Hiva Oa Island Atuona, Marquesas French Polynesia
French Polynesia
85
Cruises availables
At departure or passage at this port
Paul Gauguin Cruises (20 Cruises)
M/S Paul Gauguin
20 Cruises
| 12 February | 15 days | Round-trip from Papeete, Tahiti, French Polynesia |
| 12 February | 14 days | Round-trip 14 Night Marquesas the Tuamotus and Society Islands Cruise |
| 13 May | 14 days | Round-trip 14 Night Marquesas the Tuamotus and Society Islands Cruise |
| 13 May | 15 days | Round-trip from Papeete, Tahiti, French Polynesia |
| 8 July | 15 days | Round-trip from Papeete, Tahiti, French Polynesia |
| 8 July | 14 days | Round-trip 14 Night Marquesas Tuamotus and Society Islands Cruise |
Ponant (9 Cruises)
Seabourn Cruise Line (9 Cruises)
Seabourn Quest
9 Cruises
Silversea Cruises (6 Cruises)
Windstar Cruises (41 Cruises)
Star Breeze
41 Cruises
| 28 March | 18 days | Round-trip from Papeete, Tahiti, French Polynesia |
| 28 March | 12 days | Round-trip from Papeete, Tahiti, French Polynesia |
| 3 October | 12 days | Round-trip from Papeete, Tahiti, French Polynesia |
| 3 October | 18 days | Round-trip from Papeete, Tahiti, French Polynesia |
| 24 January | 52 days | One-way from Singapore to Papeete |
| 28 January | 48 days | One-way from Benoa to Papeete |
| 2 March | 14 days | Round-trip from Papeete, Tahiti, French Polynesia |
| 2 March | 21 days | Round-trip from Papeete, Tahiti, French Polynesia |
| 23 March | 22 days | Round-trip from Papeete, Tahiti, French Polynesia |
| 2 April | 18 days | Round-trip from Papeete, Tahiti, French Polynesia |
| 2 April | 12 days | Round-trip from Papeete, Tahiti, French Polynesia |
Frequently Asked Questions
In Tahauku Bay, ringed by steep volcanic ridges where the clouds catch. Tenders land passengers on a small concrete quay. The main village of Atuona lies a few kilometres away: shuttles and local vehicles run back and forth without fuss.
Because both came to the Marquesas looking for a final elsewhere and died here. They rest in the small Calvary cemetery on the heights above Atuona, shaded by frangipani, facing the Pacific. That is what draws travellers to the end of the world.
On foot, about twenty minutes uphill under the mango trees from the village, with the bay widening at every bend. Gauguin's grave, in red volcanic stone, is watched over by a replica of his idol Oviri; Brel's, a few steps away, bears a medallion of his likeness alongside his companion Maddly.
A site presenting reproductions of his paintings and a reconstruction of his Maison du Jouir, whose carved lintel mischievously invited passers-by inside. The painter arrived in 1901 and died two years later, aged 54. These are reproductions, not originals, and it is fair to know that before going in.
Yes. His twin-engine aircraft named Jojo, with which he flew medical evacuations for islanders, has been carefully restored and is displayed in a memorial hangar among period photographs and letters from admirers worldwide. His songs play quietly in the background.
Two sites. Taaoa, a few kilometres from Atuona, stacks its stone platforms in an understory of mango and banyan. The more distant Puamau valley holds the Takaii tiki, nearly 2.5 metres tall, the largest in French Polynesia. Puamau requires a four-wheel-drive excursion and a good half-day.
It is a cliff road cut above black-sand bays, among the most striking in the South Pacific and also among the most winding. Anyone prone to motion sickness should think twice. Every bend recomposes the island into a picture, between coconut groves and drops onto the surf.
Stay in Atuona: the Calvary cemetery, the Gauguin centre, the Brel memorial and the village itself fit into three hours. The settlement sits under Mount Temetiu, rising above 1,200 metres, with its church, general stores and pétanque courts.
At the stalls and snack counters: raw fish in coconut milk, plantains and the local grapefruit, served cool on an overflowing plate. This is not an island of restaurants, it is an island of general stores and simple tables.
The CFP franc, preferably in cash. French is spoken everywhere, coloured with Marquesan, and islanders greet visitors readily. Horses tied along the roadsides are a reminder that much of island life still moves on horseback between the valleys.
