Hiva Oa
Iipona is one of the best-preserved archaeological sites in French Polynesia. You’ll be moved by its eeriness and impressed by the five monumental tiki –…
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Hiva Oa
This serpentine island holds a heady, dramatic mix of lush jungle, sea-battered coastal cliffs and towering volcanic peaks. The bays that fret the coastline are lined with white-sand, black-sand or pebble-stubbled beaches that are lapped by indigo waters and fringed by nodding palms. Behind sit silent, pastel Marquesan hamlets where time has stood still. After a few days, you’ll understand why the artist Paul Gauguin and the Belgian singer Jacques Brel chose to escape the modern world here and make it their home. Hiva Oa has a wild feeling that inspires shutting off your wi-fi and focusing more on important things, like enjoying a perfect mango or sunset.
Attractions
Must-see attractions
Hiva Oa
A must-see for Gauguin and Brel devotees is the Calvaire Cemetery, perched on a hill overlooking Atuona. You will find this frangipani-filled graveyard an…
Hiva Oa
Anyone with an interest in ancient Marquesan civilisation shouldn’t leave Atuona without a visit to the Tehueto petroglyphs. You’ll find a massive rock…
Hiva Oa
In Hanapaaoa, ask a local to take you to the Tiki Moe One, hidden on a hillside. One of the quirkiest statues in the Marquesas, it features a carved crown…
Hiva Oa
A homage to Gauguin that traces the artist's life through locally painted reproductions of his art. The main signs are translated into English but the…
Hiva Oa
On the property of the restaurant Pehekua – Chez Marie-Antoinette, shortly before the Iipona site, is a small graveyard with the tomb of the valley’s last…
Hiva Oa
This isolated, poignant site about 2km up in a valley (ask for directions) features a series of tombs made of stones; note the small tiki that are carved…
Hiva Oa
Behind the Espace Culturel Paul Gauguin you’ll find a big aircraft hangar. In the centre is Jacques Brel’s plane, Jojo; faded posters tracing the musician…
Guidebooks
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