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