Another day, another island

 Ua Pou

Setting sail in a south westerly direction we reached Ua Pou in just a few hours. Our first anchorage was small, but the scenery was breathtaking.

The mountains behind Rhapsody were seldom completely free of clouds, but always impressive in their size and shape 

Each island that we have visited seems to have a way to "hike to the cross". These are usually crosses that are placed in some prominent spot above a village and provide wonderful vantage points, overlooking bays and valleys. Rhapsody is the boat furthest to the left. Now we have a running joke, "oh look, it's a hike to the cross!"

I was so excited to finally see all the peaks without clouds! They are unlike any peaks I have ever been around. They are the plugs of the volcanos and the rest of the volcano was made of softer material which has eroded away, leaving these stunning spires.

 Wandering around the town produced many delights. One of these was standing outside the church on a Sunday morning listening to the beautiful voices so typical of both Polynesian and Melanesian church services. The picture in this video is not that interesting or well done, but listen to the sounds! I will try to post some more of these in the future.

Another surprise was happening upon a group of people preparing for a dance competition. Beautiful and graceful, so obviously telling a story to which I was not privy to, but enjoyed watching none the less.

Like Nuku Hiva, Ua Pou also has many statues and carvings, but those on Ua Poa are unique in the stone that they used and the style of carving 

The statues are intricately carved

with many traditional Marquesian tattoo symbols on the subjects.

Here is the backside of the same statue

One of my favorites was 

this whimsical fish, all alone, sitting on the beach. Something about the expression just appeals to me!