The Beautiful Kingdom of Tonga

 

 Our sail from Bora Bora to Vava'u was the best 14 day trip you could imagine. Seeing an area of light air directly between us and our destination had us heading a sort of reverse great circle route to the North which proved to work well because we sailed through the pass leaving Bora Bora and did not have to start the motor for the following 12 days. As we neared Tonga the winds fell off and we motored into Vava'u... not bad! We had the best conditions possible for the transit and experienced what I had imagined a sail across the South Pacific should be, fair and following seas, perfect temperatures, yup... paradise afloat. The only strong squall encountered of course came while I was hauling in the major catch of the trip. We were gutting the sizeable Mahi in 25 to 30 knots taking spray over the bow and as soon as we had finished the fillets the rain and wind stopped... typical. We dined on a large Barracuda a week earlier but the Mahi was delectable. The nori rolls were pulled out of storage and sushi was made directly. It was an unforgettable experience and as we grew nearer our destination Both Christine and I were feeling a bit mixed up about making landfall, we were having such a nice time we were sad to have to switch back to the achoring game and dealing with being back among all of the cruisers who have accumulated in all of the bays. We have only anchored alone once in all of this time and that was in Tahaa. Alas we have to get in and ready for the next leg so in we went and seeing Tonga to me was a pleasure, it's low laying islands are much different than the towering mountains we have seen throughout the Societys. The coast very steep limestone cliffs with many caves. We worked our way into Neiafu harbor and tied up to the town pier right away, we were boarded by officials within minutes. Four hours after arrival we were checked into the country and checked out of the Vava'u group ready to get back underway. Christine had ran to the market while I was finishing the customs process and we were quickly ready to leave town. One night on the dock and off we went to explore, the first anchorage being Port Maurelle which was near by the Swallows cave. The Nowornot met us there and took us in tow to the cave entrance, it was very cool inside and quite large with two major rooms one dry cave well inside had a hole in the cieling about 100 feet overhead that let light in. There is graffiti all over the walls and we found some that dated back to the 1800's! I free dove to the bottom which was about 50 feet deep and looked up, the light entering the cave reflected off of the walls and down into the clear water... this sight was unlike anything I have seen. After our cave exploration we found a small beach to have lunch and snorkeled/ rowed back to Balena.  We had one last evening with Bob and Ann and were sad to see them go, I have been traveling nearly side by side with them since Nuku Hiva and we have shared some of the most memorable moments of this trip together, they are heading home to Brisbane and I plan to see them there when Balena crosses the Tazman Sea. Christine and I needed to get some ground under our feet so we explored the small island of Kapa on foot. On the South end we found the most secluded beach we have seen. We spent most of the day beachcombing and wandering through the small village nearby. After our return we made ready to haul anchor and find another anchorage. I had seen mention of "coral gardens" on a reef South of us so we found a perfect little anchorage near it and swam the best coral I have seen yet, it is a huge wall that drops straight off and is loaded with different corals and fish. We were fortunate enough to meet another Westsail here the Evangeline and found a water source ashore. After topping up the tanks and figuring a plan of action for the New Zealand crossing we decided it best to head back to town to prepare for the final leg of the season... Vava'u to Opua. It will be a bit shorter that the last leg if the weather cooperates. This leg is a bit more involed since we will be leaving the Tropics and entering the frontal systems that can pack some nasty weather. As I write this we have a good window in the following two weeks so I think this will be it for now. We will take on a little fuel to top off in case of a motoring situation and will get a few more fresh items before shoving off. It is a shame we cannot stay a bit longer but there is always next season. I may have a connection for a cheap mooring in NZ to keep Balena on for the summer South of Russell. So for now this is all I have to share, I have posted a few more photos in the web album, I hope you all enjoy and if all goes well the next you hear will be from a nice mooring in New Zealand... here we go!!