The best tours with English-speaking guides are organized by the Hanakee Hiva Oa Pearl Lodge (tel. 92.75.87), the island's only international-level hotel. It charges about 12,500CFP (US$156/£79) per person for an all-day excursion to Puamau, including lunch at Pension Chez Marie-Antoinette. Half-day trips to Taaoa cost about 4,000CFP (US$50/£25) per person. One of its guides will take you to the Stele Jacques Brel (Jacques Brel Memorial) or to see the Tehueto Petroglyphs for about 2,500CFP (US$31/£16) each.
Lunch with Marie-Antoinette -- Most tours stop for lunch in Puamau village at Pension Peheku'a (Chez Marie-Antoinette; tel. 92.72.27), which has two simple rooms to rent. On the grounds is Tohua Pehe Kua, the grave of Puamau's last Polynesian queen before the French took over in 1842. She lived until the early 20th century. A popular but unfounded legend says she's buried here with her two bicycles. For sure, Marie-Antoinette's family-style lunches are pure Polynesian: poisson cru, goat roasted with onions in coconut milk, boiled mountain bananas, deep-fried breadfruit, and sugary po'e (the local version of Hawaiian poi). Lunch is often included in the price of a tour; if not, expect to pay about 2,000CFP (US$25/£13) for a full meal -- in cash. You can stay overnight for 7,000CFP (US$88/£44) per person, including all the po'e you can eat.
Note: This information was accurate when it was published, but can change without notice. Please be sure to confirm all rates and details directly with the companies in question before planning your trip.
