18* 39.4 S 173* 59.4 W
It has been two weeks since we last updated this blog! Here in Tonga, communications have been marginal and we have been in the more remote outer islands.
We arrived in Tonga after a good 4 day passage from Suwarow. We still have not gotten over leaving Suwarrow and often wish we had stayed there longer. Two days after our arrival here, Tom and Paula Millar joined us for a week of exploring the outer islands. They were our first guests to visit since our arrival in the South Pacific in mid April and we were very happy to see them!
Tonga is an interesting country divided up into 4 island groups. We are in Vava'u, which is the main tourist and boating area. Tonga is the last remaining Polynesian monarchy and has never been under foreign rule. There is an interesting mix of cultures here with the out islanders and traditional Tongans wearing long skirts with woven mats around the waist and a large community of expats (mostly Aussies) controling most of the tourist businesses. Over 1/2 of all Tongans live a basic subsistance life growing, gathering, or trading for their food. Outside of the expat areas, Tonga is a very conservative religious country. On one small island we visited, there were 35 families and 5 churches - mostly Methodist and Mormon.
While cruising in the Vava'u group it is easy to forget you are in the ocean - except for the whales and and other sea life! There are over 60 islands which are mostly high and heavily wooded. If you ignor the fact that many of the trees are palm trees, it looks like being in British Columbia or the Apostle Islands in Lake Superior. The bays and anchorages are very protected and provide great swimming on coral reefs as well as calm nights. A number of the outlying islands have small villages which we have visited to meet the local folks, visit the schools, and try to appreciate "fakatonga" (the Tongan Way). One ilsnad had only 5 families living there, yet they had a Methodist Church and a school with 5 students and the teacher. They invited us and some other boaters to come to their Sunday church service and have lunch with them. We arrived with 25 boaters (yachties, as they call us) and overwhelmed their hospitality. After church - all in Tongan - they shared a feast on the beach of local dishes prepared from fish, chicken and even a whole roasted pig. There was no cost to us for this wonderful day. They only asked for donations toward construction of a new dock for the village.
In contrast to the island villages is Neiafu, the main town in the Vava'u Group. Neiafu is the commercial, tourist, and government hub of this region, yet it remains a small town with funky souvnir shops, expat run restuarants bars and diving / whale watching services, and 3 boat charter services, including Moorings. There are a number of small grocery stores and a traditional local market were we can get local vegetables, fruits, and traditional crafts. During the boating season there are always at least 40 - 50 visiting cruising boats anchored off the town so the local cruiser hangouts are busy.
We expect to leave the Vava'u Group this week and visit a much more remote area a bit south of here called Haapi. We plan on heading further west to Fiji in about two weeks.
more to follow ..........
E
