We left Niue exactly one month ago and had the best sail we have had to date. The wind was predominately behind us as was the waves which lessened the rolling of the boat which meant we had a very smooth sail. It was our first sail (outside of any islands) where I didn’t feel seasick at all meaning I could actually do stuff around the boat and even read.
When arriving in Tonga we were given a months visa to stay and it is hard to believe that within a few days our month is up. When the weather has been fantastic we would set out from the main harbour and go exploring the islands of Vava’u, very easy sailing from one island to the next and each a mini slice of paradise just waiting for us to set anchor and explore. During the last month we have had two periods of rain happen each lasting a few days. We used those days to head back to the main harbour to restock our supplies before heading back out again.
On one of our anchorages Craig accidentally dropped his fishing rod off the back of the boat. I put on the weight belt and snorkel gear and after a few attempts managed to dive down to get it. The depth I got to was 43 feet, my furthest yet and quite scary as when I was coming back up with the rod I looked up and saw the surface was so far away and I really wanted to breathe. Obviously I made it back to the top but will admit to kicking really fast and really hard to get there and came up gasping. Later at another anchorage one of my towels managed to go overboard and once again I had to dive to get it, this time it was only 38 feet.
We spent a whole week moored in a sheltered bay called Port Maurelle which was absolutely gorgeous. With the sun shining every day and the water temperature being around 26deg we got to thoroughly relax, read heaps of books, do loads of snorkeling, play in the water, meet other boats, it was pure bliss. One afternoon when I was snorkeling by myself I had dove down to take some photos and heard some really loud whale song. It was that loud I instantly popped up thinking the whales were in our bay but I couldn’t see them. Later that afternoon we saw a few slowly swimming past our bay and through that night in bed we could hear them singing to each other, an amazing experience.
We have been lucky enough to stay in these islands when it is whale season. Between July and September the humpback whales arrive to have their babies and to socialise and play in the waters. There are very strict rules about being near whales in a private boat and we do need to stay at least 300 metres away from them and at no time are we allowed to jump in the water with them. One of Tonga’s main tourist attractions is the whales and obviously they have heaps of operators that will take people out swimming with the whales, the last thing they want is cruisers jumping in themselves and taking away from their business which we do understand.
On one of our bigger trips around the islands we spent an amazingly hot day sailing around the outer islands especially looking for the whales. We didn’t have much luck however one was spotted in the far distance. At the end of that trip as we were almost back at the main harbour what did we see but a whale swimming around just at the entrance to the harbour, we had to stop the boat so we wouldn’t get to close to it – how murphys law typical is that. On another day Craig and I decided to take the dinghy from Port Maurelle back to the Neaifu to get some bread and eggs. As we were heading up the main channel towards town we saw 4 whales playing just off to the side of us. A mother and calf and two others. It was awesome seeing them breach, spout and just enjoy themselves – unfortunately none of my photos turned out (again typical).
At the end of our second sail out among the islands the weather turned to rain which was our cue to head back for more supplies in the main harbour. On that trip back Craig had put out his fishing line and managed to catch a huge wahoo. Was a good battle in the pouring (warm) rain between Craig and this mighty fish. He managed to land it and for the next few days we all enjoyed freshly cooked fish.
We ran into some old friends and made some new ones while here. It makes me laugh typing “old friends” but again that is one of the most fantastic things about this new lifestyle when you meet people you click with it doesn’t take long to consider them your friends and as we all tend to be sailing the same direction we end up running into them at the different islands. For a few days we had arranged to have Andrea who had been sailing with Duende come stay on the boat. It was fun having her company and then she left to join up with another boat, a short sweet visit and our first friend to come stay.
Tonga is known and written in guide books as being the friendly islands and both Craig and myself aren’t quite sure whether it lives up to this name. While we have meet some lovely locals the majority do seem a little standoffish. I will admit I am comparing these islands to Rarotonga and Niue where everyone we met was welcoming and seemed genuinely happy to meet and chat with us, here we will smile and say hello to some locals and they will only stare back not even smiling, maybe we have just been spoiled.
Today is my birthday! I am yet again another year older, hopefully a little bit wiser and have had the time to take stock of my life and consider where I am in the grand scheme of things. I have come to the conclusion that I AM HAPPY and what more can I really want out of life. Yes it would be nice to have more savings in the bank (it is scary how low our $$ has gone). Yes I still fret about things especially when we are out in the middle of the ocean with no one around – however that will change with time and experience. The upside of our new life far outweighs the downside and I am thankful that 5 years ago I met Craig who had this crazy dream of living on a boat and that we were able to make it happen.
Initially our plan was to sail the boat through the south pacific then back to New Zealand so we could pick up Hunny our dog, earn some more money then head away again however our plans have now changed.
We have come to realise that living on a boat would unfortunately not suit Hunny. She is an older dog and with the rolling that happens at times she would most likely get hurt plus the fact most places we are looking at sailing she wouldn’t be able to get off the boat which is not fair for her. She is being well loved and looked after by the fabulous Erin and Andy in Auckland on their amazing property where she had loads of land to run around in so we have decided that at this stage we will not be heading back to NZ.
Another major factor is the waters around NZ can be potentially some of the hardest sailing in the world and we both feel like we are not ready for that yet. Instead we will be making our way towards Australia looking to spend cyclone season in Cairns. During that time we will both work our butts off to increase our savings before heading up towards Bali sometime next year.
It’s a huge call for us to make however we feel it is the right one at this time.