The morning sun illuminated Nuka Hiva as we sailed into the harbor around 6 am.  Our early arrival allowed local officials to board and clear the ship without delaying tours or passenger going ashore.

Once we were cleared, tenders started shuttling passengers the 1 mile to shore, taking about 10 minutes.  The waves around the shoreside landing were relatively small but high enough to slow people getting off as everyone required a little more assistance.

Tender tickets were required and were available in the Rolling Stone Lounge for 4/5 stars and in Billboard onboard for everyone else.  There were far more people in the 4/5 star room than Billboard onboard, but they drew from the Rolling Stone Room more frequently so the people with the priority tendering perk still got some value.  Club Orange, Suite Guests and PC members can go directly to the tender platform and join the existing line on Deck A.

There is only one HAL tour here – which consists of a caravan of about a dozen local vehicles – each with about 4 passengers, driving single file into the interior and stopping at various viewpoints, a small village, and a craft market.  The drivers of most of the cars will usually only speak French, so the commentary is limited to the view spots when everyone exits and assembles around the English-speaking guide who has been riding in a different vehicle.  You may be fortunate to have an English-speaking guide in your vehicle so you can get a little extra commentary as you drive around.

Aside from the one tour, there are three main attractions in town – The large statue on the knoll near the tender landing, the Norte Dame Cathedral, about 1 mile west along the waterfront walk, and Rose Corser’s He’e Tai Inn and Museum.   Walking to the end is about 2 miles where you will find the Inn and Museum.  The museum is hidden and a little hard to find – we were last there in 2018 – so check the opening times via email before you walk the 2 miles unless you want to walk to the restaurant regardless.

Here is a link to our 2018 trip when we visited the museum

Other popular stops include the pizza place and nearby grocery store.  On the way to the main street from the tender landing is a restaurant and craft market – immediately behind the tender landing are public restrooms, a Yacht services shop, a small gift shop, and a little snack bar.

Most of these places offer slow Wi-Fi but with T-Mobile we were able to get pretty fast cell service as part of our standard international plan for no extra charge.

We enjoyed the view from the small hill with the Tiki Tuhiva statue and always make a point to visit.  The views of the harbor from here are spectacular.  If you continue further past the turnoff for Tiki Tuhiva, you will quickly reach several public buildings including a post office.

After visiting Tiki Tuhiva, we headed west toward Notre Dame Cathedral, stopping to check out Moana Nui Pizza and the grocery store along the way.

After our walk to the Notre Dame Cathedral, we spent a few minutes in the craft market before heading to Snack Tematapuaua, near the tender landing, where we ordered a Grilled Tuna dinner and a Meatball Plate.  The servers didn’t speak English very well, and the menu board was in French.  Google Translate came to the rescue, and I was able to decipher the menu board the learn about what menu choices were still available.  Two dinner platters, a beer, and a large water were 3,600 CPF or about $36.

THE GLAMP OUT

Grand Voyages are known for their themed events and parties.  Our first major party was this evening while we were anchored in Nuku Hiva.  Here was the Glamp-Out description in the Daily Program:  Glamourous “camping” experience beneath the stars.  Enjoy music and short talks with Andy Fletcher.

Ship’s crew started setting up for the Glamp-Out around 6 pm and was scheduled to start at 7 pm with music by the Ocean Bar Band.  Four electronic “Camp Fires” were set up in position around the pool, which now contained a floating canoe.  Bar stations were set up on either side of the Pool and some Glamp-Out snacks from the ship’s store were available for purchase on a table.

The Lido Market featured a special Glamp-Out Menu and some pass-around snacks.  Each hour starting at 7 pm, the staff would appear with trays of various treats, including Mini Hot Dogs, Beef Sliders, S’mores, Maple and Smoked Bacon Doughnuts, Hot Chocolate, and Mini Marshmallows.  They were all delicious and efficiently distributed.

We brought a dozen plastic pith helmets to pass around – you could see various people wearing them from time to time.

The band started playing at 7 pm and performed three sets until the party wrapped up around 10 pm.  In between sets, guest Lecturer Andy Fletcher presented short “Camp Fire” talks on Black Holes and Aliens.

Throughout the evening, Hotel GM, Henk, and Entertainment Director, Bienelisa Manalang, offered canoe rides to unsuspecting guests who thought that they might be in for a moonlight sail across the pool.  When I looked over a few times, the canoe was being rocked by forces that were never exactly clear.  No one got wet but everyone had fun.

Passenger energy, participation, and enthusiasm is the key to having a great cruise ship party.  The foundation for the party is the props, menu, drinks, and music.  All these baseline elements were in place and the enthusiastic passengers filled in the rest, creating a wonderful atmosphere for our first themed party.

The weather was on the warm side, but pleasant, and the Lido pool roof was open letting in a gentle breeze.  Unfortunately, sometime between the second and third set, the skies opened up, the rain started hard and before the roof could be shut, most of the exposed areas around the Lido pool was drenched as people scattered for cover.

The Glamp Out ended at 10 pm and was a huge success.  We are looking forward to the next party as the cruise continues.