Hiking in Tonga

Hiking on the ridge of Island Pangaimotu

Hiking, Snorkeling and Lisa’s Beach #10
We went snorkeling today. Dinghied over to the Coral Garden, a noted spot for snorkeling near Anchorage #16. The tide was pretty low on the reef.  I didn’t feel comfortable jumping into breaking waves to get to the coral on outside of the reef.  So, we went to a different spot off  Langhau or Pagoda as the dive site is called. We hand-pulled the dinghy over the shallow coral and anchored on a private sandy beach. Then we crawled over the low reef on our bellies until we dropped off into the deeper

Walking the reef with breaking waves of Coral Garden in background.

outside. It was beautiful with many colored and shapes of coral. We saw the biggest blob of brain coral.  It kind of looked like someone’s big bald head…only huge, maybe a 20 ft by 40 ft patch And when you realize that coral is one huge living colony of organisms you really appreciate the size of this one. We saw branch coral, stag horn, fan and brain.  I’m not a coral expert so I don’t know the correct names. I just call them by what they look like. The schools of fish that live in and around the coral are brightly colored and hide away into the fingers for protection.

When we tired of snorkeling, we bellied back over the reef, this time with more water as the tide had come up a bit.  We explored the tiny beach and found some really great shells.  This is one of our favorite things to do –shelling.  John is very good at it and has found our best souvenirs.
 We are anchored in the most quiet, calm bay today.   The water is emerald green colored.

Anchored in emerald green waters

There are only two other boats anchored, a welcome sight as we have been anchoring with hordes of other “yachties” at every stop so far.  The first thing we hear are the birds calling from the green jungle that encircles the bay.  It’s so quiet. There is no beach; just walls of limestone covered in hanging vines and trees to the water.  We hear doves cooing, fox bats crying, birds chirping and cows mooing in the distance. No other sounds…no people sounds. It’s wonderful.  But, too, a little remote…we are only a few miles from the main town of Nieafu, but by water around a couple of islands, no village, no people.


A blast of color in the evening sky is painted in orange and pinks as the sunsets over our anchorage.  This is the first sunset we’ve seen in weeks, as the weather has been cloudy and rainy. The cicadas chip noisily into the night and we retire as the sun goes down. It’s only 7:00o clock, but hey, what else is there to do?  And we get up at 7:00am when the sun comes up, ready for a new day.

Hiking grass lands on top of Pangaimotu; cows, coconuts, taro and banana fields

Passion flower?

Back into the harbor at Nieafu...watching the local life and enjoying the "yachtie" life, having a few beers with friends, internet surfing and hanging... we sail for Savusavu, Fiji in two days.

Local fishermen's Red snapper catch!

Local fishing boats in Neiafu Harbor on a cloudy day

Snorkeling in Tonga!

John pops up in Swallows Cave, Vava'u, Tonga 

After five days meeting, drinking and hanging out with other cruisers, we leave the safety net of Nieafu harbor to explore the outer islands of the Vava’u group. There are over forty numbered anchorages to visit.  A sailor's paradise! We follow the instructions of a cruising guide to spots that sound interesting.

Anchorage # 7 is Port Maurelle a calm bay in Vava'u

Our first stop is Anchorage #6, Mala Island, and we anchor in front of a charming little resort called the Reef Resort.  We see from the boat an inviting patio with several people gathering.  This bay is sheltered on some winds, but today it’s blowing from the NE and not very comfortable on the boat, so we decide to go in to shore. The Reef Resort is owned by a couple of ex-cruisers from Switzerland, who landed here in the Vava’u islands thirteen years ago.  They offer bungalow accommodations with views over the Mala Island on a private beach... check out www.reefresortvavau.com

Picture moment at Reef Resort in Vava'u

Dinner is by reservation only and they have to prepare and plan in advance for quests.   They offer breakfast, but they have no bacon…we see pigs roaming freely on the beach and comment that there is plenty of bacon wandering around. The Tongans roast a lot of pig, but no one processes the meat for bacon or sausages. We enjoyed a few beers on the deck and marveled at how resorts survive in the middle of nowhere!

Clown fish guarding their nests!

Crab shell is colorful!

Next day, we motor around to Anchor #7 – Port Maurelle, a beautiful calm bay with turquoise waters and many yachts already at anchor.  This is one of the most popular spots in the Vava’u group.  It’s like anchoring with fifty of your “closest friends”! There are many chartered catamarans, a large power boat and a huge sailboat, over 100 ft. We snorkel the coast. The water is clear and there are lots of fish. This is a limestone island group so the formations are craggy and holey with colorful coral heads.  We discovered a cave and John dove down and under and back up…I watch…still not quite comfortable going into a cave.

Dinghy ride into Swallow's Cave

Snorkeling the reef near  Swallow's Cave

Swallow's Cave with decorated with swallows, bats and graffiti; some old some new.

We spent the evening at the Aquaruium Cafe, the popular gathering spot for cruisers because of free Internet, good food and service.  The place was crowed  for the "happy hour"on Friday night.  We were invited to sit down with several .  Cruisers are a mixed lot joined by the common thread od living and traveling by boat..  Age and nationalities blurr as people become friends sharing adventures together .  But at the end of the evening it is the young ( thirty yr olds) who hold up and continue on into the night with whatever ;  while us "old farts" (over thirty) retire back to our quiet boats.  The 8:00pm time is "cruisers midnight".  Old farts are the "Old Smarts" as we reteat back to the boat!

The other day, we hired one of the local tour boats to go whale-watching.  Tonga is a favorite birthing grounds destination for the humpback whales coming up from Antarctic seeking warmer climates around these island groups.  One of the main  tourist attractions offered in Vava'u  is to " swim with the whales".  Only three places in the world still allow divers to get into the water near whales and Vava'u is one.  The whale guides are careful not to get too close to a mother and calk, so the percentage of actually getting to swim near these giant creatures is about 80 %. We were In this  unlucky group. We saw many whales from the surface and followed them several miles out.  We jumped in near a male singing out ...the underwater echos was awesome as the sound reverberated through  the water and our chests!  The males sound to announce to other males their territory or to attract females. That was pretty cool.  The dive boat continued long into the day chasing blow spouts.  It's a challenging games to capture nature where and when you want a view!  But, in the end we spotted a mother and newborn claf to slide into the water with. the baby was not bigger than a large dolfin and just learning to breach.  We watched several breaches, then as a group dropped quietly over the side of the boat...we swam hard to get the underwater view, but just barely saw them as they glided at a distance.  Mother was a bit protective with her newborn of two weeks.  We learned that as the whales are curious creatures who will seek out the dive boats for a closer look!  That was our hope this tour, but it didnt happen this day. We gave up the whale chase at about 4:30 pm as the daylight was waning.  It was getting hard to see the whales.

Tonga!

Fresh produce at the Neiafu outdoor market

We have arrived in Tonga!  After a two day passage with some challenging moments...we arrived in Neiafu, Tonga,  in the VaVa'u group of islands.  We weathered a tropical squall with winds to 45 knots that lasted for 8 hours!  This was our first real storm and it was scary. We had a new crew member, Layla on passage to Tonga, and this was her first experience with heavy weather, too.  We were sailing along in the evening with overcast skies, when all of a sudden the wind clocked 180 degrees.  Instantly, the wind and rain clobbered us and sent the boat healing over!

Layla practicing (knots) tying John up!

 There was only time to respond by furling in the genoa, closing hatches and zipping up the dodger.  John jumped on the helm  to hand steer while being plummeted by wind and rain.  Layla and I hunkered down in foul  weather gear.  I was elected to go forward and tether in the main. OMG!  Scary! I "monkey-wrapped" my arms around the sail and pulled in the final last quarter.  This really helped lessen the weather helm, but John looked like the "old man and the sea" in his foulies with rain pelting at him, hand steering. We held on during the night running "bare poles"(no sails) sailing with the wind at 7 knots boat speed! Morning light finally came and we could see land...Tonga! Yeah! We made it! The rain and wind subsided...we cruised into Nieafu harbor to complete check-in at customs.

Local vendors selling produce

Local weaver at the market

Taxi service to outer islands

Typical house in Tonga

Catholic church has daily services with beautiful singing to be heard  across the anchorage.

We are excited to explore this quaint little town, busy with services catering to tourism specializing in dive tours, whale watching and cruiser services; beer, Internet and laundry! The local population speaks English (thankfully) and Tongan. Tonga is an independent nation with no financial backing from a larger country. This makes it much more economically challenged. The locals struggle to make a living offering tours, native feasts and peddling handicrafts.

School girls

Charming kids welcome us!

 High school boys in traditional uniform

Buying lollipops at the candy store

Farmer feeding his pigs with cracked coconuts

Grass skirts hanging to dry

Our crew, Layla carries our just purchased coconuts back to the boat

Anchorage in Nieafu harbor

We have scheduled a swim with the whales tomorrow. I hope we are successful! Post more later.