Sailing with Nine of Cups

Tonga is unique among Pacific nations. It never completely lost its indigenous governance. The
island groups were united into a Polynesian kingdom in 1845, and became a constitutional monarchy
in 1875. Though it was a British protectorate for 70 years, Tonga remains the only monarchy in the
Pacific. Its culture very much intact, it's a fascinating place to visit. The International Dateline juts around this island kingdom making it one of the first countries in the world to see the sunrise of a new day.

The archipelago of Tonga, dubbed the "Friendly Islands" by Captain James Cook, consists of 169
islands, with only 36 inhabited. There are four main island groups including the mostly low-lying
and southernmost Tongatapu group; the volcanic and coral Ha'apai group; the flat coral islands of
the Vava'u group; and the volcanic Niuas group in the far north. We visited three of the four groups.

Did you ever watch the adventure series in the late 1950's created by James Michener entitled Adventures in Paradise? When we arrived in Neiafu, the largest town in the Vava'u group, that series that we'd watched as kids came to mind. Neiafu is a little South Pacific seaport, hustling and bustling with local commerce. We picked up a mooring in the well-protected little harbor and enjoyed its sights, smells and sounds for more than a week. The waterfront is primarily lined with restaurants, shops and yacht charter companies owned by ex-pats. There are lots of little hotels and a reasonable tourist infrastructure. It's easy to schedule dives, island tours and Tongan feasts.

The fresh market and crafts market are excellent here. Smiling, welcoming people pitched their fresh veggies and exotic fruits to us at bargain prices. The crafts market adjoining the fresh market was open daily and offered some of the most unique, high quality and inexpensive crafts we'd seen in the South Pacific, especially basketry, tapa, carvings and jewelry.

Though we enjoyed Neiafu, it was quite commercial. After over a week of "civilization",
we opted to head out in the Vava'u group and do a bit of exploring. We didn't get far before we found a place we liked ... Matamaka ... and, as usual, we ended up staying longer than planned. The reason for staying was not the scenic vistas nor the snorkeling or diving ... though all were great. We stayed because of the people and our ability to interact with them. We met Fa'aki, her husband, Ben and their six kids and we just bonded. Fa'aki's excellent English allowed us to learn more about the Tongan culture and their way of life. David's engineering background came in very handy. First, he fixed solar panels for the school teacher; then for the minister. Then there were generators and more solar panels to fix. Folks were coming by horseback from the other side of the island to enlist David's aid. Time to call in the troops! We contacted "Yohelah" and "Gannet", good friends and fellow SSCA members, and invited them to come for a Tongan feast ... and oh, by the way, come prepared to help with the repairs.

The feast was held in honor of Roxanne's (Fa'aki's oldest daughter) graduation from elementary
school and it was splendid. The men had been invited to a kava circle earlier in the morning and
were definitely mellow when it was time to eat. We contributed some baked goods on request (no
conventional ovens other than underground umus on the island) and were treated as honored guests. We were at a loss as to proper etiquette although no one seemed to mind. Sitting cross-legged the way the natives do was not physically possible for us. We sat on the ground mats and managed uncomfortably, listening to one speech after another. Finally, the feast ... roast suckling pig, veggies, all sorts of local delicacies and Fanta orange soda.

Our men earned their feast! They spent two subsequent very full days ashore making repairs.
The final count: 30 solar panels, 4 generators, a telephone, a digital camera, 2 VCR's, 3 TVs, 1
DVD player, a weed whacker and who knows what else...we lost count. But it was truly a
community affair. People were queued up. Everyone watched intently as "the doctors" diagnosed
problems. If it was fixable, a collective sigh went up from the crowd with smiles and thumbs up
signs. If not, "oh well" and they moved on to the next repair. We were paid in bananas, lettuce,
coconuts and genuine smiles of thanks.

While the men worked, Fa'aki took the women on a village tour with stops to admire weaving, tapa-making, gardening and learn more about Tongan culture. It's a very small village and it was easy to keep track of the men's progress. If we didn't see them, we certainly heard where they were and what project they were currently working on. Without a doubt, the time spent in Matamaka was the highlight of our visit to Tonga.

We spent a few days in the Hapa'ai group on the way south, but could have spent a month. Anchorages here were empty. Most islands were uninhabited. We could walk the beaches for miles shell collecting, bird watching and enjoying the peace and quiet.

Tonga's "big smoke" is the capital city of Nuku'alofa in the Tongatapu group. After the pristine, secluded anchorages of Hapa'ai, we anchored with about 60 other boats off Big Mama's Bar & Restaurant at Pangaimotu. What a contrast! Though Big Mama caters to cruisers offering all the amenities a sailor could want, she also owns Pangaimotu Island Resorts with fales (traditional thatched-roof huts) for rent which we heard were great. Daily ferries run across the channel into the city or you can take your dinghy.

Nuku'alofa offers supermarkets and fresh markets and lots of small shops. You might not find everything in one place, but with enough searching around, you'll find most things you need for provisions. There are beaches, resorts and tourist attractions galore here. The blend of strong, traditional Tongan culture with the modern day world is very noticeable everywhere you go. Fakatonga is an important expression to learn...it means "the Tongan way" and for better
or worse, it's how things are done in Tonga.

For lots of "If You Go" info including anchorage lat/longs, pix and links, visit
Just A Little Further.