Photo: Steve Berardi · CC BY-SA 2.0 · Wikimedia CommonsAnchorage· Nuku Hiva· French Polynesia: Tuamotus, Marquesas, Gambier & Australs
Hatiheu Bay (Nuku Hiva)
8° 49.5′ S · 140° 5.0′ W
A big north-coast bay under dramatic basalt peaks, with a statue of the Virgin on a pinnacle, a tidy village, Chez Yvonne and the best archaeological sites on the island; Robert Louis Stevenson's first landfall in 1888.
Practical
Chugach (Apr 2019) anchored at 08°49.45'S / 140°04.97'W in 14 m and preferred it to Anaho. Conditions vary from 'horrible' to 'fantastic' (2023): it is open and rolly in N swell, and cruise ships stop here. Landing at the small jetty needs a bow-and-stern setup: don't use a grapnel (deep and rocky); run a 30 m stern line to a fishermen's buoy and keep the bow off the wall. Getting ashore can be impossible when the swell is up. Two grocery stores (2019). Severe ciguatera (see warning). Many crews leave the boat in Anaho and walk over. Sea-Seek (2024): open to NNW wind and swell; anchor in 10 m about 150 m SW of the landing, which is on a rocky promontory on the east side of the bay about 1 km from the village. The brief (2023) also warns the anchorage is exposed to NNW wind and swell and landing can be difficult.
Best for
Hatiheu's tiki sites and lunch, in settled weather
Season
Settled E-SE trades only; avoid in N swell
Nearby
- Hatiheu Museum and Madonna Statue0.3 NM away
- Restaurant Chez Yvonne (Hatiheu)0.3 NM away
- Anaho to Hatiheu Hike0.6 NM away
- Hikokua Archaeological Site (Hatiheu)0.6 NM away
- Kamuihei and Tahakia Sites (Hatiheu)0.9 NM away
- Anaho Fringing Reef Snorkel (Teavauua Dinghy Pass)1.1 NM away
- Anaho No-Anchoring Zone1.1 NM away
- Anaho Bay (Nuku Hiva)1.2 NM away
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