Welcome to the Marquesas Islands, the hidden gem of French Polynesia

These twelve islands (only six are inhabited) form the most isolated archipelago in the world. No wonder they were one of the very last territories to be explored by the Europeans when James Cook first set foot on them in 1774.

Colonised by the French in 1842, the remote islands have since attracted generations of adventure seekers, from Herman Melville to Jack London. They first gained international recognition through the paintings of Paul Gauguin, who spent the final years of his life in Hiva Oa, as did, almost eighty years later, Belgian singer Jacques Brel, who dedicated a famous song to “Les Marquises”.

Hiva Oa is where my boyfriend Vincent and I are going to be living for the coming months, as he has been commissioned by the Polynesian ministry for Agriculture to develop the goat breeding industry in the islands (although French Polynesia is part of, well, France, it has its own government and parliament, which operate under the tutelage of the French State).

Fascinating times ahead, glimpses of which I will be attempting to give in this blog. I have thought that I would write in French and English so that all of you, my dear friends and family, could read. However, as much as I love this second language, I am not a native speaker so please feel free to report any mistake.