Author: Scott
Thursday and Friday were all about getting acclimated to Nuku Hiva. For one thing since we set-up our awesome rain catcher the weather has proceeded to get warmer and more humid with of course not a drop of rain. The island is very lush with many beautiful tropical plants and flowers growing freely. Coconut trees are bursting with fruit, and every now and then you see a discarded coconut on the road which has fueled a lively discussion about being in the wrong place and the wrong time… The roads are a mixture of concrete and dirt with all of the roads chalk full of potholes, it is no wonder there are so many four wheel drive vehicles here. There are many animals around and about. There are chickens and dogs everywhere, including the dreaded evil rooster creature that has chosen 0500 to be a good time to set about waking the island. We have also seen some goats and horses tied up along the side of the road to graze and we have learned horseback is still the best way of getting about the island in the more remote regions. We are also starting to be bitten by the local no-no flies we had read about. I have been faring better than Pam which is a surprise since I was so completely chewed up by the insects in Mexico.
On Thursday we had a number of errands to complete around town. We had to return to the Gendarmerie to show them our official receipt from the bond we paid at the bank, and then we headed over to the Post Office to send off a letter to Papeete that also verifies we have posted a bond. At the Post Office we managed to unload almost all of our change that was piling up, but this took a ten minute consultation in front of the Post Office while we tried to determine what each coins denomination was. Then we were off to the local hospital to see about getting two prescriptions for Elephantitis a disease that blocks blood flow into your appendages causing swelling of your arms legs and other unmentionable regions. Apparently this condition is caused by the growth of small worms that are transmitted via mosquito bites. The prescription consists of four pills all taken simultaneously that protects you for a year. We had originally read it would only be necessary to take the medicine if you were staying in French Polynesia for over six months, but Gill from Last Call who is a nurse suggested we get the prescription just to be safe. Unfortunately, the hospital had just ran out of the medicine so we will have to wait until we reach Tahiti. Worms you better stay clear of me!
After the errands were complete we went down to the quay to deal with our stubborn dinghy and it continued to give us grief. We decided this was as good a time as any to go find the local mechanic we had heard about. We went to the small boat services building, where you can use the Internet, get laundry done, have sail repairs made, and sometimes find a mechanic. We learned the mechanic was ill with a foot infection and he had just checked into the hospital. However, there was another cruiser there who said he could give our outboard and boat engine a look and he just happened to be anchored near us. We tried a few things with the outboard while we were at the quay but soon gave up and got a tow out to Tournesol. Once back at the boat Stephan had a quick look at the boat engine and said he would ponder the problem and meet us on Friday. We removed our engine from the dinghy and headed into the nearby beach with just our paddles. Thursday night we laid low and ate at the hotel.
Friday continued to be mostly mundane and non eventful we paddled back out to the boat to meet with Stephan. He was right on time and suggested an interim solution to the boat engine dilemma. He had spoken with the mechanic who was still ill and together they suggested bypassing the old fresh water pump, removing the pully, then mounting an exterior pump to pump fresh water through the heat exchanger. Stephan believed he could scrounge up the parts and so we agreed this was a good course of action. We agreed to meet again the next day to check in on Stephan’s progress. The rest of the day was spent working on the journal and hanging out at the hotel.
Saturday was the start of the great water migration. The only way we were going to get water to our boat was to carry it in jerry cans. The quay has a few hoses but there is no easy way to pull your boat up close enough to fill the tanks, at least we don’t feel comfortable enough to try it. We also learned none of the tap water was safe to drink on Nuku Hiva, and the only safe water came from way atop the mountains or in a plastic water bottle. Apparently the local rat population, (one of the only indigenous animals) pollutes the drinking water. With rats and no-no flies, and crazy psycho roosters it is no wonder the fourth season of “Survivor” was filmed on Nuku Hiva. So, we filled up two jerry cans of rat water and paddled out to the boat. We will use the water only for showers and dishes which is supposed to be sanitary and safe. Once at the boat we met with Stephan who gave us an update on the parts and he was feeling confident about the water pump bypass idea. He then spent some time working with us on the outboard engine, and we managed to get it running but sporadically. We did learn that the engine was still under warranty and it will have a date with the Mercury dealership in Papeete. Although these mechanical issues are a real pain as we cruise, each new challenge brings with it a lesson in engine repair and I am feeling more confident all the time.
We paddled back to shore with our empty jerry cans. Once on land we hurried to the nearest store to purchase some water and sodas, since the sodas at the hotel were around five US dollars. The little store we visited is the third and smallest of the stores on Nuku Hiva, but we decided it was our favorite. The staff was friendly but spoke absolutely NO ENGLISH! Pam found onions and we think the prices might be slightly less expensive than the other two competitors. We then returned to the hotel to take our exquisite showers for the day. We then set off for Moana Nui for dinner and as we were exiting the hotel they offered us a ride! Dinner was pizza again (still no egg on our pizza), and I finished off my meal again with the awesome coconut ice cream and cappuccino. Back at the hotel we watched the movie “Trainspotting”, a strange portrayal of the life of a heroine junkie. We found the movie to be very strange but also quite interesting.
If you read our journal closely, then right about now you are wondering what those two cruisers are still doing at the cushy hotel in Nuku Hiva, well okay you caught us, we liked the cozy comfort of the hotel so much we decided to extend our stay! So, on Sunday morning we made good use of the hotel. We slept in until the rooster torture, and then managed to fall back asleep. Why hasn’t anyone figured out how to remove the cock-a-doodle-dooer from a rooster? We ate the breakfast buffet at the hotel and then headed out to continue the water migration. We brought another ten gallons of rat water to the boat and then stayed aboard to work on boat chores.
Later that afternoon we returned to the hotel and Pam made good use of the plateful water in the hotel. We were both fed up with the cost of doing laundry and we wanted to have clean laundry for our trip to Papeete, so Pam set about the chore of hand washing laundry in the bathroom sink. We must have looked like real vagabond cruisers with our laundry strewn around our deck outside. I completed some much needed work on the computer, and though this sounds like a lot of chores we were able to complete them while sipping icy Coca Colas with the air conditioning working overtime.
We decided we would stay in, so we ate at the hotel again. We both had steaks, Pam’s with garlic butter and mine with Roquefort sauce. To top off the evening we watched “The Incredibles” and we both loved it. I only wish I had seen it on the big screen.
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