We departed Anchorage #36 in Vava’u at almost 7pm and had a slow, light wind, upwind overnight sail. We had a pretty steady 13-15 kts of wind forward of the beam, but we were reefed down pretty heavily so we didn’t arrive too early. Even still, we had to keep trying to slow down towards the end and then stand off the island until sunrise. Through the course of the passage, we could easily tell we were treading into less travelled waters because we had gotten so used to our AIS display being littered with other vessels and when we arrived in Ha’apai, there were none.
We departed Vava’u in the evening and had a slow overnight sail down to Ha’apai, arriving at the island of Ha’ano. The next day we took Exodus on a day trip out to the west to the island of Ofolanga for some snorkeling and spear fishing. We stayed at Ha’ano for a couple more peaceful days and then moved for one night down to the island of Lifuka and the capital city of Pangai to officially clear into the island group.
Quickly moving on, the next stop was the island of Uoleva where we enjoyed the beautiful white sand beach and running into old friends. We stayed at Uoleva overall for about a week and then moved down to anchor off the very small island Uonukuihito, which is part of a chain of small, long, skinny islands connected by sandspits. Here there were just too many flies, so we didn’t stay long.
We made the hop over to the top of the western islands and the island of Ha’afeva, but the wind was blowing hard from the south making this anchorage not too comfortable. So, after a drive by at Ha’afeva, we moved down to the nearby Matuku and had some fun with the village kids for a few days. When the wind shifted back to a more easterly direction, we moved to Ha’afeva where we visited the village, did some running, and had a couple of lazy rainy days.
Next stop was O’ua, where we stayed only 2 nights due to a rolly anchorage before moving on to Nomuka, which unfortunately also had a rolly anchorage, so we landed in a more sheltered spot on nearby nomukaiki for several days. Our last stop in Ha’apai was the best spot of all: Kelefesia. It’s a small anchorage with only marginal protection, but we were glad we made the effort to go there. We said good-bye to Ha’apai early in the morning on Thursday, 30 October bound for the Tongatapu and the capital city of all of Tonga, Nuku’alofa.
Ha’apai is the center island group between Vava’u to the north and Tongatapu to the south. And compared to both, tourism is virtually nonexistent. There are approximately 60 islands, 18 of them being inhabited with about a total of 30 villages. While Vava’u can be considered a cluster of islands, bunched together to provide many sheltered anchorages for the cruiser to choose from, Ha’apai is more like two parallel strings of smaller islands spread out with far less protection. The two parallel island chains are the western group extending from Ofolanga down to Kelefesia, and the eastern group, from Ha’ano to Limu. Without tourism, Ha’apai seemed much poorer and more isolated than what we had been accustomed to in Vava’u.
Overall, we found our navionics charts to be OK for the entire Ha’apai group, however there are so many reefs you definitely have to do all your moving around in the daytime with good light.
For maritime history fans, Ha’apai was visited by the icons such as Captain Cook, Captain Tasman, and Captain Bligh. It was, in fact, where the mutiny on the HMS bounty actually occurred.
The Ha’apai group lies between Vava’u to the north and Tongatapu to the south
According to the guidebook, “These day anchorages should be attempted only in settled weather and during hours of good visibility.” In both cases we had settled weather and we stayed overnight, and in both cases, they proved wonderful anchorages at low tide and then rocky/rolly at high tide.
We mostly went to them for Tim to spearfish and to be a little further south for the jump to the Ha’apai group. To be honest, I don’t actually remember much, and I didn’t write a lot in the logbook. They are both very tiny islands surrounded by coral. Lua’ui (#34) is only about 1 or 2 miles south of ‘Euakafa, and I recall there was some nice snorkeling, and that it was here that I saw my first lionfish. Fonua’one’one (#36) is a bit further south and the reef around the island was a bit more extensive. Spending a couple days at these islands was a nice way to decompress after the last hectic days in Neiafu before heading to Ha’apai.
Clearing in and out of various countries can be mind numbingly tedious and time consuming or it can be quick and easy. Tonga tended towards the tedious side for us, and that was exacerbated by the fact that you have to clear in and out when transiting between island groups, and it’s difficult to get the full scoop on exactly what you have to do in order to clear out.
So, here’s what I did: 1) Went to the immigration office and they filled out a form and gave it to us to give to immigration in Ha’apai. 2) Went to port authority to pay our port fees, which is based on the gross tonnage of your vessel. It was right about here that I realized that our registration has the incorrect gross tonnage on it, and the error is not in our favor. So, we paid more, whatever. 3) Then I went to customs and here’s where it got a little confusing. Some countries allow you to get fuel duty free upon clearing out, and Tonga is one of these countries. And I had *heard* that if you intend to do your final clearing out of Tonga from Ha’apai they will let you get your duty-free fuel when you leave Vava’u, because there are no fuel dock facilities in Ha’apai. So, when I went to customs to ask, the guy seemed a bit shifty and told me to come back when the supervisor is there. I came back later that afternoon, and the same guy told me, no problem, you can do it. So, we ordered our fuel to be delivered by truck the next morning. The next morning, we went to the fuel dock, and I walked over to customs in order to get our form for duty free fuel and our final outbound clearance for Ha’apai. Of course, there’s a different guy there, and he says that you’re not allowed duty free fuel until you are leaving Tonga. Of course, I responded that I had been told that we could, and he wanted to know by whom, and at the point I didn’t feel like hanging the other guy out to dry, so I just said I don’t remember. He said, “I’m sorry, there’s nothing I can do.” I’m not sure if he was wanting/expecting me to bribe him or what but I just stood there silent with an obvious disappointed and dejected look on my face, and he could only take this for about 30 seconds and then he said, “OK, just this time. But please don’t tell any other yachties, because we are not supposed to do this.” I have no idea what the real deal was with the duty-free fuel, but we got our forms, got our fuel, and got the heck out of there as soon as we could.
Of course, we didn’t leave Vava’u straight away. We had some southern small islands to visit, and we wanted to wait for the right wind for the overnight passage to Ha’apai.
When we were in Mopelia, the last island we visited in French Polynesia, the local guy Hio told us the story of a guy who had been there just before us and was spearfishing near the pass and had his dinghy attacked by a shark. Then even later when we were in Pago Pago the customs guy told me the story of a boat who left without proper outbound clearance and when they arrived in Apia Western Samoa, they wouldn’t let them in. We also heard from our friends on True Blue V and Lady Carolina, both of whom have Island Packets, that there was this young guy with an Island Packet who had attached ice chests right to his deck for storage.
Finally, in Tonga, we caught up with the infamous Iguana. While we were at the Lape Island Tongan feast, Tim and a young man, Jack from Iguana, started talking. It turns out that Jack had also already heard of Tim and his spearfishing and was interested in going out with him. So, the next time we were in Neiafu, they went out to free dive the wreck in the harbor. Here’s what I wrote in my status email at the time…”When we were still in Neiafu, Tim went spearfishing with a kid, and by kid, I mean he’s probably in his late 20s or so, on the shipwreck there in the harbor. Tim had previously dived on it with the hookah, because it’s at 70-100 feet deep. Well, I guess when Jack (the kid) suggested it, Tim couldn’t resist the challenge, and off they went. Yes, Tim can still keep up with the youngsters. They came back with 5 fish between them, and we had trevally last night for dinner, which I can’t say any of us enjoyed very much. Except Brenden, that kid just loves fish.
Our next Exodus potluck, we invited Jack and Camille, but only Jack came. At the time I thought it was weird that Camille didn’t come, but spoiler alert, Camille is awesome, and we end up having a lot of fun hanging out together. It turns out we are pretty similar in that sometimes she just needs her me time. I can relate! At the potluck Theo and Wanda (Et Voila) brought some really good steak that had been vacuum sealed and brought from California. What a treat! But no one enjoyed it quite as much as Jack. I think they eat fish even more than we do!
Imagine our excitement when we were sitting in anchorage #11 for Brenden’s birthday and then we hear Chara on the VHF radio! For any who don’t remember, Chara is part of our family of cruisers from Mexico, and they are one of the four of us that left Banderas Bay together when we set out across the Pacific (the other two being True Blue V and Lady Carolina). We hadn’t seen them in five months, since we were in The Marquesas, so we rushed back to Neiafu the next morning in order to have dinner together and catch up. It was fun to be back with Bob and Joyce, and with Joyce around, we were instantly part of the Neiafu cruiser social scene.
One evening I enjoyed a ladies’ night out and Tim went to guys poker night with a bunch of people we didn’t know at that time. The ladies’ night out included me, Joyce (Chara), Sara (Lochmarin), Amber (Rockstar), Tina (Caminante), Catherine (The Southern Cross), Gwen (A-Train), and Wanda (Et Voila). It’s funny to me to think back and think of Tina as someone I didn’t know, because fast forward a year and Caminante is part of our close group of cruising kid boats, although we didn’t really get to know Tina and Gustav until late into our stay in New Zealand.
My smallest, my youngest, my baby turns 12 years old today. As I search my emotional state of being this morning, I am pleased to observe that I’m not feeling sad, not yearning for that sweet small person who loved Dora the Explorer and used to ask me, “Mommy, why you o-ways caw dem smooches?” when I tucked him in at night. He’s growing up, just as they all do, just as they all should. When my oldest, who is now 22, was growing up, my mommy friends with younger children would ask, “isn’t it so strange to have a son who is taller than you?” Or who has a girlfriend, or who doesn’t need your help with schoolwork, or whatever. When you have small kids it’s hard to imagine them more grown up than they are. My response was always, “no it’s not strange, it’s as it should be…” or some other equivalent phrase not nearly so succinct. Whatever stage Andrew was at, was the stage it seemed he was supposed to be at. It always seemed normal, and I rarely, if ever, mourned for the phases he left behind.
However, when Andrew was growing up, I had two other small ones to keep me busy, so I used to wonder if I would have a harder time when it was their turn to grow up.
That turns out not to be the case. They, like their older brother, each seem to be exactly where they are supposed to be. I suppose being out here cruising with so much time to share together helps a bit, and I’m able to cherish the people they have become and the people they are becoming. I speak from experience that it’s easy to make the false assumption that since your pre-teen/young teen is so independent that they don’t need us parents anymore. On the contrary, they need us as much, if not more, and it’s a trickier proposition. They need us to guide them without directing. In so many ways it’s easier to be an effective parent of a two-year-old than a 12- or 13-year-old.
So, I celebrate that my baby is 12 today. That he can spear fish and free dive down to 40 feet, and that when he sees me dive to about 25 feet he gives me such a proud look and tells me, “good job, mom!” That he can drive the dinghy and go to town with his friends on their own in to get ice cream. That he can drive Exodus when we are raising and dropping the anchor. He’s not quite taller than me (even though his 13 year old brother already is) but that will come when it’s time.
Fortunately, I was able to get in a good run today, even with the birthday and all. This is because 1) He didn’t want a party because “all the kid boats left here are girls!” 2) All he wanted to do was go spearfishing, so while the “men” were all out doing that I had some time on my hands, and 3) He wanted snickerdoodles as his birthday treat and he wanted to make them himself because it’s so much fun. So, that left me with very little manual labor in prep for a birthday celebration, so out for a run I went. I finally figured out the complete loop around Kapa Island from the anchorage of Port Maurelle. It’s about a 6-7 Km loop, I think, and it seems to me to be a slight uphill most of the way and then a very steep downhill at the end. So, it’s a bit of slow run. Maybe next time I’ll run it in the opposite direction.
It’s hard to believe that Brenden is 12, but no matter how big he gets, he’ll always be “funsize” to us. Even though there were a few kid boats still in the vicinity, Brenden didn’t even want a party. I think there were 3 main reasons for this: 1) He was a little pouty that Lady Carolina wasn’t there, and “why can’t we go to Fiji, I mean, EVERYONE else is going to Fiji?” 2) The kid boats who WERE still there were all small kids or girls. 3) He had his mind set on spearing a Tuna, and that’s all he wanted to do on his birthday, SPEARFISH!
So, the boys went spearfishing, and even Alex went even though he really didn’t want to. But Brenden kept giving him that cute pouty face, and it was his birthday and all, so what could Alex do but go? We were anchored in Port Maurelle, and the plan was for them to dinghy over to a small gap between two nearby islands. Brenden was pleased with this plan because someone told Tim they saw a bunch of dog tooth tuna there. Unfortunately, they came back empty handed, but Brenden was still in good spirits. We weighed anchor and moved over to anchorage #11 in order to buy him a painting at the Ark Gallery for his birthday. He had had his heart set on a parrot fish painting and had been talking about it since our first visit, but at the last minute he changed his mind and chose a whale paining. After being in Tonga longer he realized that it was whales that defined the place, not parrot fish (I’m paraphrasing his sentiment, but the meaning is right).
The only other things he wanted for his birthday were snickerdoodles, but he wanted to make them himself because that’s fun, and pasta with “no veggies in the sauce.” We were able to oblige both requests, so overall I think Brenden had a great day. Except he still missed Lady Carolina. A lot.
Making his own birthday snickerdoodles
They did a really cool thing, though, and gave us a present for Brenden before they left for us to hold until his birthday. So, even though they weren’t there, Brenden had a present to open from Lady Carolina, and I think it really made his day.
What a treat it was to have my dad and Karen come visit us for two weeks. Now, two weeks can be a long time to have boat guests, but Dad and Karen were easy to have around (and I’m not just saying that because they might read this!) First of all, it was like Christmas when they arrived because of all the stuff they brought for us from The States, including a bunch of “cool” clothes for the boys, which made them very happy. Second of all, they are used to camping and things like conserving water and power weren’t issues at all.
We had a lot of fun at Nuku, Port Maurelle, and Kenutu while they were here. At Nuku we took advantage of low tide and walked around the coral shelf, and I realized that Nana loved all the little sea creatures almost as much as Brenden! We also took advantage of the beach sandspit and had a few epic games of bocce ball.
Nana and Brenden checking out the sea lifeA wicked game of Bocce ball at Nuku Island
From Port Maurelle we, of course, buzzed over for some snorkeling at swallows’ cave. Dad isn’t exactly the most natural, graceful person in the water, so now I know where I get it from. Come to think of it, where Andrew must get it from to, because in the water Dad reminded me a whole lot of Andrew (during his visit last year to Moorea), thrashing about while the boys swam circles around him. As usual, I ventured off on my own and saw not one, but two sea snakes, which I decided not to tell Karen about. She’s not too keen on snakes (understatement, understatement!) We also got dad and Karen on the paddle boards for the first time, and the boys had fun with that!
Alex and Papa on the paddle boardsA little more paddle board fun
At Kenutu, we took advantage of the hiking and spectacular views and we even kayaked/paddle boarded over to the next island of Omumu to show them the freshwater cave. Our evenings were mostly filled with game playing, alternating between dominoes, cards, and Resistance, and of course there was the odd political conversation thrown in for good measure. Of course, Tim and I had been out of it for so long we are at a serious information deficit. But I guess that could be a good thing.
Walking down the beach at Kenutu
We spent a couple days in Neiafu getting our tourist fix. First up were the cart safaris, which was a tour of the main island of Vava’u driving go-carts. Alex and I were in a cart together and we joked we should have brought bananas (for all you non-Nintendo nerds this is a reference to Mario Kart). It was a great day as we got to see views of the island we would not have otherwise seen, except that Tim wanted to take Exodus up to the north side of the island in settled weather, since there must be fish up there (yeah, that never happened). Next up was a tour of the botanical gardens, and the founder/owner gave us a fantastic personal tour (i.e., we were the only ones there) even if a bit long winded. He is very passionate about the garden and gave us some interesting insight into Tongan culture. It wasn’t my dad’s cup of tea, though, and I’m sure he would have been happier staying on Exodus with Tim and Alex servicing winches. We finished up with the tour and rushed out of Neiafu to catch up with the other kid boats for a bonfire on Nuku.
Mario-Kart anyone?
We decided to give a Tongan Feast another try, but this time we booked at the one on Lape Island, which includes a cultural tour of the village. Lape Island is anchorage #17 in the guidebook, but there are also about 3 moorings closer to the village, and since one was free, we took it. In the afternoon before the feast, we dinghied over to the very east tip of the Island of Vaka’Eitu (which was anchorage #16). There is a very small beach on the tip where we could park the dinghy and then we took a short trail over to the south side of the island to a beautiful, long, secluded white sand beach. This is the very same beach that I referenced when we stayed at anchorage #16 when I found the trail head but never ventured over. Anyway, it was a lovely afternoon in an absolutely beautiful spot. Some of our friends were anchored off the north side of the reef between the islands of Vaka’Eitu and Langito’o, and it looked like a great place in the settled weather, but we were comfortable on our mooring ball, so we stayed put.
The Tongan Feast on Lape island couldn’t have been more different than the previous one we attended with Yi and Johnny (Three Little Birds). Lape Island is pretty small, and the village has only 27 people (5 families, a teacher, and a minister). They put on these feasts in order to raise money for village projects, like a new wharf, which is complete, and sanitation, or a public restroom, which is also complete; they just need it to rain in order to have water to use it. They greeted us at the wharf with leis, gave us a tour of their village, gave us a demonstration of tapas making and coconut husking, and Brenden was the first to volunteer to try it, of course. There was a little girl who spotted the grandparents immediately and had my dad and Karen holding each of her hands while she jumped, and they lifted her off the ground. She was adorable, and I think Dad and Karen enjoyed her attention as well. The dinner, while superior to the previous feast, still wasn’t exactly our cup of tea, but we didn’t leave hungry. The only thing it was missing was the Tongan music, but that didn’t stop all the cruisers from hanging out and having a good time anyway. The next morning was Sunday, so Dad and Karen were able to go ashore for church and enjoy the beautiful Tongan voices.
At the Lape Island Tongan feast – this little girl spotted “nana and papa” a mile awayBrenden was the first volunteer
After leaving Lape Island, we spent night out at Avalau island (anchorage #40), and we all agreed it had been the most beautiful spot so far. The water was shallow with turquoise water for about 2km to the south where it met a reef with crashing waves. Best of all we heard whales in the night, and in the morning Karen asked me if it was real or she was dreaming. You see, they were there almost two weeks and the only sign of whales we’d had were the whale watching boats zipping around everywhere. Then later in the afternoon as we were getting ready for lunch we spotted spouts and dorsals well off our stern, so Tim took dad and Karen on a rather bouncy dinghy ride out to see them. They didn’t get too close a look, since they got shoed off by a tour boat, but at least they saw whales, finally.
After lunch we went to a cove on the island of Ovaka for snorkeling, and it was amazing, definitely giving the coral gardens a run for its money. And we didn’t even have to swim over a shallow reef to get there! However, it wasn’t practical to anchor Exodus there, so since Tim had snorkeled there the day before he volunteered to drop us off and babysit a drifting Exodus. We enjoyed Avalau island for more than the snorkeling and spectacular views, we also enjoyed going to shore and walking around the entire island. Well, that was just me and the boys, and John and Rosemary too. John and Rosemary were guests of our friends Helen and Stefano on Novae, and we enjoyed their company as well. We had everyone over for sunset drinks on Exodus in the evening, and in the morning, Helen had everyone over for Frappes and Biscotti on Novae. Good Times.
Exodus at Ovalau Island (#40)
Our final sail with Dad and Karen from the Hunga Lagoon back to Neiafu was a memorable one because the whales put on quite a show for us. We were outside of the protection of the island group and the whales were breaching and showing off their flukes. So glad they got to see that before they left. Back in Neiafu we enjoyed the restaurant scene again with lunch at Mango, Dinner at Bella Vista (a pre-birthday celebration for Brenden), and later in the evening pool and drinks at Marina Wine Bar. Then the next morning we sadly said good-bye to Nana and Papa.
Gresham Family Exodus 