Waterfalls cascaded down the steep cliffs of Hiva Oa’s western edge, some of them plummeting directly into the water. It’s an incredible sight after the consistent rain we’ve had. To get there, it took us a lovely 1.5 hour downwind sail from the island Tahuata.

After that, we turned the corner into Hiva Oa’s north coast, and were surprised to encounter turbulent seas – the easterly wind chop was wrapping around the island causing terrible “speed bumps” for Aldebaran. After an hour of slow pounding, we tucked into the first bay, called Hanamemu.

Photo: Timeless pic of Lianna as we sail downwind along Hiva Oa’s coastline.