Hiva Oa

Introducing Hiva Oa

Once home to Gauguin's Maison du Jouir (House of Pleasure) and the Belgian singer Jacques Brel, Hiva Oa could entice even the most conservative people to want to paint and fall in love. Carpeted in lavish flora, cut by crystal rivers and framed by lofty peaks, this island is the definition of abundance. Wild pigs and goats are hunted in the mountains, tuna and swordfish caught in the fertile waters, and fruit so plentiful that most of it falls to the ground, bursting with ripeness.

Even though you could sit around doing nothing all day and still manage to feed yourself rather well, the population does work. A good percentage of the inhabitants are imports - teachers and military - lending the otherwise wild island a more orderly and European feel. Most locals occupy themselves with farming noni, copra and fishing. This is indisputably the centre of the southern Marquesas; there's an airport, a hospital, secondary school and even a tourist office.

As in the rest of the Marquesas, it's a hot and bumpy ride to get anywhere. A ridge forms a spine across the length of the island and has an average height of 800m. The only road weaves up and around this spine and leads to the most striking archaeological sites in French Polynesia.

Last updated: Sep 30, 2008