Hiva Oa

Hiva Oa is the second-largest of the Marquesas Islands and a remarkable blend of Polynesian culture, archaeology, and European artistic heritage. The island is best known as the final home of Paul Gauguin and Jacques Brel, whose graves lie in the Calvary Cemetery above Atuona. The Paul Gauguin Cultural Center and Espace Jacques Brel commemorate the two artists, while the monumental tiki at Iipona near Puamau rank among the most important archaeological treasures in the Marquesas. Steep volcanic slopes, deeply carved valleys, and a rugged coastline shape Hiva Oa’s landscape, giving the island a remote, dramatic character and preserving much of its traditional Polynesian heritage.