.: Malo e Lelei from Tonga

Rainbow coming in to Tonga

We arrived in the lovely village of Neiafu, in the Kingdom of Tonga, an archipelago of 170 plus islands, shortly after sunrise on Wednesday. Tonga is just west of the international dateline so is the first pacific nation to greet the day!

Putting up the Tonga and quarantine flag

Tonga is one of the poorest country economically in the Pacific because it doesn’t have a parent country (i.e. Cook Islands have New Zealand – Tahiti has France, etc.). The Tongans are, however, rich in culture, family values and community – the more important measurement of quality of life. It reminds me so much of when the kids were growing up and I would tell them “we are rich in love”. The additional upside of Tonga being independent is that most Tongans stay throughout their life, so the island is full of extended families, instead of the other island countries where the young people move as soon as they can to the larger countries, leaving a huge gap in the population.

The main street

In addition to their local language, the people here speak English fluently and are the friendliest of any island we have been to. We have met many Americans who sailed in here in the last decade and never left. They have moved here and started businesses and are active in the community. We can certainly see what the attraction is. We are in the Vava’u group of islands which is considered one of the best cruising areas in the world, because the anchorages are all close together, and the entire area is encircled by a reef so the water is like glass. It reminds of quite a bit of Desolation Sound in B.C. with so many choices of pristine and private anchorages.

School kids walking home

Checking in was kind of an adventure and the first reminder that this is a third world country. We arrived early in the morning after the 2-night sail, so were a little tired. We docked at the fishing pier and were visited by the four different officials – customs, immigration, quarantine and health. Each of them came on our boat over the course of two hours and each one stayed at least long enough to have two beers each (which they repeated on the other 5 boats they were checking in, so they were in rare form by 11:30 in the morning when they were done!). They each asked for a “gift”, which we had already been forewarned about by the cruisers that went ahead of us, so we gave them each a bottle of wine and some frozen tuna that we had caught on one of our crossings. Needless to say this is how they supplement their government earnings.

The government officials….notice the beer cans

The average earning of a Tongan is only about $40 Canadian a week. They don’t drink beer or wine, because it is too expensive for them. Instead they drink Kava, which is a local alcoholic drink that Peter says doesn’t taste too bad! The community all helps one another, and they have successful fund-raisers (the Library just raised $7,000 last week) so there is no “begging”, nor does anyone hassle tourists. The Tongans are a very proud people and even tipping is something that is not encouraged, nor expected.

QuickStar on the mooring

We are currently on a mooring ball outside of the main village, where we will stay until Monday. We’ve spoiled ourselves by going out and visiting with locals and cruisers alike at the many bars and restaurants that are along the waterfront. Prices here are very affordable – we had an incredible lobster dinner, with drinks, while listening to live music for only $40 for both of us. It was great to catch up with Roger and Bobbi-Jo from Hipnautical, who we met in the Sea of Cortez a couple of years ago. They are “playing gigs” as they sail along to keep their cruising kitty topped up.

Bobbi-Jo and Roger from Hipnautical

This is one of the few remaining countries in the world where there are no McDonalds, or any other international chains or franchises of any kind. There is a large outdoor market that runs every day by the local farmers. This morning we spent less than $8.00 on onions, sweet potatoes, mandarins and a coconut. A very nice change from the outrageous prices of Polynesia. We are looking forward to going to a Tongan feast that includes a full floor show and dinner for less than $20 per person.

Aquarium Café – our local hang-out

Cindy, from Beachouse arrives back tonight after two weeks in New Zealand. We’ll be going diving with them over the next couple of weeks to explore the many caves and famous wall dives. The visibility is almost unlimited! The highlight right now in this area is the majestic humpback whales. It is at this time of year that they come here to mate and to calve. We hope to be snorkeling alongside them at the outer islands.

Dinghy dock is a bit sketchy, but it works

P.S. By way of follow up - the sailboat Anna, that capsized, did manage to make its’ way here, so it is no longer a navigational hazard. It was found and claimed by a Canadian named Steve on the sailboat Mary Powell. The owner of the freighter company, who will be taking it back to New Zealand for the insurance claim, is fighting over the salvage rights with Steve, and since this is a “kingdom” run by royal decrees, Steve may not end up winning. It will be interesting to see how it ends up, because it sure would be a nice bonus for him to get all or some of the $300,000 finder’s fee!

Raising a toast for Danny’s birthday