Hiva Oa

Hiva Oa – Paul Gauguin’s Island

This majestic and historic island is known for its wild, untamed landscape, giant stone tiki, endless and unearthly vistas. The town of Atuona is the administrative center for the southern Marquesas. A path up the cliffs behind the village leads to Calvary Cemetery. Here are the simple graves of two men who chose the Marquesas as their final home and resting place, the French painter Paul Gauguin and Belgian singer Jacques Brel. Other sightseeing highlights include a visit to Puamau Village, where Gauguin’s descendents live. In the steamy jungle above this village is the Oipona Me’ae temple and the 8-ft. tall tiki Takaii, the largest stone tiki in Polynesia. Several other stone carvings adorn this quiet spot. Visit the very picturesque village of Hanaiapa; the petroglyphs carved in stone in Eiaone and Punai; the Me’ae temple and black sand beach of Taaoa and the scenic bays of Nahoe and Hanamenu.