Author Robert Louis Stevenson favored Nuku Hiva’s arching Hatiheu Bay for its enchanting, picture-postcard setting, lined with black sand and crowned by towering basalt cliffs. A visit to Hatiheu promises discovery both cultured and rare. Rife with archaeological sites, the ancient village is best known for its petroglyphs of human figures, turtles, and fish, as well as its marae (traditional temples) and tohua (open-air gathering places)–the most scared of these being the me’ae l’ipoka, protected by a massive banyan tree.