After a few hours at anchor to watch MaRe’s swinging at the anchor, and a good and solid breakfast with potato salad with chorizo pieces inside, 2 eggs sunny side up, and 2 fried sausages and a good cup of tea, we felt ready to go on land.

Just before we got the tender into water, a boat with 4 locals came by to tell us their names and informed us that today is a small market in the village and we should please come.

Later we learned that the reason for today’s market is the supply boat Aranui 5. It passed us last night from behind and stopped in the morning at the main village of Omoa. From there it made a schedule stop over at Hanavave, the second biggest village at the end of the Bay of Virgins. As the Aranui also carries passenger who make a cruise through the Marquesas etc., these passengers go on land and the market is for them to buy local products. There are also other supply boats which carry passenger, and whenever such a boat makes a stop over the little market opens.

When we docked the tender at the wall in the tiny “harbor” we needed a stern anchor as the swell rolling in would have pushed our tender against the concrete wall. A young lady indicated that the position of our tender is fine when the landing boats of the Aranui 5 come in. Watching the activities in the harbor for a little while, we started our walk into and through the village.

An elderly lady started talking to us. Where from? First time here? Etc. Then she asked us if we would like to have bananas. We said “yes” because fresh fruits are always welcome. We followed her to her house and she gave us quite a bunch of bananas.

We continued our walk through the street and saw, like in the Gambiers before, well maintained houses. Then we met the French guy, who was in the boat with the locals who told us about the market. Walking and talking with him we learned that he travels on boats as crew members around the world and lives since about 6 month in Hanavave, Fatu-Hiva. He does carving work and sells it to tourists. At the market, we left him at his table with his products displayed. Standing close to an football field watching kids, boys and girls, playing football. The corners were marked with a bit older kids sitting there and goals were marked the shaddocks. The quiet big number of young kids showed that the island’s population is increasing.

While watching the kid’s game, a lady addressed us through the window with the normal questions. Then she asked if we want to eat something. “Why not to eat something local”, we thought. We choose the meal of pork and breadfruits and got 4 bananas as a free dessert. The pork looked very unusual. Small pieces of pork in something black. The pork and breadfruit tasted very well. But something in the taste of “black stuff” around the pork pieces tasted familiar to me. It took me a while until I recognized it. It tasted like a sausage from my childhood made of pork blood. This was the “black stuff” around the pork pieces. We hardly could eat a quarter of what we received because it filled our stomachs immediately. Thus, we considered it as take-out and brought it back to MaRe for dinner.

We continued strolling around and watched people playing “boule”. The traditional French game is very popular in French Polynesia. 2 ladies played really very skillful.

Then we got back to the road and walked towards the end of the village, crossed the stream with very clear water. Further up the stream there is a waterfall we want to hike to in the next days.

Thereafter, we turned around towards the harbor to return to MaRe.

We got a first impression of a wonderful small village why very friendly people, at the end of the beautiful Bay of Virgins.