Landmark· Eiao· French Polynesia: Tuamotus, Marquesas, Gambier & Australs

Eiao Stone-Adze Quarries

7° 59.6′ S · 140° 42.7′ W · approximate

Eiao's basalt was the Marquesas' great adze quarry: workshops on its plateau produced tools found as far away as Kiribati, perhaps half of all adzes in some Polynesian sites at the peak.

TuamotusMarquesas

Practical

Position approx: plotted at the Vaituha Bay anchorage; the workshop sites lie mainly on the northern plateau and Hanataaitoki valley (14th-17th centuries), with chips scattered across the south of the island. A shelter with a water tap is on the north coast of Vaituha Bay and a small Marian shrine lies on a trail to the plateau (Wikipedia, 2022). No marked trails; the reserve and archaeological sites are protected, so look and leave everything in place.

Best for

Archaeology for the very adventurous

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