Hiva Oa to Mangareva

Report on 08/14/99

Source of Information: Moana Doi's Journal

Departure from Hiva Oa. Six days in Hiva Oa is enough to make you feel at home and comfortable, especially with our new friends and familiar surroundings. But today is departure day, the beginning of our longest journey to our next destination, the ending of our island hopping.

The hardest part about staying on these islands is that the longer you stay, the more difficult it is to leave. I hate good-byes , so for me today there is pain in my heart. It maybe only a short time that we've come to know these wonderful, special people, but they have touched me in ways that I will never forget.

By around 9am- we are under tow saying our last good-byes, waving to the locals standing on the pier. Papa Robert and his wife Ziella and some of his family follow us alongside on the boat of Georges Gramont with his wife Giselle and daughter Raita and others.

Unfortunately we will be under tow for about the next 5 days-Chad says we have to in order to meet the schedule. Sometimes schedules suck, they just get in the way. And given the light winds, we don't have much choice.

We head for the island of Mohotani, just outside of Hiva Oa, then we will use Mohotani as a backsight until sunset. A pack of 'iwa birds follow us, curious, they fly and circle above us. Tava throws lines at them in hopes for a tasty lunch. No luck: Dolphins are always a welcome sight. On our way to our next target-Pitcairn.

For more information on the leg to Mangareva, go to the Hiva Oa to Mangareva Page.

For more information on the quest for Rapa Nui, go to the PVS Homepage.