Our last night in Vava’u, Tonga was spent at Fonua’one’one, a small island on the southern edge of the group. The island has everything you’d expect of a slice of South Pacific paradise.
Nope Nothing To See Here
A modern cruising boat is much like a house. On Delos we have many of the same conveniences that make life a little more civilized including electricity, flushing toilets, running water, refrigeration, air conditioning, and a washerdryer.
Oh, it feels good to arrive. We sailed into the Bay of Islands this morning, around 9 a.m., and got to the customs dock shortly after. The check-in process was hassle free and we only had to part with our fresh veggies and non-New Zealand meat – we got to keep all of our dairy and noodles and spices.
While sailing through Tahiti, Moorea, Huahine, Raitea, and Bora Bora we met up with friends new and old. We had dock parties, lounged in floaties, and swam with sharks.
I dreamed last night about deodorant. In my dream I walked into one of the tiny, poorly stocked stores that we’ve been frequenting throughout the South Pacific.
Back in Tahiti where things were expensive we ran across these little gems for 1200 francs ($14.00 US) at the duty free store.
Niue is unlike any other South Pacific island we’ve visited. 60 foot limestone cliffs replace beaches, underground caverns replace a mountainous interior, and the dinghy dock is a huge electric crane you get to operate yourself (very cool).
On our third day in Beveridge reef the weather keeping us pinned inside finally broke, dropping from a blustery 30 knots to a tranquil 15. With a good outlook for the next few days we decided to launch the dinghy and do some exploring.
The sun warmed our backs as we sailed around the north side of Palmerston atoll. It had been 36 hours since we began the 200-mile passage from Aitutaki to Palmerston, the easternmost of the Southern Cook Islands.
Yesterday we arrived in Neiafu, the main city in the Vava’u (vah-vow) island group in the northern part of Tonga.
After a few wonderful weeks at Palmerston Island, Beveridge Reef and Niue, we’re sailing 250 miles to the Vava’u island group in Tonga.
Seriously, I think they put something in the water here. After a week in Auitaki our faces ache from smiling, our voices are weak from saying hello to everyone passing by on a scooter.
We left Auitaki last week and made an easy two day passage to Palmerston Atoll, where we enjoyed the hospitality of the Marsters family for a few days. They are a very interesting bunch- more on that soon.
Bora Bora is world famous for its reputation as a honeymoon retreat. There are beautiful resorts everywhere, most of which have bungalows propped right over the crystal clear lagoon water. It is much different seeing this island from a sailboat though.
Heiva is a month long Tahitian celebration with old pagan roots marking the southern hemisphere solstice. Unfortunately in the 1820’s Protestant Missionaries banned dancing on the islands.
After our provisioning run we left Tahiti and headed out the pass, pointing the bow slightly to the east of Moorea. We timed our departure to arrive in Huahine, about 100 miles away, for early the next morning.
We made it to Aitutaki! After a great sail lasting 4 nights and 3 days, we’ve arrived at our first stop in the Cook Islands. It’s gorgeous here — a beautiful blue lagoon surrounds a low lying mountain range, the tallest peak reaches just 124 meters.
Paul Simon may have 50 ways to leave your lover, but Delos has 50 ways to loose a Mahi. In fact we haven’t landed one of the delicious treats since crossing the equator over 3 months ago.