Tahuata

Tahuata lies south of Hiva Oa across a channel that runs hard, and it has no airstrip, so everything comes by boat. It was the first Marquesan island Europeans landed on, in 1595, and later the first the French claimed. The main village, Vaitahu, has a church with a carved interior and a small museum, and the island has a reputation across the archipelago for bone, wood and stone carving. It shares a named UNESCO component with Hiva Oa.

What you actually see

• The carving tradition - bone, wood and stone work the island is known for.
• The Vaitahu church - the carved interior of the village church.
• The white sand bays - Hanamoenoa and others on the western coast.
• The 1595 landfall - the first European landing in the Marquesas.

When to go

May to October is the dry season and calmest for the crossing. The Bordelais channel runs hard and crossings are cancelled in swell. Boats must be arranged.

Honest expectations

There is no airstrip and the channel crossing is often rough. Accommodation is a handful of pensions. Nono flies on the beaches bite badly.

Nearby

Hiva Oa is north across the channel, and Fatu Hiva is southeast.