This is why we
wanted Round Two: an opportunity to spend time at remote islands we had to
bypass on the long route from Mexico
to New Zealand
last season.
The Ha'apai Group, scattered over 150 miles between Tonga's
two main islands, have been called the jewels of the Pacific--and indeed, they
are treasures. We lingered amongst these gems for a month, almost always having
entire islands to ourselves. Winds and clouds came and went, to be sure, but
overall nothing could have been more idyllic.
Pangaimotu
Before reaching the outer islands we stopped at Big Mama
Yacht Club, a cruisers' mecca--barely populated this early in the season--just
outside of Nuku'alofa. Pick a positive stereotype of a South Pacific beach bar,
and this place fits!
The shore is steep, and the entire hull of this wreck is
intact: a haven for fish, so a fun snorkel just yards from the beach
Big Mama puts her own label on Tonga's Ikano beer
Bessie adding our boat's name to their long list of visiting yachts
Big Mama being a mama, inseminating oysters to grow pearls
The definition of a perfect evening...
Malinoa
The first of many small islands that were ours for a few
days. All that sand, all that beach, all by ourselves--a marvel! The photo at the start of this post is of Malinoa seen from Second Wind; this is Second Wind seen from Malinoa.
Kelefesia
Every view was dramatic at Kelefesia! Part of it was the
scenery; the colorful limestone bluffs are unusual here, and the anchorage was encircled by reefs that in ordinary
circumstances create distinctive breakers. But part of it was the weather,
which was not ordinary: strong winds
whipped the surf into large rollers all around the boat. Knowing some tough
weather was on the way, we sought refuge at this island over others in the
vicinity because the bluffs and reefs offered some protection from the wind and
waves. That said, winds predicted to gust to 35 knots ended up blowing over 50
for much of one night; if our anchor had dragged, we would have been on a reef.
We kept a close watch all night and fortunately held firm. Our threshold for
anxiety has sure been raised pretty high on this adventure...
Windy shots:
Though the island is uninhabited, this camp is used by
fishermen from islands many miles away. The night of the Big Blow, we could see
their lights underwater as they swam over the reef gathering their catch. Our
phrase "Tongan Tough" took on a whole new dimension!
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| Though we spent some time like this, |
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| the rainbow's promise was fulfilled. |
Fonoifua
This anchorage was on the edge of a narrow but deep channel,
which made for some noisy motion when the current and wind opposed each other,
but which also made for good snorkeling. We were especially impressed by the
canyons and chasms of coral--a fantasy world of underwater shapes.
O'ua
We had intended to visit the small village here, but the
anchorage was quite a distance from shore and increasing wind would have made
the long dinghy ride uncomfortable at best. We simply enjoyed looking at the
shallow crystalline water and the surrounding islands (we counted 11 from the
cockpit) and moved on the next day.
O'ua anchorage: Electronic charts are based on paper charts
that are notoriously inaccurate. Some areas have been updated and were
surprisingly correct; this one obviously was not, since it shows us going over
a reef when there is in fact a pass. We had waypoints from a trusted cruising
guidebook and, as always, entered extremely slowly with a lookout on the bow so
we could retreat if necessary.
Luangahu
We named this Brigadoon; though it is often inaccessible due
to wind direction, we spent all of Father's Day on this precious islet. We
never tire of the beachcombing and luxurious sand, but this had added
attractions: flying foxes! These huge fruit bats (wingspan 2'-3') used to be found on most South Pacific islands, but due to
hunting and habitat loss they are becoming more rare. We'd begun to think we
wouldn't see them anywhere, but we tramped into the dense undergrowth on
Luangahu and there they were. We could see some hanging in trees--normal in
daytime--but apparently they were startled by visitors, so they woke up with
chirping squeaks and started flying overhead; what a rare treat!
Treasure hunting turned up nice shells, parrotfish, and a
reef shark--but reef sharks are harmless, so we waded in and snorkeled right
off the beach.
Uiha
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Village bikes all have sharp machetes stored behind the seat,
to bushwhack--literally-and cut down fruit |
This was our chance to visit a rural village, and the
experience was even more meaningful than we expected. We were met on the beach
by Naua, pictured above, a fisherman by night who wanted to show us his village
and practice his English (which was excellent).
Uiha has over 300 residents, though we saw more pigs than
people. Since the pigs roam freely, we wondered how people know whose pigs are
whose; Naua said it's easy because all the pigs have names!
Many homes grow crops like these--banana, coconut, yam, taro--in
the yards, and/or they raise goats for meat. Most have cisterns, but the town
cistern in this photo serves those who do not.
Much pride is taken with individual yards: hedges, flowers,
and fences decorate many places. This is one of a few tiny stores (kiosks,
really), which carry only dry and canned goods. There is little need for money,
since everyone has their own food sources--and they say forthrightly that
compared to relatives they see in the States, they are glad to live outside the
money-job work cycle.
This log is used as a bell to summon people to church on Sunday mornings
The kava house is one of the nicer looking structures in
town. Naua said the men gather here every night to play music and drink kava (a
mild relaxant). When I asked what the women did while the men were drinking
kava, he grinned and said he didn't know.
Men fish, women weave. I was invited inside Neomai's house
to watch women in various stages of creating the huge woven mats that are a
hallmark of Tongan artistry.
Uoleva
This was only time in all of the Ha'apai that we shared an
anchorage with anyone else. No one can pass up this place, though; the huge
crescent beach is gorgeous, and it offered excellent protection from the
southeast winds that were picking up on the other side of the island. A couple of
resorts are discreetly tucked into the trees on the long beach--so if any of you are looking for
seclusion in a stunningly beautiful place, this may be for you!
Of course cruisers will congregate and share stories. With
people like Tom & Jan (left), who left Olympia WA 26 years ago on a
schooner they made themselves, we mostly listen, learn and laugh!
The next evening we took sundowners (cruiser-speak for Happy
Hour) to the beach. We crossed paths with Russell & Kathie, farmers from New Zealand, in
3 different countries last season, and no doubt will find ourselves in the some
of the same places again this year.
The reef at the end of the beach had more fish (and a
turtle!) than we'd seen anywhere. However, we're realizing that much of the
coral, beautifully sculpted as it is, is dead. The water temperatures are too
high for them to survive. We all know this is happening, but to see it
first-hand is horrifying.
Nukupule
Aaahhh, another picture-perfect islet in another turquoise
lagoon; another day with sand and sun, beach and water. Are we tiring of this?
Absolutely not!
Distinctive features of this location included good views of
Tonga's
massive volcanoes, Kao and Tofua. Kao is perfectly conical; Tofua ("shadow" on the left horizon; darker one in the center is a small island close to us) is still
active and has a huge fresh water lake in the middle, akin to Crater Lake in
Oregon. Tofua is also
the site of the mutiny on the
Bounty:
history before our eyes.
Though this island--like almost all we've explored--is
uninhabited, we encountered plenty of evidence of human visitors (or parties?).
Near several firepits were piles of discarded shells: urchin, conch, clam, and even a large tortoise
shell (a sad sight, for sure). We suspect the flying foxes that used to live
here were eaten as well--though we hope they escaped that fate and went
elsewhere to roost.
Windward side of the island--pretty, but not peaceful
Leeward side, where we anchored and came ashore. Snorkeling
was a high point,
turning out to be the best of any we found in the Ha'apai. A large area of
coral--some of which was alive and colorful--supported a huge array of fish,
and the water clarity was outstanding.
That evening in the cockpit we smiled and sighed; aaaahhhh,
another day in paradise...
Ofolanga
But even paradise has its ragged edges. The next day we'd
planned to stop at Luahoko, which reputedly has some of the best snorkeling in
all of Tonga--but it was too windy to anchor there safely, so we had to bypass
it. We stayed instead at Ofolanga, which offered somewhat better protection
from the wind and waves that were whipping back up. Morning brought a brief
reprieve, which we took advantage of by beachcombing for a few hours. We try to
admire shells more than keep them, but this time there were so many treasures
that we came back with a small bucketful!
Maninita
We did a 60 mile overnight passage to reach two islands at
the southern end of Vava'u, prime locations we didn't have time to visit last
year. Maninita turned out to be a very rolly anchorage but a terrific spot for
exploring. We spent a 'delight-full' day circumnavigating the island barefoot,
spotting large numbers of fish and reef sharks at water's edge, and lounging in
the shade reading beach books (the height of decadence)--though most appealing
were the birds. Hundreds soared overhead, playing with the wind; they called
and chattered frequently, providing a musical accompaniment to our island time.
Eden must have
felt something like this...
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| Birds over the land... |
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| ...and over the water |
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| Should we soak up the scenery... |
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| ...or should we laze around and read? |
Ovalau
Our final undeveloped destination in Tonga, Ovalau
was a grand finale. Everything was terrific--scenery, swimming, sunsets--and it had several "bests":
best protection, best sand (unbelievably fine and soft), best variety of
wildlife. We found some tracks we surmised were goats, then later saw a pair of
them (though the island is uninhabited, the goats are probably being kept there
by a family from a nearby island), a blizzard of butterflies, and--lo and
behold--more flying foxes! The snorkeling was also superb, the best we'd found
since the Tuamotus a year ago.
The only thing it lacked was whales; humpbacks do come here,
but it's still a little early for them to have arrived. With luck they'll be
around by the time we leave Tonga
in a week or so--but since we've been immensely fortunate so far, we may not be
due that extra bit of luck. No complaints, that's for sure!
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| It could have been a movie set... |
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| ...except for the goats |
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| Terrific snorkel reef |
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| Sundowners in Paradise |
Vava'u
We stopped in Neiafu, where we spent almost a month last September, to reprovision and catch up with
business (internet access: a blessing and a curse). After that, it's on to Fiji--meet you
there!
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I celebrated my birthday in Tonga last year; Art had his here this year.
Rod & Brenda were our neighbors at Riverside Drive Marina in Whangarei, NZ;
proving it's a small world, they ended up anchored near us in Neifu Harbour--
a fun rendezvous! |
