Years ago (probably ‘04 or so), Rich and I met a wonderful woman named Diane who worked with the Peace Corps and was assigned to Vava’u, Tonga. She ended up with one of our products: a stuffed teddy bear that says a bedtime prayer, and it had strongly affected some of the young people she worked with. When it quit working; she contacted us and said she would soon be visiting her home in San Diego, and could she buy another bear? Needless to say, we gathered all the bears we had and donated them to her.
While she was in San Diego, we met her for lunch and learned more about Tonga. She worked with this incredible church and its pastor, Pastor Havili, who did so much to help troubled youth in the area. She was in the market for a piano keyboard for the church as the one they had quit working, and did we know of anything? Actually, we did: Rich’s piano teacher had a professional keyboard that he was planning to sell. Rich called him immediately and told him about the church, and he ended up donating the keyboard. Rich arranged to get it on the plane with Diane when she flew back and we paid the extra fees.
Later, we were thrilled to hear how well it was working and how a young man from the church played it beautifully. We hoped to get to Tonga someday and hear it for ourselves.
Well, we finally made it! We met with Pastor Havili and Sione, the assistant pastor who turned out to be the young man who had taught himself to play the keyboard. We visited the church, first going to a special Tongan feast they were holding for some visiting missionaries and then later going to a church service. Music is a very important part of Tongan church services and Tongans are well known for their beautiful singing. They lived up to their reputation as the singing and music was amazing! The keyboard is still working perfectly and Sione is a gifted player. -Cyndi
Having lunch at the Aquarium with Pastor Havili and Sione.The Tongan feast held for the visiting Baptist missionaries.The youth group put on a show with some traditional Tongan dancing.
One of the must-dos in Tonga is the Tongan feast. Every Polynesian society has their own version of these feasts, which feature traditional song and dance along with the traditional foods. There are many feasts to choose from during cruising season in Vavau, some of them near Neiafu and some at the outer islands (which means you have to take your boat). Some were on lovely beaches, some became large cruiser parties, and some were more educational. They were all a great way for some of the villages to make some money, sell their wares, and share their culture.
We chose a feast that was in the educational category (although it did have a beautiful setting). The woman who runs it is a Tongan American businesswoman who has moved back to Vava’u and uses her own home on the beach as the site. She has taught the people of her village how to do these feasts professionally, and then teaches those of us who attend about the Tongan rituals and customs. It was a really special evening. -Cyndi
Transportation was provided by a local boat.The traditional Tongan Iphone.The setting for the feast part of the evening.We got to partake in a Kava ceremony.A sunset view from the beach.A full moon rising behind the palm trees.Traditional Tongan dance and music was the final part of the night.
We had a special surprise stop on our whale excursion. The tour operator of Whales in the Wild (the outfit we went with) was dropping off his visiting son and daughter-in-law at a small resort on Eua’iki Island (aka Treasure Island). What a treat to be able to see this island up close, and the little resort looks like a nice place to stay.
Would we be anchoring here in the future? Maybe. Many of these islands have spots where you can anchor for the day, but then it’s best to move someplace more protected overnight. This place was such a beautiful stop that I decided to give it its own blog post. -Cyndi
Beautiful gradations of blue off the tip of Eua’iki Island.The beautiful white sand beach along Eua’iki Island.The resort owner coming out to help us beach our whale-watching boat.What a wonderful place to sit!The owner waiting to help his new guests off the boat at Eua’iki Island.
Yesterday was one of the highlights of our trip so far – we had the chance to swim with humpback whales! It was incredible. Our underwater camera was not, however and these are pictures pulled from our video. It was the best we could do. Sorry.
We wish we had pictures that did this experience justice. We were just ten feet away from a mother and calf. The calf played in the water in front of us, rolling over and eyeing us underwater. It really made eye contact! This is an experience we will never forget.
Here’s a little video. The first part shows junior and the second part shows mom coming up from the depths at us.
One of the best things we did in Tonga was the Whale Excursion. During the winter season, the humpback whales come to the south pacific from Antarctica to breed and to give birth. They then remain here to raise their calves until they’re big enough to make the trip back to Antarctica for the summer (December – March). Tonga is one of their favorite spots, and at the height of the season there are a lot of whales here.
Vava’u has at least 3 outfits that take people out to swim with the whales, almost always a mother and calf. When you sign up for a trip they cannot guarantee a whale encounter; so it’s a bit of a risk. Some mother whales are nervous and don’t want their calf swimming with us human folk, while other whale moms don’t mind at all. They let you know if they’re receptive by “settling,” which means staying put close to the tour boat. We were lucky in that we found a mom and calf who were willing to settle long enough to let both sets of swimmers be with the calf. (There are about 8 tourists on these boats and you go in with the whales only 4 at a time). The calves are curious and love being around the goofy-looking human species: it’s always mom who decides if they stay and for how long.
Rich and I were in the first group, and it was a fantastic experience as the whale calf swam right up to us and stayed with us. After we got back on the boat and the second group went in, and it was a thrill to watch as the calf swam right up to them and rolled over on his back! After all of us got to be with the whales, mom decided that would be enough and swam off with her calf. We followed a little way in case she settled again, but she kept going. I think I can speak for everyone on the boat when I say we were more than satisfied with the time we had!
One nice thing about these whale excursions is that they include at least one snorkeling excursion, and Tonga has some of the best snorkeling in the world. After our swim with the whales, it was time for lunch, which was included in the trip. We had calm seas; so the boat motored over to the back side of an island and anchored, and we all ate our lunch (sandwich fixings and cookies). After lunch we were told we could snorkel right there. I went in not excepting anything special at this spot with no name, but I was wrong: this was the best snorkeling we had seen in the entire South Pacific! The fish and coral were incredible! (Unfortunately our waterproof camera was acting up so we didn’t get pictures.)
After snorkeling and lunch, we headed over to Kapa island to a spot called Swallow’s Cave. That, too, was beautiful but in a different way. There were no fish or coral, just deep, crystal clear water in the cave, but when you look up to the ceiling there is a large hole where you can see sky, green vegetation, and swallows darting back and forth. A bit further up the island is another cave and if you’re brave, you can swim down and through an entry into yet another cave behind it. Since we had a guide with us, we were brave and did it. It was fun to ride the surge up and down in that final cave, which gives it the nickname “The Elevator Cave.”
Around 3pm, it was time to head back to town. It had been an incredible day of snorkeling with whales, tropical fish, amazing coral, and fascinating caves. There was one more benefit I appreciated: getting a look at some of the islands and anchorages we might be visiting in the near future. Already I had an idea of where I most wanted to go and what we could skip. -Cyndi
Note: You can see some photos of the whales in Rich’s post coming up next.
A baby whale lying on it’s back.Water an amazing shade of blue.One of the many islands we motored past on our whale excursion.Our snorkel and lunch stop.Looking into Swallow’s Cave.The entrance to a different cave and its offshoot “the Elevator Cave.”
