TONGA

23/10/10 Haapai Group, Tonga

The 170 islands that make up the Kingdom of Tonga are split into 3 main groups. Most yachts go to the Vavau Group in the north and make their way south to the Haapai Group, ending up in the Tongatapu Group where Nuku’alofa, the capital of Tonga, is situated. As we were reaching the end of the cruising season, we decided to go directly to the Haapais and head south from there.

The passage from Niue to the Haapai Group took two days and equalled or excelled our previous passage in its roughness. The most surprising factor was the variability of the weather. The wind ranged from zero to 34 knots and switched 180 degrees. The swell started as a long, gentle rise and fall and turned into 16 feet high, short, sharp mountain ranges with breaking waves on top. Jeremy had lots of sail changes to do and sometimes we were motoring, worried that we would not reach the Haapai Group before dark. We had a scary half hour one day when the strong but fickle wind shifted. I was asleep down below, off watch. As the main sail was backed, Jeremy was releasing the preventer (a line which stops the boom being blown across the boat from one side to the other). The fixing that holds the main sheet and the preventer on the boom broke, they fell to the deck and Jeremy was left holding a loose preventer while the boom with a reefed mainsail on it whizzed uncontrollably from side to side. This is a good way to knock yourself unconscious or find yourself swimming in the ocean after being swept overboard. I heard a loud shout, “Kathy!” and I leapt out of my bunk, naked as I was, and rushed up the steps to the cockpit. Jeremy was standing on the side deck avoiding the swinging boom. We managed to get the mainsail down by starting the engine and steering head to wind. Sailors can imagine how rough the sea was as we turned into it. The boom took on a new lease of life without the sail to steady it and whipped back and forth across the roof and cockpit. Jeremy managed to get a line round the kick strut (this supports the boom) and tied it first to one side, then the other side of the boat, rather like you restrain a difficult horse, by fastening pillar reins from opposite sides of the stable to the horse’s headcollar. At last, Jeremy could take a close look at the damage. The boom end had 3 fittings for lines. Two of them had snapped off and one remained intact. He attached the mainsheet to that fitting and we went back on course much relieved.


Lifuka Island
Lifuka is the main island in the Haapai Group. It takes about 3 hours to reach it from a gap in the barrier reef. We enjoyed the peaceful motor on flat water but soon realised our electronic charts were inaccurate once again. Most of the navigation markers were missing and the few big poles that we could see had no colours on them to indicate which side you should pass. We had to rely on our eyes and our depth sounder but we made it to the anchorage off the village of Pangai and anchored amongst several other boats. We had lost 8th October when we crossed the International Dateline so it was now Saturday. Customs and Immigration do not work at the weekends here, so we were confined to our boat until Monday.

We went ashore on Monday, found Sam, the Customs man and he asked us to bring Sal Darago into the harbour and tie up to the wharf. We were boarded by a woman from the Dept of Health, who apologised for having to ask us to pay 100 paanga (about £30). Sam looked around the boat, asked a few questions and told us to come to his office to pay the fee (7 paanga). A man from the Dept of Agriculture, Forestry, Fisheries and Food came next and we paid him 23 paanga. After about 2 hours, we were able to do our shopping.

One day we hired bicycles, which they called beach cruisers. They had no brakes and you stopped by pedalling backwards. It was OK once you got the hang of it. Our first amusement was the level crossing. We had to wait at the airstrip for a plane to land. Then we pedalled across the runway. We went across a causeway between Lifuka and Foa Island, avoided pigs and dogs and finally reached a small eco resort on the north end. What a lovely location! There were beaches on three sides, turquoise water and palm trees. We walked, swam and went to the small café for lunch. I think there were two families staying there and everyone was friendly. We worked out we’d cycled 20 miles by the end of the day. We were worn out.

Uoleva
Brilliant. This lovely island, about 5 miles from Lifuka, claims to have the 10th best beach in the world (not as good as Seaburn!). It also has a good anchorage, sheltered from most winds. We spent two days here. We found one small eco resort, popular with backpackers. Residents stay in fales, huts with woven palm walls and thatched roofs. They do have a shower and toilet block but everything is hidden in the forest. We enjoyed swimmimg, snorkelling, walking and generally chilling out.

Haafeva
This island was about 20 miles from Lifuka. We were first to anchor, but were soon joined by two other boats, Emily Grace and Sail Away. We were all invited to church the next day and for lunch afterwards by a Morman couple called Caleb and Aifa. Heavy rain prevented us from getting to church, but we all went ashore for lunch in a shelter near the wharf. The rain stopped and we had a glorious afternoon. The food had been cooked for hours in an earth oven called an umu. Caleb and Aifa had started the umu at 3.30am. We ate lamb wrapped in taro leaves, corned beef wrapped in taro leaves, fried chicken and hot dog sausages (Western food, they said!) sweet potato, taro and another starchy vegetable. Knowing the custom by now, we had all taken gifts. We enjoyed eating, chatting and getting to know some local people as well as fellow cruisers Tom, Kim, Emily (aged 9), Dirk and Anne from the USA and Canada respectively.

Caleb and Aifa run a small store, so on Monday, we walked to the village and bought some things from their store. It was the only shop. Most people go fishing and work on the land growing fruit and vegetables. As a parting gift, Caleb sent all the boats lemons, limes and mangoes.

Nomuka Iki

Kathy spotted two hump backed whales as we motored the 30 plus miles to Nomuka Iki, a small island south of Nomuka. It used to be a mini “Alcatraz”, but there were no prisoners now. Some friends of ours on Callisto had dragged onto a reef here one week earlier, so we carefully anchored and snorkelled to check it was dug in properly, pleased that we were the only boat there. By five o’clock, four more boats had anchored behind us (no skinny dipping here then).

Up early on the second day to bake two loaves, we dinghied ashore by 10. First we explored Tokau, a wreck on the beach. We walked to the East of the island, battered a coconut off a tree and broke my Sowester knife getting a drink. It did taste good and we now eat the very soft white flesh with teaspoons, which is much kinder to our teeth than the mature coconut. We found evidence of habitation – a large water tank, and separately, a bath and toilet pedestal, both these surrounded by jungle! Finally, at the West end of the island there were two pretty goats. The Billy goat was pretty Awful and we both got sticks to defend ourselves. It rained almost all afternoon. In the evening, we had fried eggs, corned beef and pasta cheese source, eaten to the sound of The Beatles Double Album.

We crossed the mile and a half over to Namuka in the dinghy, as it was flat calm. We found the bakery only produced bread on Sunday (J suggested it might be for Communion). The “shop” was Spartan. Sal Darago might have more supplies. But it did have a freezer. Kathy asked for a kilo of beef. About this time a squall hit the island. Monsoon-like rain lashed down and visibility vanished. We sheltered under a corrugated roof. On our way back to the dinghy in sandals, we noted that the dirt road had neither gutters nor drains, but it did do a good impression of a river. Emptying the dinghy, we set off in a stiff head wind for Sal Darago. We arrived safely and had a couple of hours on board Stella Maris, a NZ boat (they suggested we sat on towels). Later we spent an hour snorkelling around a reef, made the three day stew and prepared for the 60 mile journey to Nuku’alofa on Tongatapu. We were both surprised when the beef turned out to be HAM? We were to leave at 0500 the next day, so it was early to bed.