TX7N Team will be active from Hiva Oa Island, Marquesas Islands, IOTA OC - 027 in January 2025.
Team - F5VHQ, F8GGV, F6BCW, F5SDD, SP5APW, HB9GWJ, F8ATS, EA1SA, F6FMC, F1MNQ, OK2WX, F4GLD, F4ISZ, F5LRL.
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Hiva Oa Island
Hiva Oa Island is the second largest and most famous of the islands in the Marquesas archipelago. Getting here is not easy: the distance to the nearest mainland is just under five thousand kilometres and to Tahiti just under one and a half thousand kilometres. Nevertheless, the island of Hiva-Oa is a popular holiday destination. And travellers are attracted here not only by the pleasant climate and the opportunity to swim in the Pacific Ocean, but also by the beautiful nature and interesting sights of the island.
Fatu Hiva, Marquesas Islands. Author - Chris.
A bit of history
The Marquesan archipelago, including the island of Hiva-Oa, was discovered in 1595 by the famous navigator Alvaro Mendaña de Neira. However, for a long time Europeans were in no hurry to settle on the island. The reason was not only the remoteness of the Marquesas archipelago from civilisation, but also the aggressiveness of the natives and endless wars between the native tribes.
France annexed the island in 1842, and in 1855 the first attempts to Christianise the local population began.
In 1904 Hiva-Oa became the administrative centre of the Marquesas Islands, and in 1940 the capital was moved to the island of Nuku Hiva.
TX7N. Marquesas Islands DX Pedition Logo.
Gauguin's final resting place
French painter Paul Gauguin is one of the most famous inhabitants of the Marquesas Islands. It was on Hiva Oa that the artist spent the last years of his life and where he painted many of his world-famous canvases.
One of the most important sights on the island is the Paul Gauguin house in the centre of Atuon. The house was restored in 1994 and now houses a museum.
Both floors of the building are constructed of bamboo. Above the front door are two inscriptions, "Be Mysterious" and "Be Happy". And just above that is the inscription "House of Pleasure." Here the artist and his young Tahitian wife lived the last two years: from 1901 to 1903. Gauguin led a licentious life, not once clashed with the church authorities of Tahiti and Hiva-Oa, in his "House of Pleasure" he organised feasts with absinthe, which was brought to the artist by sailors.
Despite his dismal poverty (fame came to Paul Gauguin only after his death), illnesses, including leprosy, and constant depression, it was on Hiva-Oa that the artist's best works were painted.
Not far from the House of Pleasure is Gauguin's grave. The painter, who glorified the nature, customs and beauty of the women of Oceania, was buried on a hillside with a mesmerising view of the Pacific Ocean. A copy of one of Gauguin's sculptures adorns the tombstone.
Fatu Hiva, Marquesas Islands. Author - Philippe Reichert.
The mesmerising landscapes of Oceania
The island of Hiva Oa is ideal for lovers of seclusion. With a population of less than 2,000 people, few hotels, the island has the added advantage of amazing scenery.
Here you can admire the steep cliffs and lush tropical vegetation, walk along the coast, where sandy beaches are replaced by rocky bays, admire Temetia, over the top of which often swirls fog.
It will be interesting to get acquainted with the customs of the locals. Many of them still live in traditional houses made of bamboo and wood. Aboriginal ancestors lived in similar buildings a hundred and two hundred years ago.
Some of the population is engaged in agriculture, while others work in hotels.
Hiva Oa Island Entertainment
The island offers good conditions for practising various sports. You can go hiking, cycling or motorbiking, diving or mountaineering. Tourists are also offered horseback riding, as well as excursions to neighbouring islands.
And, of course, you should try delicious Polynesian cuisine. There are many restaurants and cafes on the island that offer rice, seafood, meat and fish dishes and, of course, surprisingly tasty exotic local fruits.
The main attractions of the island
Apart from Gauguin's house, there are quite a few other interesting sites on the island. Most of the attractions are concentrated in the main town of Atuona. This settlement is nestled on the shore of a picturesque lagoon, and it is worth a stroll along its streets, which have changed little since the times when Paul Gauguin walked along them.
Auton has a restored Taoa temple, where the local gods were once prayed to, and just outside the town, right in the rainforest, are basalt sculptures. These are cult figures worshipped by the native tribes.
In the east of the island there is another interesting object - the village of Kuamau. Here are preserved buildings on the sites of tribal gatherings of Marae Indians, as well as cult wooden and stone sculptures of the Tiki people.
In general, people come to Hiva-Oa not for the sake of excursion programme. This corner of the world attracts travellers with its picturesque nature, unusual culture and opportunity for solitude.
