FranceMarquesas IslandsVolcanic islandUNESCO World Heritage
Nuku Hiva
340 km² rising to 1,224 m out of the Pacific Ocean.
Satellite: Sentinel-2 cloudless 2016 by EOX (CC BY 4.0). Outline and points © OpenStreetMap contributors / Natural Earth. North up.
In numbers
340km²
Area
219km
Coastline
1,224m
Highest point
Tekao
2,660
People
29°C
Warmest sea
April
4,813km
To the mainland
When to go to Nuku Hiva
Best for the beach from July to October and in December.
The sea is warmest in April (29 °C) and coolest in September (27 °C). You can swim comfortably all year (21 °C or more).
Averages 1991–2020. Sea: NOAA OISST, the water within 35 km of the coast. Air, rain and sun: NASA POWER. Best months weigh warm afternoons (23–30 °C), sea of 24 °C or more and few wet days.
Island in French Polynesia
Nuku Hiva is an volcanic island in France. It belongs to Marquesas Islands. It covers 340 km², with 219 km of coastline. Its highest point, Tekao, rises to 1,224 m. About 2,660 people live on it. The nearest mainland is 4,813 km away. It is part of a UNESCO World Heritage site.
Getting there
- Nuku Hiva Airport (NHV)airport on the island, with scheduled flightsCar hire at BES airport (Brest)Discover Cars · Affiliate link↗
- Ferries1 ferry terminals on the island
- 4,813 km from the mainlanddistance to the nearest continental coast
- From July to October and Decemberbest months to go (from 30 years of averages)
Plan the trip
Ferries, stays and things to do
Some links above are affiliate links: if you book through them we may earn a commission, at no extra cost to you. It never changes what the data on this page says.
On the island
What you find on Nuku Hiva.
- 16beachesAkuoa and 15 more
- 19viewpointsGrand Canyon TAPUEAHU, Baie de Taiohae, Plateau de TOOVII and 16 more
- 1ferry terminalsTaiohae
- 59named peaksPuoko, Ooumu, Tapuaooa and 56 more
- 2volcanoesMont Tekao, Keiaki
- 12waterfallsMahuiki Falls, Kueenui Falls, Vaiahu and 9 more
- 2castles and fortsFort Collette, Te A'itua
- 9ruins and archaeological sitesMea'e Kamuihei, Tohua de Hikokua, Site de Vai Tavii - Meae Paeke and 6 more
- 1dive centresCentre de plongée Marquises
- 27hotels, guesthouses and apartments
- 8restaurants, cafés and bars
Counted in OpenStreetMap, the map anyone can edit, inside the island's outline. A low number may only mean nobody has mapped it yet.
Cross-checked with our atlases
Nuku Hiva in our other atlases
Everything Coastya, Peakyas, Lakeyas and Cascadyas know about what lies inside Nuku Hiva, each with its own numbers.
3beaches and covesCoastya
1waterfallCascadyas
Tallest waterfall
350m
Vaipo Waterfall
according to Cascadyas
Beach with the warmest sea
28.7°C
Baie Hatuatua
sea in the warmest month · according to Coastya
3 beaches
on Coastya, the beach atlas
- Baie Hatuatuacove28.7°C
- Anse Hakauicove28.7°C
- Anse Hakateacove28.7°C
1 waterfalls
on Cascadyas, the waterfall atlas
- Vaipo Waterfall350m
Cascadyas is coming soonOpen Cascadyas ↗
The shape of the land.
On average the island stands 395 m above the sea. 33 % of it is below 200 m.
- 8 %0–50 m
- 25 %50–200 m
- 33 %200–500 m
- 32 %500–1,000 m
- 2 %1,000–2,000 m
Share of the island's area in each altitude band, from the Copernicus DEM (30 m, read at 30–240 m on large islands).
Size, for real
Next to islands you may know.
20 km
All outlines drawn to the same scale (Natural Earth and OpenStreetMap).
Towns on the island
- Taiohae1,224 people
Month by month
The weather on the island.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Afternoon high (°C) | 28 | 28 | 28 | 28 | 28 | 28 | 27 | 27 | 27 | 27 | 28 | 28 |
| Night low (°C) | 27 | 27 | 27 | 28 | 27 | 27 | 26 | 26 | 26 | 26 | 26 | 27 |
| Sea (°C) | 28 | 28 | 29 | 29 | 28 | 28 | 28 | 27 | 27 | 27 | 28 | 28 |
| Rain (mm) | 42 | 29 | 60 | 53 | 40 | 25 | 28 | 16 | 15 | 16 | 28 | 19 |
| Wet days | 8 | 9 | 15 | 12 | 8 | 8 | 7 | 5 | 3 | 4 | 7 | 5 |
| Sun h/day | 10.0 | 9.9 | 9.4 | 9.2 | 9.1 | 9.1 | 9.2 | 9.5 | 10.0 | 10.3 | 10.2 | 10.4 |
| Wind (km/h) | 23 | 22 | 21 | 21 | 20 | 23 | 24 | 24 | 24 | 22 | 22 | 23 |
Averages 1991–2020 for the ~55 km NASA POWER cell over the island; the sea from NOAA OISST.
Recent years
Warmer and cooler years at sea.
Each month's sea temperature compared with its 1991–2020 average, in degrees.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | +0.3 | +0.2 | ±0.0 | +0.4 | +0.1 | +0.2 | +0.1 | −0.1 | −0.3 | −0.6 | −1.0 | −0.9 |
| 2021 | −1.1 | −0.8 | −0.4 | −0.4 | −0.5 | −0.4 | −0.5 | −0.5 | −0.3 | −0.6 | −0.6 | −0.9 |
| 2022 | −0.9 | −1.1 | −1.5 | −1.2 | −1.2 | −1.0 | −0.8 | −0.8 | −0.8 | −0.9 | −0.8 | −0.7 |
| 2023 | −0.6 | −0.6 | −0.1 | +0.2 | +0.3 | +0.5 | +0.3 | +0.4 | +0.8 | +0.8 | +0.9 | +0.8 |
| 2024 | +0.8 | +0.9 | +0.7 | +0.9 | +0.8 | +0.6 | +0.4 | −0.1 | +0.1 | +0.2 | −0.1 | −0.3 |
| 2025 | ±0.0 | ±0.0 | +0.3 | +0.2 | +0.2 | +0.2 | +0.1 | ±0.0 | −0.2 | −0.5 | −0.5 | −0.3 |
+1 warmer than usual −1 cooler than usual
Photos
Seen by visitors.
About these numbers
| Names, area, population | Wikidata (Q21064) · CC0 |
|---|---|
| Outline | © OpenStreetMap contributors · ODbL |
| Sea temperature | NOAA OISST v2.1 · 1991–2020 |
| Climate | NASA POWER · 1991–2020 |
| Relief, 3D model | Copernicus DEM GLO-30 · © DLR e.V., © Airbus Defence and Space GmbH, Copernicus/ESA |
| Beaches, ports, lighthouses, trails | © OpenStreetMap contributors · ODbL |
| Towns | GeoNames · CC BY 4.0 |
| Images | EOX Sentinel-2 cloudless 2016 · CC BY 4.0; Wikimedia Commons |
| Beaches, mountains, lakes and waterfalls | Coastya, Cascadyas — Wikidata · CC0; © OpenStreetMap contributors · ODbL; GeoNames · CC BY 4.0; NOAA OISST |
Every figure is an average, an estimate or a count from a public dataset. Licences and methods: data sources.
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