atuona
my first night on hiva oa
The group that gave me a ride from the airport dropped me at the post office and one of the women got out with me to walk me up to a window. I asked the woman at the window about a place to stay for the night. After a lot of back and forth in French she laughed at me for not having a reservation and pointed up the hill, telling me that I should go find “la pizzeria.” I hauled my bags up the crazy steep hill until I saw a restaurant that served pizza, with a small hotel above. The gentleman at the desk said there were no rooms available, so I asked if he knew where I might camp and indicated a tent with my hands. He thought for a minute and then pointed up the hill to a small clearing, apparently on his property. He drew a map on a piece of paper for me, put an X where I should put my tent, and told me to come back after sundown. I left my duffel bag with him and went to explore.
The beach in front of Atuona
Atuona harbor
I walked into town with my camera, looking for a place to eat, but the only apparent restaurant was closed for the day. I went into a "grocery store" and bought everything that looked edible: a French baguette stuffed with egg salad (they didn’t have any bread by itself), a cucumber (the only vegetable in the store), a package of crackers, and a bottle of water. I had heard mixed reviews about whether I could drink the tap water in the islands, so I decided to play it safe for the time being. While I walked, I ate my sandwich, which was surprisingly good, and wandered through town to the water and along the beach.
After poking around with my camera for the remainder of the day, I had dinner at the Relais Moehau restaurant / hotel where I had left my bag, and, after writing a few emails and reading my book, made my way up to the clearing where I had pitched my tent. It was a beautiful spot, overlooking Atuona and with an incredible view of the impossible fairy-tale peaks of Hiva Oa, whose tops are permanently shrouded in clouds. I slept well, and it only rained for a short time in the early hours of the morning.