July 21 - 30, 2018
Element and her crew arrived into the Vava'u group of islands in Tonga, on July 21 after our stop in Niue. We were greeted by spouting humpback whales. We tied up to the fishing wharf with our quarantine flag up and waited for the appropriate officials to board Element. The only way the officials recognize new arrivals is with the raised quarantine flag. The officials will come to you, there is no need to go in search of them.
The check-in process is a lengthy one, including a 12 page document. The officials were very friendly, and even drove us to the local bank to get the local currency for our fees. While we were waiting for one of the officials, we were able to walk over to the local craft market just down the way. The artisans craft many lovely whale bone creations. Each of us purchased many treasures during our visits. Shaun spoke to one of the fellows, and asked if he would be able to carve out of whale bone Element in pendant form. He successfully did so within a couple of days. The fruit and veggie market is very close to the craft market as well.
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| views as we arrived |
We took advantage of the wharf tie-up to drop our laundry off at Bubbles, one of the laundromats in town. They charge 25 TOP approx $12.50 US per load (wash, dry, and fold). We were able to pick the laundry up the following day.
Once we had our laundry, we untied from the wharf and headed over to Port Morrel to anchor. Windancer IV was there to greet. They invited us over for a movie night to watch "This is 40". Super funny movie!
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| Port Morrel from the air |
On the Sunday, Naddia, Manuel and I, along with John and Ziggy, headed out on a long dinghy ride to find Mariners cave, it is a cave with a 3 meter underwater entrance. It is well worth the uncomfortable feeling that I experienced. I felt triumphant, once I made it in and out. Along the way, we were able to see several lovely rock formations.
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| swimming through to the under water cave |
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| one of many cave enterances |
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| it looks like a face |
On the way back to the boats, we had a small pod of dolphins swimming alongside us, and we saw some whale spouts. We tried to chase the whales down without success. It was entertaining trying to catch up with the whales.
Not far from the anchorage we happened upon a beautiful sandy outcrop. It was beckoning to us. We decided to listen, and make the detour to investigate. It had several blue starfish, and great beach-combing opportunities. Manuel was gracious enough to head back to Element to rouse the rest of the Element crew. He brought back Shaun and the girls, along with the drone, and a few beverages.
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| drone shot of the sand beach |
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| group shot with the drone |
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| Ziggy took this photo from the water |
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| the lovely starfish |
That same evening we were invited to Windancer IV for dinner to help them empty out their freezer in anticipation of their trip to Canada in August. We never refuse a meal when it is offered up.
On July 23 we went swimming with the humpback whales. Humpback whales, and their young are usually in Tonga from July to October, providing people an opportunity to swim with them legally with a tour group. Tonga is the only place in the world where this is possible, "legally". It is expensive but, well worth the money!
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| Mom and baby |
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| breaching |
On July 25, we were fortunate to meet Fluenta, a Canadian family of 5 on the island of Vakaeitu. this same evening we organized a potluck dinner on Element, and the following day Paige learned about cross-stitching and found a like-minded individual in Victoria. The kids also were able to have a daytime bonfire with hotdogs and marshmallows. Albeit the meeting was brief, it was very lovely to meet them.
July 26, in the evening we sailed overnight to the Ha'apai group of islands. We anchored in front of Uoleva Island. Windancer IV had another movie night. This time it was "Fools Gold". The following evening we had sushi night on Element, followed by a bonfire at the beach with s/v Elvis Magic (an Irish family). Fun was had by all!
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| the Uoleva Island beach |
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| near the beach bar |
On July 30, we headed over to Pangai (small village, the administrative capital of Tonga) to check in and out. The village was quiet and small. There was not much in the way of provisions so, if you do visit make sure you have stocks aboard.
On our way into town from the wharf, we encountered a large sow wandering freely, munching on the grass. We walked along the streets in search of the customs office. The customs office is a red and white building, one block up from the wharf and about a block past the visitor center. If you get to the police station, you have gone too far. On our way back, we all had lunch at a small cafe. We picked up our last Digicel TopUp and headed back to Element in preparation for our departure. At 4:00 pm Shaun and I went in to grab family sized pizzas for dinner (not recommended as they tasted like cardboard). We weighed anchor and started our passage toFiji. This was our last passage with Naddia and Manuel. They were flying out of Fiji, back to Germany to start new adventures on land.
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