Landmark· Hiva Oa· French Polynesia: Tuamotus, Marquesas, Gambier & Australs
Hanapaaoa Tiki (Hiva Oa)
9° 44.4′ S · 138° 57.7′ W · approximate
Tiki Moe One is a small, crowned tiki on a ridge above Hanapaaoa village, said to carry powerful mana. Villagers once carried it to the beach each year to bathe it and anoint it with monoi.
Practical
Approximate position: ridge at the edge of Hanapaaoa village (village position from OpenStreetMap; the statue itself is unmapped). Lonely Planet: about 1 m tall with a carved crown of flowers; no signposts, so ask at the last houses; a 5-10 minute climb. Human bone fragments and pig teeth lie around nearby paepae, so treat the site with respect and touch nothing. Hanapaaoa is not an authorised anchorage under the 2026 rules, so visit by car on the north-coast road (marked 'Crowned tiki' on the 2026 brief map).
Best for
A quirky stop on the cross-island drive
Nearby
- Nahoe Anchorage (Hiva Oa)2.3 NM away
- Hanaiapa-Hanatekuua Point Snorkel (Hiva Oa)3 NM away
- Hanatekuua Bay (Hiva Oa)3 NM away
- Hanaiapa Valley Walk and Sculptor Tino3.3 NM away
- Hiva Oa Airport (AUQ)3.4 NM away
- Hanaiapa Bay (Hiva Oa)3.6 NM away
- Smiling Tiki (Hiva Oa)4.2 NM away
- Tehueto Petroglyphs Hike (Atuona)4.6 NM away