical interest. The islanders are predominantly Christian but see the value now of knowing their past. In contrast to the Marquesans, the people in Vanuata apparently went to church Sunday but prayed to their own gods Monday.

Tues evening Luc and Jackie had a skippers briefing on the rest of the islands here and the Tuamoto group that we will visit next. They are lagoons surrounded by a reef whereas these are high volcanic islands. They are an older development geologically as the central crater sinks. Lovesail had those of us in the anchorage for a farewell party on their boat. The boats that were only a part of the Pacific Odyssey, not the BPO, will be parting ways. But I’m sure we will see many of them in the next few spots.

Already boats are dispersing to different islands. Four are in Fatu Hiva now which is south of here, and some stopped there on the way. It is a beautiful island but we have decided not to bite off the 40 miles to windward to visit it. The BPO has arranged a special 2 days of activities in Oa Pou on Fri and Sat. that we don’t want to miss. We will be leaving at dusk tonight for an overnight sail there. The Pacific Odyssey boats will have more time to spend in each area before the end of the season.