SV CATINA: Neiafu, Vava’u, Tonga (1 June to 19 June)

We awoke the following morning to the clanging of a bell, roosters crowing, dogs barking and the most angelic children’s choir voices, singing hymns at the church above us on the hill. It was simply breathtaking.

Neiafu Harbour was full of surprises. The next was the giant purple jellyfish that blobbed their way around the boats! Most of the yachties choose to moor their boats as this area of Tonga is so steep above and below water that it is sometimes hard to find a suitable anchorage close to shore that is not too deep.

Fringing along the foreshore were all manner of businesses. Dive companies, fishing charters, bars & cafes. Behind, above a steep escarpment, ran the main street and business centre of town. Several small stores run by the ever hardworking chinaman offered cheap out-of-date biscuits, cotton undies and flyswats. One day when I was walking around the streets I saw a couple of octopus hanging on the line with the washing! Something different to the usual little pig trotting along the path I suppose!

We got to get to know some more of the cruising folk while in Port, both in and out of the ICA rally - we watched Rugby matches on Sky TV at Lawrences Pizza place with rivalry between the Kiwi’s and Aussies, Friday night twilight races on Graeme & Lyn’s Atomite and the odd cuppa with a few of the girls!

We also discovered a great place for a cold drink and an entertaining yarn. The Giggling Whale with fantastic views over the harbour and the only toilet I’ve ever been to inside an old tank! The best fish cakes with wasabi sauce and the cleanest floor we’ve seen so far in Tonga. Thanks Sandy & Cathy for being so accommodating to the yachties!

We were able to find most of the provisions we needed and stocked up enough to spend the next few weeks in, out and about the 60 islands in the archipelago that make up the Vava’u Group of islands. Interestingly, this area was the last to be discovered by Europeans and now it is a cruisers playground. I don’t think family back home believed me when I kept writing in emails “today we swam at a white sandy beach, snorkeled over a coral reef and then sailed to a new island for the night”… it was true and we enjoyed every sun drenched glorious day.

The weather was good and one of the highlights was Swallows Cave which is a beautiful limestone cave big enough to fit several dingies inside with a high ceiling and if it is afternoon the bluest glow coming up from under the the water. It was so clear you could see all the way to the bottom without getting wet.

And then there was the Mariner’s Cave which is underwater and only marked by a shaggy pandanus tree up on the rocky hill. To enter the cave you need to dive 1m down and about 4-5m across underwater to come up inside a cavern in the dark. Can you imagine how I felt as I watched Darcy, 8 years old disappear down out of site? The minutes felt like hours, then with a triumphant shout they all appeared again beaming and high fiving! This was an amazing feat for Darcy and there was none prouder than Duncan. In the company of Sol Maria and Brian & Gail from Dol Selene it was a rewarding day. Thanks guys for your help on this one. Darcy took a big step up the ladder that day. He also tells me that when the sea surged against the rocks the cave would instantly fog up and you could feel the pressure on your ears! And apparently it wasn’t that dark because the sun was streaming in through the entrance like a luminous glow. Well done little mate!

Another day we sheltered in Tapana Bay from a bit of a blow and discovered The Ark Gallery which is a floating art gallery run by a lovely lady Cherie, with all her own work showing the Tongan way of life.They say you should never hesitate and I wish now that I had bought something while I was there. She also had a very amusing cat who is said to catch his own fish from off the pontoon! Clever cat!

Back in Neiafu we reprovisioned in readiness for out next trip North. The market place was busy and it seemed everybody came to town on Saturday morning. From very early the cars came in a steady flow down the oneway street that circled the town market place. We were able to buy lettuce and tomatoes this week for the first time in ages and cucumbers and potatoes. Some fresh herbs, paw paw and bananas and we were ready to go. There were bundles of Taro root, Kava and stacks of watermelon. We bought the kids some doughnuts for a treat and later fed them to the fish.

Up town the street took on a life of it’s own. Boom boxes were balanced on planks of wood between 2 chairs and cranked up to the max outside of grocery stores with a live DJ rapping as people passed by. I’m not sure if it was meant to attract customers but it actually turned us away, covering our ears! Uteloads of joyriders cruised the streets and they all seemed to have their own wave. 2 fingers or 3… you had to be in the cool crowd.

Anyway, it was a good taste of civilization for a while. We were able to stock up, get some rest on a secure mooring, meet some great new friends and prepare for the next leg of the journey. The only misgivings were that we were too early in the season to sea the humpback whales…