Vava'u

As many of you already know, we had a safe passage from NZ to Tonga. We traveled 1040 nautical miles in five days and eight hours. The weather was typical - in other words, not perfect! We had lots of wind in the beginning, like 30 knots and had to sail reefed, then we had light winds and had to motor. The main problem was that the seas were high, around ten feet, so it was an uncomfortable ride, but we still managed to average 8 knots. We had no mechanical failures except for a blocked fuel line, which Jim and Dylan were able to take care of. We arrived in Tongatapu on May 10. We spent several days there taking care of customs and immigration, and doing some shopping in Nuku'alofa, the capital city. It was a really neat day, though it started out a bit unpleasant - a very long dinghy ride in the rain to town and a very awkward 'dismount' at the crumbling cement pier. Tessa and I wore long skirts as is required of female visitors to Tonga. We went shopping upstairs of the main market, where they have all the crafts and such. We each bought some kiekies (a decorative waist band from which dangle woven strips of pandanus, or in our case, braids of colorful yarn) that we now wear over our long skirts when we go ashore. I also bought a ta'ovala that is to be wrapped around the waist in layers and tied with a rope like belt. This is a woven pandanus mat about 40 inches by seven feet, and is worn for church or formal occasions. It signifies that the wearer is dressed up. These are often handed down through generations and are valued as heirlooms. Mine has been decorated in a special manner - involving smoking the surface to change the color and create a design. (Didn't realize that it still smelled of smoke until I got it home.)

Then we spent six days cruising in the Ha'apai Group, revisiting some of our previous anchorages and stopping in some new ones. It is amazing how one anchorage can present the visitor with totally different experiences on each visit! Last year, when we visited Kelefesia, we were charmed by her glorious beauty, but unhappy with the swarms of flies ashore. This year, the weather was windy and wet, and there were a dozen fishermen living in the two shelters ashore, and no flies. The fishermen had both fish and octopus set out to dry, hanging from trees and clotheslines. The octopi had been eviscerated and their flesh spread out with a stick, making their dangling and swaying tentacles into a bizarre scene.

Our next 'unique experience' was when we visited the island of Ha'afeva. We arrived on a Saturday, and that afternoon, a man named Peter rowed out to our boat and invited us to join him at church on Sunday and then come to his family's house for dinner. We accepted and the next morning went ashore, us girls dressed in long skirts and the guys in long pants. I tried to wear my waist mat, but I thought I would suffocate, and took it off before we went ashore. Did not understand a word of the service (though the minister said a short prayer in English for Firebird's safe voyage), but our visit to Peter's family was absolutely wonderful. These people are very poor. They prepared a lovely meal for us - corned beef wrapped in taro leaves, fish, taro root, breadfruit and cooked papaya - and we ate while they stood nearby. The dining room was a separate building that included the cooking area, which was an open fire on a raised platform. Piglets, children, dogs all running in and out,under the table and between our feet! Later we had some of the family out to the boat and we were able to give them some gifts in return for their hospitality.

On May 19 we traveled up to the Vava'u Group. The passage was eight hours and the seas were a bit confused so it was impossible to do any chores. I got out my little electronic Yahtzee, and we all had fun playing with that - both Tessa and Dylan got scores higher than my best one! On the way we managed to catch a big, beautiful yellow fin tuna and also a mahi-mahi (great poisson cru and sashimi!)

We anchored for the night and then spent several days island-hopping. This is a very special cruising area - many small islands, most of them uninhabited, and all very close to each other. We put our chores and lists aside for awhile, and swam and snorkeled and explored. We are all now tan again! Yay!!!!!

On Saturday we moved up to Neiafu, the main town. The rain started and has lasted for four days now. We went ashore to the 'market' where the locals set out there goods. We got some veggies, etc. and one lady talked me into a very fancy kiekie. The one she had there was too big for me so she is making one my size. The kiekies we bought in Nuku'alofa were very simple; this one will be more traditional, made of pandanus leaves and seeds.
On Sunday we skipped church and just wandered around town on the muddy roads. Many of the homes we passed are what would be called shacks in the US. Often the yards are nothing but dirt, since everyone has pigs (we saw dozens and dozens of piglets - must be that time of year!), and pigs root up everything that grows. But Tessa had a ball, since she is fascinated by pigs and took many photos.

On Monday we took the laundry in, did some shopping, and Tessa and David tried to find out what was going to happen with their travel plans. Tessa had planned to stay until June 2, but the Royal Tongan Airline went out of business last week and her ticket to get from Vava'u to Nuku'alofa was worthless. There is a ferry that runs on occasion, but it is reportedly 'gross'. (Just learned that the ferry she would have taken went aground last night and stranded its passengers on Lifuka Island!) So Dylan found a boat that was taking other stranded people down there and she left early Wednesday morning. She will spend a week there until her flight back to NZ, where she plans to stay with a friend and work for several months before returning to South Africa. David, Dylan's Dad, may stay with us all the way to Fiji, though he also has a worthless ticket to fly back to Nuku'alofa June 9.
Other stuff - We were having a big problem with our large generator - like it wouldn't start!!!!! And there is no one anywhere around here that would be able to work on it. So we were very worried. We have a smaller generator that we use most of the time any way, but the difficulty of getting somewhere to get it fixed, and get the right parts flown in to repair it, the expense and time etc. - well, things were not looking good. But yesterday the guys worked on it some more and WOW! They finally got it running and all is well.
Our plans are to spend a few more weeks here in Tonga and then go on to Fiji