Cyndi and Rich aboard Legacy
October 17, 2012
Our next stop was Euakafa, which had been recommended for its great snorkeling and walking trails. We motored in but didn’t feel well-protected from the winds; so we got some pictures and headed on. -Cyndi
October 17, 2012
After three nights at anchorage #11, we wanted to go to one more anchorage before heading back to Neiafu. We had several possibilities/recommendations and decided to just go out and explore. Luckily, the wind was down to about 11 knots and from behind us; so we were comfortable motoring around.
Our first stop was close by, an island just south of Tapana Island called Taunga Island with a little semi-attached island called Pau. This was a popular place, and our friend Linda raved about the neon bright turquoise water by Pau. We motored carefully into the anchorage, picking our way through suspicious-looking dark areas and coral heads to get a good look at the blue water and beaches. It was beautiful, but after motoring in for a good half hour and taking pictures, we felt as though we had seen it and could head on to the next anchorage on our list. This was to become the theme of our day as we repeated the process again and again at other islands, finally ending up back in Port Maurelle. -Cyndi
Here are our favorite pictures of Taunga and Pau.
October 15, 2012
We saw some neat sea life on our low tide walk around Tapana Island, including some blue starfish and a sea snake. Sea snakes are extremely venomous, but they are very shy and have small mouths, so it’s almost impossible to get bitten. (Although almost-impossible does not mean impossible so we give them a wide berth). -Cyndi
Mr. Sea Snake caught on video…
October 15, 2012
Our friends headed off the next morning, Dean and Sabina back to Neiafu to prepare for their jump to the Ha’apai island group (part of Tonga, south of Vava’u) and Bob and Linda to the eastern islands of Vava’u. We opted to not do the eastern islands as you have to go through a hair-raising, nail-biting pass through a coral reef to get there. Plus, the islands we most wanted to see were on the western side so we decided to stay put. We could clean the boat bottom here and be with our new little friends the Spade Fish (see earlier blog). We also wanted to do the approximately 1-mile walk around Tapana Island and could only do so at low tide.
About half hour before low tide, we beached our dinghy on Tapana Island and started on our walk. A lot of the time, we walked on the coral shelf that surrounds the island, but we also came across some beautiful beaches. We could look out and see many islands, some just off this island, but no boats or people. It felt wild and remote, like we had all of Tonga to ourselves. This would be a spectacular spot for a picnic or even just a bottle of wine, but we’d have to keep a close eye on the time or risk having to swim back.
We made it about ¾ of the way around the island before finding out the last part was cliff and rock and not really walkable. We had to turn around, but luckily the tide stayed low enough so we could make our way back (though it was a little close a couple of times).
Sadly, Rich sprained his foot, and we did not make it back for that bottle of wine on the beach. Maybe we’ll be back someday. -Cyndi
October 14, 2012
There is a family from Spain who built a small restaurant on Tapana Island just off Vava’u. The only way to get there is by dinghy (either your own or you can arrange transportation). You must make your reservation early as they will then spend the day cooking tapas and their special recipe for paella for the number of guests they will have. There is a set price, and you bring your own alcohol. They ask that you be there around 6:30.
We had a party of three couples, and we all motored our dinghies over to the island and made reasonably graceful beach landings. It was sunset as we walked up to the restaurant, perched on stilts on a hill, rustic and tropical and romantic all at the same time. Some have described the restaurant as the Star Wars bar scene and they aren’t too far off.
I was standing and taking some pictures when I felt something hard run into my leg—it nearly knocked me over! I looked down to see I had just been head-butted by the family goat. He’s allowed in the restaurant, and he wanted to play. I let him butt me a couple more times, then Sabina came over and kept him entertained while I got more pictures. The owner came over and told him enough, leave the guests alone, and he did. I would say he was like the family dog, but the family already had a dog who was also around during the evening. He would have to settle for being the family goat.
We sat at a long table by the open-air windows, watching the dusk deepen while the candles were lit and our bottles of wine were opened. The Spanish tapas started to arrive, one after the other, and they were fabulous. This place could hold its own with any Spanish restaurant I’ve been to. The main dish was the paella, easily the best I’ve had.
After dessert was served, the husband brought out his guitar and started to play and sing. He was quite good! His wife soon joined in on the maracas, and then the assistant Tongan chef joined in on percussion. They now had a band going and were remarkably good. Soon, we all got up to dance, and from then on we were clapping, singing or dancing to the music up until it was time for the restaurant to close.
After hugging the family good-bye and thanking them for the wonderful evening, we used flashlights to make our way down the hill and to our dinghies on the beach. It was a rather surreal experience to be riding beside other dinghies in the dark of night with only our flashlights visible. We all made it safe and sound to our boats.
This evening was very special–we all agreed it was definitely one of our peak experiences in the South Pacific. -Cyndi
You can listen to the great music on this video…