Welcome to Nuka Hiva

When Herman Melville visited Nuku Hiva in the 1800s, his ship was greeted by a bevy of naked women who swam out and boarded his vessel.

“What a sight for us bachelor sailors!” he exclaims in his book, “Typee.”

I’ll bet it was!

While not as dramatic, the Marquesans of Nuku Hiva gave our ship a warm reception, welcoming us ashore with drumming and chants, punctuated by long blasts from a conch shell.

They also gave each of us fragrant flower blossoms. I tucked ours in a water glass and sat them on my nightstand. Three days later, they still perfume our cabin.Read more