Author: richwest3

November 19, 2012

A few of our friends in the anchorage went snorkeling yesterday and raved about it; so that was our plan for today. It would be our last afternoon here as we were leaving for Nuku’alofa, the most southerly island in Tonga, this evening. In fact, everyone here was heading for Nuku’alofa today. We all wanted to get there before the westerly winds arrived, and as we were getting closer to the start of Cyclone season, it was time to prepare for the jump to New Zealand.

We headed off to the snorkeling area and jumped into a beautiful underwater world. There was a lot of both plate and branching coral, plus some fascinating yellowish coral with a shape reminiscent of rose petals. Of course, there were also beautiful fish, but the coral was the star of the show. I would still put the Coral Gardens and Coral Wonder as the best snorkeling areas in Tonga, but this was very nice, and there were a multitude of canyons and mounds to dive into and around. It was a pretty amazing experience. -Cyndi

November 18, 2012

As the evening deepened, the feeling of this anchorage felt less ends-of-the-earth and more mystical. The golden evening turned into a beautiful indigo, pink and blue twilight, and everywhere we looked we could see islands—we could make out at least seven easily. This evening, this felt like a magical place to be. -Cyndi

November 18, 2012

We took a walk to the interior of the island in search of the fruit bats rumored to be there. The vegetation was thick and jungle-like, full of hanging vines and primordial-looking plant life. It even sounded like a jungle as some bird was making a howler-monkey-like call. At times, we were surrounded by butterflies, giving this place a magical feel.

Less magical were the giant Tongan spiders hanging about. They are as big as tarantulas, about the size of my hand, but with classic spider characteristics. (That, in my book, makes them worse than tarantulas.) We got to know these creepy crawlies on our mountain walk in Vava’u. Luckily, they like to hang up high; so you’re not likely to run into them. In fact would be possible to hike all over Vava’u and never notice them, but once you do, you can’t help but keep noticing them. We heard they aren’t poisonous, but there’s probably no need to be poisonous when your mere appearance can cause other beings to die of fright. (I know I would if I ever found one of these on me!)

We walked almost to the other side of the island but we never did find the fruit bats. The jungle atmosphere and butterflies made the walk worthwhile anyway, even with the giant spiders. -Cyndi

November 18, 2012

We set sail this morning for our next anchorage, Ha’afeva, a few hours away. The anchorage is well- protected by reefs, which means it takes a bit of maneuvering to get in there. I don’t know if we were getting used to the process or the medication was kicking in, but the whole thing was pretty stress free.

We were now catching up with the group. Our friends from Picara were there, as were Sockdolager and La Luz, both of whom had come straight here from Vava’u. (Taima was there, too, but they were opting to head back to Neiafu for cyclone season.) There were four boats here in all, but once we got through all the coral reefs the anchorage had lots of room, and we had no problem finding a spot. We had the hook down by lunchtime.

Ha’afeva has a more rugged beauty than some of the other islands, even feeling slightly desolate in a way I can’t quite put my finger on. There is a town on the other side of the island, but the only sign of human habitation here is what looks to be an abandoned, decaying concrete wharf. The sun shines, the palm trees sway, the sea is teeming with life, and yet the decaying wharf makes this feel like the earth after the human species has come and gone. It brings to mind the “Forbidden Zone” on the Planet of the Apes, and it’s a little unnerving. It was beautiful, but I was glad for the presence of other boats around us. -Cyndi

November 17, 2012

It was getting dark and our magical time on the beach was coming to an end.  It would have been tempting to stay, but westerly winds were coming and we needed to keep moving towards our final anchorage in south Tonga.  Once there, we’d spend a few days and prepare to jump off to New Zealand.

Tomorrow morning we would be heading on to one more stopping point before our final anchorage.  I couldn’t imagine it could be any nicer than this one.  Good-night Uoleva. -Cyndi