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When we beach our boards and leave the water there’s little risk of getting bored. The steep-sided island valleys are filled with natural treasures. Buried in the lush vegetation are hundreds of incredible slabs of basalt, the famous “Paepae Hiamoe” (the sleeping stones) that form the foundations of the ancient native dwellings. Then there are the Tohua, large open spaces for dancing, for banquets, ancient tribal meeting places, cleared of vegetation and kept clean and tidy. These huge flat spaces, often paved with natural basalt slabs, can hold several thousand people at a time. Some of these fully-restored Tohua now form the stages and performance spaces for the Marquesa Cultural Festival that is held every four years.
