After our visas and quarantine period ended, we fled to the beautiful island of Tahuata. Tahuata was everything Hiva Oa wasn’t: friendly, un-established, small, unpopulated. It was just as pretty but everyone and everything there was nicer.

We went to the fascinating little bay called Hanamoenoa which is a tight anchorage with a scenic beach right in the front. A man called Stevens lives there, rarely appearing but watching everyone all the same. We also went to the adorable town of Vaitahu, a tiny fishing village that has a one-room museum and a two-room school. Whilst we were in Tahuata, we went on a walk around an ancient paepae site. Paepae are housing that existed thousands of years ago back when the only people on the islands were the Pacific Islanders. It was incredible, with the original old brick bases for a once majestic city.

We were led here by two young adult locals, Va’ha and Veve, who were very proud to show us around where a queen once lived. Along the way, Va’ha would give us pamplemousse and lemons from the trees around the land. The area is now used for beekeeping!

We walked back down from our escapade with backpacks weighing about 29 lbs, but it was worth it.

Swimming in Tahuata was… astonishing. We were able to swim mere inches away from manta rays and it blew my mind. They wouldn’t run away, on the contrary, they would come up to you and stare in wonder. They played and splashed and enjoyed your company! You couldn’t touch them, they got a little frightened by that, but they loved being around people. They also do backflips in the water! Mantas – it’s important to state – cannot hurt you. They have no teeth, no barbed tail, nothing that from them can harm you.

+