Fiji

The passage to Fiji took three days as we crossed the international date line into the eastern hemisphere.  Travis caught a Mahi Mahi and we saw a large pod of short-finned pilot whales around the yacht.  The sea state improved when we passed the Lau group of islands and we arrived in Savusavu on the island of Vanua Levu in the north.  Our first job was to careen Moana Roa at low tide to service the props.  In town we enjoyed the markets, the Indian curries, a local bus trip to a waterfall, the yacht club and junior sailing.  It was then time to explore the islands in company with yachts Tashi Delek (UK) and Suduoeste (NZ).  Snorkelling at the Namena reefs was excellent followed by a fantastic few days at Makogai Island, a former leper colony and shoat (sheep that look like goats!) station.  As is custom in Fiji we presented some Yangona roots for a Sevusevu ceremony to the village elders in the absence of the chief and we were welcomed into the life of the village.  The Yangona is the root of a pepper tree used to make the intoxicating kava for the ceremony.  Travis had his 15th birthday while we sailed from the north to Viti Levu in the south a day after Fiji's first post-coup election.  We celebrated the night before with a progressive dinner between the three yachts.  Here are some recent pics...

The great thing about a catamaran is the ability to careen at low tide

Fresh fruit and veges at the markets.  Fiji has a very industrious Indian population

Beau took his Optimist out with the Savusavu Yacht Club juniors 

Carol taking the outrigger for a paddle between the yachts

Stay-dry snorkelling at Namena Reef!

All dressed up in our Sulus for the Sevusevu ceremony at Makogai Island

The official welcome of our group by the village elders

What a fantastic place and perfect anchorage

Giant Clams and Hawkesbill Sea Turtles are grown in baths 

The village transplants the clams back into the reef

Juvenile Hawkesbill Sea Turtles will be released soon

Progressive dinner with Tashi Delek and Suduoeste

Inside an old leper building

Volleyball with the local kids

Travis' 15th Birthday!!  No shops to buy fancy presents!

Kara playing with frogs... 

Kara and Emily had great fun with the local kids

Beau replacing a shackle on the gennaker furler drum while at sea

The Dangerous Middle...

- Including Malpiti, Niue, and Tonga -

We prepared to leave French Polynesia and waited for a weather window at the spectacular island of Malpiti at the west of the Society Island Group.  We had a fantastic time meeting the locals, climbing the peak, and taking photos.  The passage to Tonga is known as the “Dangerous Middle”.  A section of the South Pacific where there is often a squash zone of strong winds.  The previous week an Australian yacht was wrecked on a reef in the Cook Islands and a Swedish yacht was dismasted.  We set off with calm seas for the week-long passage and motor-sailed on and off for 3 days until the winds finally caught up with us.  Then it was on for young and old as we found we were shortening the sails every few hours until we had 2 reefs in the main and a handkerchief out for a jib!  At this point we decided to divert to Niue instead of continue to Tonga.  Niue is a great little island very much like Christmas Island (Indian Ocean) in size, population, appearance etc.  It was nice to have English-speaking locals, with a strong connection to New Zealand, our first English speaking country in 8 months!  Here we enjoyed renting a car, exploring the tracks, sea caves, gorges, and crystal clear rock pools.  We moved onto Tonga when the swell picked making the anchorage uncomfortable.  The temperature has also been freezing!!  Apparently it has been unseasonal cold weather driven up from the New Zealand winter.  We are now in the Vavau Group in the north of The Kingdom of Tonga and until the last week the country had its coldest week on record.  We didn’t even have sufficient blankets for our beds and we had to wear all our clothes at night while sailing.  In Tonga we met up with our friends from home, Geoff and Jo.  Geoff had just completed a locum with a local medical centre and they joined us for a day sail and some whale watching.  The rest of our time in Tonga was spent with our kid-boat friends.  We will clear customs and immigration tomorrow and set sail for Savu Savu, Fiji, about 3 days of sailing 400NM in light winds keeping a close eye on the uncharted reefs.

On the peak in Malpiti overlooking the pass into the lagoon

Moana Roa at anchor in the lagoon

The church is the feature of most Polynesian towns

The rich colours of the underlying reef and sand

Bora Bora about 30NM away

Sonia and Kara looking out on the hike

Kara and Elizabeth found a whale skull at someone's house

We caught 4 Mahi Mahi on passage to Tonga

Beau saying hello to our visiting Boobie hundreds of miles from land

Our coconut grinding tool is useful for coconut milk in curries

At Niue, the dinghy crane and the only way to land on the wharf

Sundowner on Moana Roa with fellow cruisers Tashi Delek and Adina

The supply ship at Niue comes every 3 weeks from New Zealand

Travis found a banded sea snake sleeping on the bottom

Humpbacks in the anchorage

We rescued a bird that was struggling in the water at the wharf

Great limestone arches

Swimming in the reef surges was fun for the kids

On arrival in Tonga, Travis had an order of 8 lures to make from fellow cruisers

Beautiful islands and anchorages once again...

Swallows Cave in the Vavua Group of Tonga

Pigs on the beach!