ADVENTURE 15
TONGA – THE FRIENDLY ISLANDS

Log Entry August 22, 2013 Enroute Tonga from Niue
1400 19 03.0 S 170 13.9 W SOG 3.3 COG 260 Wind ESE 5-10 kn. Heavy rain squalls wind increasing to 15 kn. and shifting 40 degrees. Frustrating!

Captain Cook’s ‘Friendly Islands’ became a bit of a misnomer in 1777. After naming the Tonga islands ‘Friendly Islands’ Captain Cook narrowly escaped death when plans for a lavish feast for him fell apart in Tonga. The big celebration was a conspiracy to raid his two ships and kill him.

With a population of over 100,000 and 171 islands within the four island groups: the Niuas, Vava‘u, Ha’apai and Tongatapu, Tonga will soon become our favourite South Pacific Paradise. Why? Where else can one find such natural beauty, remote idyllic palm-fringed islands, flourishing coral reefs, deserted white beaches, and friendly homogeneous people, many of whom live in remote villages and fish and weave for their livelihood. How exotic it is!

QUEEN SALOTE…..and now…THE NEW KING

Kings have ruled Tonga, a constitutional monarchy since the 1800’s. In 1918, Queen Salote (Charlotte) at the age of eighteen became Queen of Tonga. Queen Salote helped the Kingdom of Tonga advance in education and medicine. When she attended Queen Elizabeth’s coronation in 1953 she won the hearts of many people. Gracing the walls of cafes and buildings in Nuka’alofa we found beautiful portraits and historical pictures when she ruled the country. Now the new king, Queen Salote’s grandson King George Tupou V, is promising democracy as Tongans would like to have more say in the country they call home.

NEIAFU, VAVA’U
Grass Skirts and Tongan Feasts

Log Entry August 25, 2013
1100 14 40.1 S 174 01.6 W SOG 5.9 COG 239 Wind SSW @ 5 kn.
Motoring to Neiafu, Vava’u harbour. Spectacular scenery, steep cliffs and sea caves 28 C. Humid

How excited we were to turn the corner and head through the protected waters into Port of Refuge. To our surprise we counted about 40 cruising boats at anchor and on mooring balls in one of the world’s most protected harbours. After clearing Customs we secured a mooring and headed to town. Our appeal for Neiafu was mixed. On the business side there are bars, restaurants, charter fleets and ‘Swim with the Whale’ tours in a rather ramshackle town setting. But the real appeal for us comes alive in the simple joy of walking. We look intently at the Tongan men, women and children in their traditional TA’OVALA’S (grass skirts), their KIEKIE’S (decorative waistbands), and the TUPENU’S (The beautiful fabric wrap-around long skirts worn by the men and boys and the children and students at school). We’re in Tonga! And then we discover the waterfront market….a grand mixture of vegetables and fruit and their textures, colours and aromas displayed in interesting food groups and handmade woven frond baskets. We hurry to buy a hand of bananas, a pyramid of tomatoes, wands of Chinese greens, ripe papayas and pineapples(grown locally) and oranges and apples (from New Zealand). Right next to the fresh market are the handicrafts; an eclectic arrangement of Tongan arts and crafts. The Tongans have a fine reputation for wood carving, whalebone carving and pandanus weavings (baskets and mats woven from palm leaves.) And of course Tapa, the famous fibrous cloth made from the bark of the Mulberry tree. We meet Mary and Betty who weave beautiful baskets and mats. Before you can say ‘jack rabbit’ we are commissioning Betty to weave a basket for Sea Whisper. We agree to the size, design and the price. The basket will be ready in 3 days. Each day we go to visit Mary and Betty and chat, tell stories and see how the basket is progressing. We’re on a first name basis now and one day Mary is holding a little baby girl. I ask her, “Mary is this little girl your first grandchild?” Her eyes light up and she laughs heartily. “Barbara, this is my 26th grandchild and her name is Mary,” she proudly announces. “I have 14 children.” Mary is 62 and Betty is 56. We love Betty and Mary. And Betty’s basket now, laden with local fruits, dominates the galley counter on Sea Whisper.

A VISIT TO LAPE ISLAND
A Roasted Pig and a Little School House

In the northern part of the Vava’u islands group lays the little island of Lape. Sea Whisper is happy to stop at Lape Island to visit this small remote village. The 8 families live in very small houses and they cook on open wood fires in a separate lean-to that resembles a wood shed. Children sleep on floor mats and rugs. If you can imagine their homes were all destroyed in 2002 with a hurricane and had to be rebuilt with the aid of the Tongan government. Palm trees, hibiscus and gardenia shrubs decorate the landscape. The weaving house sits up on stilts on the hillside. Inside Kathy and Tala sit cross-legged slicing pandanus and coconut leaves for the weaving of a large floor mat which they will sell. Anna, the young priest’s wife, stokes the coals of the smoky wood fire to heat a pot of oil. “What are you cooking?” I ask. She says, “Taro dumplings for the family supper tonight. From the smoky embers of the fire she picks out the char-baked breadfruits, hands one to me and places the others on a rickety plank table. Anna’s face is radiant as she tells me how she likes to cook for her family. She is pregnant with her 4th child. Koleo is the CEO of Lape and he informs us that there will be a feast on Lape on Saturday. Koleo invites ‘Yachties’ who would like to attend the feast, telling us there is no set cost but we are welcome to make a donation. “We are very proud of the improvements we have made to our village and the special school supplies we have been able to provide for our 11 children with the help from the ‘Yachties,” announces Koleo. I walk away clutching my warm breadfruit in anticipation of the Feast event tomorrow.

The little School. The next day we visit the schoolhouse and meet the children in their red and white and blue and white uniforms and their teacher, Tiana. They are separated into two areas: grades 1, 2 and 3, and grades 4, 5 and 6. How excited they were to see us and sing with us. Outside we held hands in a circle and sang under a bright Tongan sky, “The More We Get Together the Happier (the kids sang ‘Heppier’) We’ll Be.” A great song for Tongans and Canadians to sing together. Inside the schoolhouse we showed them where we live in Canada on their map. “Are there any big wild animals in Canada?” an older child asked, and “What kind of people live there?” Interesting questions. We briefly talked about bears and cougars and our multicultural country.

The Pig Roast. Tongans eat pork, chicken, fish, coconut and fruit. The marinated raw fish in coconut is called ‘ika lahi’. Under a Palapa at the waterfront in pouring rain the ‘Yachties’ gathered in anticipation of the special Feast event: the crews of two Mexican, one US, and two Canadian boats. Up on the hillside the roasted pig was looking rather juicy and succulent thanks to the patient pig chef who had been sitting for 3 hrs. turning and tending to the star attraction. The Lape Island ladies had spent the day preparing the rest of the feast: taro, sweet potatoes, raw fish salad (ika lahi), chicken wrapped in green leaves, roast corn, baked breadfruit, steamed greens and cake and custard. In serving dishes of sugar cane stalks we filled our ‘plates’. The blessing was given by the Priest (Anna’s husband)….and then the Feast began. Oh my, how we ‘Yachties’ enjoyed the textures, aromas and flavours of our first Tongan feast! The evening ended with a traditional female solo dance known as the ‘Tau’olunga, and then donations were made to the coffers of Lape. We are blessed with the good food and hospitality of the Tongan families and soon realize that this is just the beginning of a varied experience for us on Sea Whisper: urban spaces and primitive villages on remote islands. Oh my, we are falling in love with Tonga!

The next day we snorkeled at Swallow’s Cave near Lape. This is an underground aquarium with huge caverns and still water. Inside the caves little swallow-like birds known as Swiftlets hover above in the dark shadows of steep caves and stringy vines. I free dive into the depths of crystal blue waters amongst hundreds of tropical fishes. We are the only people at Swallow’s Cave. Wow!

HUMPBACK WHALES……..to swim with them??

We met pilot Blake who flies for Tonga Air. He tells us many tourists come to Vava’u Tonga in the summer and fall to see the whales. These magnificent creatures migrate to the waters of Tonga to breed and then return 11 months later to bear their young and care for their new calves. “Would you like to go on a whale adventure tour and swim with the whales?” some of our cruising friends asked us. We opted not to do this. Firstly, the cost was $250.00 per person and no guarantees that you will see whales. But more importantly for us we feel that swimming with mothers and calves could disturb them. Although we haven’t heard the males ‘singing’ we have had great pleasure in seeing the humpbacks breach, spyhop and barrel roll right from the cockpit of Sea Whisper. On a couple of occasions these monsters have been right beside our boat at anchor in the protected waters of Vava’u. Our decision not to bother the whales was cinched when we bought a
T-shirt from Blue Banana Studios in Tonga. The caption on the back of the tag read: “LOVE WHALES FROM A DISTANCE. Whales with their babies do feel harassed by boats and swimmers.” Let’s protect our whales as whale populations around the world have been declining.

A RUSSIAN LADY, THE ‘HITCHHIKE’ AND OUR MEXICAN BOAT BUDDIES

The anchorages are numbered in the Vava’u Island group. Much easier to say we’ll meet you in #10 anchorage than trying to roll your tongue around the Tongan language over the VHF radio. Also known as Lisa’s Beach, Sea Whisper is anchored a fair distance from Nieafu, the main town for supplies. If we could get to a road we could hitchhike to town. By dinghy we traveled up the bay in search of a landing. Lo and behold we find a dock; a very sturdy one. There seems to be a jetty and a path up to a house amidst overgrown vegetation. With some trepidation I venture up the cement dock and into the ‘jungle’ of natural flora .When I see a door open on a patio I call out “Hello” and a lady appears with a very nice smile on her face and a cane in her hand. With a few words that she spoke I realized she was European. “Are you from eastern Europe?” I asked. “I am Russian and my name is Svetlanda,” she replied. We had a friendly conversation and she told me she has been living in Tonga with her son for the past 3 years. Her husband is a scientist and is teaching at a University in California but very soon to retire. The family had fallen in love with Tonga on a holiday many years ago and were lucky to find a house to lease for 20 years. Never thought I’d meet a Russian in Tongan! Svetlanda was delighted to ‘loan’ her dock to us for the afternoon. Lionel joined us and Svetlanda proceeded to give us instructions on how to find the road to hitchhike to town.

The Hitchhike. We trudged through cow pastures, farmland, forest and bracken for 1.5 km. On the narrow road we hailed a truck loaded with toilet paper and climbed aboard. Not sure who laughed more the truck crew or us. The friendly crew let us out short of our destination so we were ‘on the road again’. We put out our thumbs and this time we hailed another truck which was cement. Into the back we sat on the cement bags for the last part of the journey and more giggles. In town we did our errands, bought a chocolate brownie for Svetlanda and headed out for the long journey back to Sea Whisper at Lisa’s Beach. After some walking a Taxi gave us a ride for about 6 miles to a village where he lived. We got out and paid the fare….3 pa’anga dollars (about $2.10). Walking the last mile we indulged ourselves in the Tongan countryside and roadside plantations of taro, pineapple and papaya and then back through the cow pastures. Svetlanda was delighted to see us and we found out she loved chocolate brownies!

Don Leon and Windkist. Don Leon is a Mapleleaf 48 built in Vancouveroand is owned by Jorge Ortega. Windkist is an Island Packer 40 and it is owned by Jorge’s brother Xavier. These two Mexicans have a passion for sailing and are fulfilling their father’s dream for ocean cruising. In the fall of 2011 we first encountered Don Leon in Bahia San Francisco in the Sea of Cortez. In April, 2013 Don Leon and Windkist anchored very near Sea Whisper when we made landfall in Hiva Oa in the Marquesas. We shared anchorages again in Rarotonga, Palmerston, Niue and now in Tonga. One day through the coral reef and into a lagoon to a coral garden and steep sea caves we snorkeled with the Mexican contingent. Together we shared stories, laughter, fish tacos and Ikale beer. And we quickly discovered our own private Mexican fiesta would not be complete without the famous Mexican spirit ‘Tequila’. Mis Amigos Mexicanos!

HA’APAI – NATURE SUPREME

Log Entry September 18, 2013 Enroute Ha’apai
0200 Departed Ovalau Island, Vava’u 18 52.6 S 174 10.3 W SOG 6.6 COG 175 Wind E @ 12 kn. Fairly calm sea. Beautiful full moon. Comfortable sailing.

Goodbye Vava’u. We left the gorgeous sandy beach and the frolicking whales of Vava’u and eight hours later were ready to drop the hook in Ha’ano harbour, Ha’apai. Dropping our 110 lb. Bruce anchor usually goes smoothly but this time it was hung up on the bow roller. Luckily, Lionel noticed the clevice pin on it’s way out of the shackle. An hour later after Lionel’s major fix-it and my maneuver of Sea Whisper to keep her away from the surrounding reefs we were safely anchored at Ha’ano. Fortunately Sea Whisper didn’t lose ‘Big Bruce’ to the depths of King Neptune. Right behind the boat we discovered deep chiseled reefs and a wonderland of coral and tropical fish. We snorkeled and free dove the reef in the shafts of sunlight soon realizing that the islands of Ha’apai for the next 3-4 weeks will be playing host to some great underwater adventure for us.

THE LOCAL SCENE AT PANGAI AND THE BICYCLE RIDE


The Town and the locals. At the small waterfront market we meet the local ladies who are selling the usual: bananas, yams, carrots, greens and papaya. Mafi, a local carver, sells his wares at the market too. He is an accomplished carver and we choose to buy his mermaid and blowhole design whalebone pendants and a nice tapa cloth. In the dirt street town there are a few small grocery stores, the Mariner’s Café and the Digicel office. In the afternoon the cargo ferry boat arrives at the jetty from Nuka’alofa and there is a disheveled scene of Tongans disembarking with their groceries, house wares and fresh eggs and their families meeting and greeting them in their Ta’ovala’s. On the periphery, the local women dole out tinfoil packages of cooked food for the crowds. Not able to resist, we buy a plateful of 3 different grilled fish and rice…..4 pa’anga dollars. We cast our eyes in every direction and wallow in the eclectic scene.

The Bike Ride. Our little stainless steel ‘boat’ bikes one afternoon took us past many colourful cemeteries laden with artificial flowers, hand sewn quilts and head stones. Into the countryside we rode our bikes dodging pigs, goats, emaciated dogs, chickens and of course fallen coconuts. We passed by the houses with cotton curtains in the doorway which help to bring in the breeze and afford some privacy. School kids paraded down the roads in their orange and white and maroon and black uniforms (the girls with yellow ribbons in their braided hair). Women wove mats under the shade of leafy trees. Men raked the undergrowth of the forest and tended the brush fires. On a narrow dirt road we pedaled for 2 km. to find ourselves at the SE end of Lifuka Island on the deserted sandy beach, and the outskirts of the coral and the barrier reef. The blazing hot sun lured us to the water’s edge for a cool-down. Unhurried, we rode our little bikes back to Sea Whisper.

THE BISHOP’S FEAST, FERRIES, AND KAVA HOUSES

Moving on Sea Whisper made her way to Uhiha Island, a remote Island in Ha’apai. Landing on the shores of the Tongan Islands one soon observes the roaming pigs. At Uiha we immediately caught the sight of 4 roasting pigs on an open fire! We asked “Is there a feast today?” The answer was yes. We found out that the Bishop of the Catholic Church for the whole of Tonga was visiting the villages of the outer islands and today he had arrived at the village of Uiha. We walked along the dirt roadways children following us and calling, “What’s your name, where you from, and bye,” they call out to us. We passed by pink churches with pink and green spires. We wandered along to the ‘little church in the wildwood’ to find the Deacon and a few ladies waiting for the church service to begin. In the Kava House, partaking in the social ritual of drinking Kava, the men were fraternizing. We learn that after the mass there will be a feast in the Bishop’s honour on the grass outside the little waterfront Catholic Church.

The Bishop’s Feast. We were very honoured when the Deacon invited us to join the afternoon’s proceedings: the mass and then the Feast. In the church Bishop Sione Mafi welcomed us. “We would like to extend a special welcome to our visitors from abroad, from Canada,” he announced in a clear friendly voice. After the service we stepped outside and cast our eyes on a large Marquee with four long tables laden with layers of food. The music began and many of the women began to dance including me. On this day it happened to be my birthday so I felt overwhelmed to be present as such a party. At the Feast our eyes are cast upon the tables of roasted, earth oven, fried, steamed and barbecued food and vegetables: roast pigs, lobsters, grilled fish, chicken and corn beef wrapped and baked in green leaves, clams, oysters, octopus, taro, breadfruit and cake and peach custards. The blessing was given and the Feast began. One chooses the food and flavours and begins to eat with their hands. This seemed awkward so we were happy to find a plate and 2 forks in front of us. I felt like pinching myself to really believe I was in Tongan at a Bishop’s Feast. The food was delicious; a little bit of this, a little of that, some of those, oh let’s try this! The feast lasted 1 ½ hours and culminated with the breaking open of the cellophane gift baskets and everyone helping themselves to the pieces of fruit, packages of cookies and bottles of juice. A birthday, a Bishop’s Feast and a friendly nation. A 10/10 day.

Lionel in the Kava House. The Kava House is a hut sometimes in much disrepair, where the men gather to drink a potent concoction made from the root of the pepper plant. It is made by pounding the root in a bucket or, in some regions, the root is chewed in your mouth into mush and then filtered through coconut fibers. The chief and honoured guests are the first to drink the muddy pungent tasting concoction. For years it has been a strong social tradition and a form of welcome and a custom to commemorate family events. On one occasion I found Lionel and another cruiser in a Kava House after the church service at Lape. He and his buddy Andy sat with the priest and other Tongans around the Kava Bowl in the Kava House. Soon after they tasted the pungent brew their lips started to feel numb and rather chilly and they felt slightly sedated. Lionel remarked, “That stuff is real potent!” Enough said about the ‘Kava’ cocktail!!

Ferry boats. The Tongans on remote islands rely on ferry rides to get back and forth to the larger centres such as Pangai in Ha’apai and Nuku’alofa in Tongatapu. It is utterly amazing to watch these so-called rusticated ferry boats loaded to the gunnels with men, women and children and all their supplies weave their way in and out of the barrier reefs in all weather and sea conditions. The overflow people sit on top of the cabin. There are no life jackets, no spare engines, no toilets and no running lights. They are about 25 ft. in length with a small outboard engine. At 0600 in the morning we see the ferry boats load up with dozens and dozens of people making the routes from their small remote islands in the Pacific as they brave the storms, the trade winds and the ubiquitous south Pacific reefs. We watch them in their distant vanishing point and hope for their safe return home.

LOBSTER LUNCH ON HA’AFEVE ISLAND

At La’afeve we discovered a very protected anchorage after entering between the West and East reefs. After a peaceful sleep we anchored the dinghy and swam ashore. The village was about a 2 km. walk to the other side of the island. There we met a Morman family in the village who chatted with us for some time. They asked us if we liked lobster. “Oh yes, we replied.” Would you like to come to our home for lunch tomorrow?” The next question was, “Do you know how to make a cake?” I somehow got the idea that they wanted me to help them bake a cake. Lionel and I decided that we would make a cake and bring it to the lunch party. A banana cake (yes, we have lots of bananas) was baked on Sea Whisper, iced with chocolate icing and decorated with M and M’s. We trudged through the plantations to the village carefully transporting the chocolate cake and arriving at Simima and Akua’s place with the green fence. There were several children, pigs, goats, a few chickens and their extended family living at the little house on stilts. Inside we found a small table set for 2 people that was garnished with lobsters, taro, corned beef in leaves, deep fried fish and freshly picked coconuts. The family had eaten so it was our feast! The chocolate banana cake was devoured in minutes, when almost a dozen kids, smeared their faces with chocolate icing and M and M sprinkles. Akua offered us more lobster the next day. We thanked him for the lunch that was such a treat. “No, No, I go fishing every night for lobsters and fish,” he assured us. The next day when he presented us with fresh fish and lobster we handed him a spare pair of flippers and mask from Sea Whisper. You couldn’t wipe the smile from his face.

NOMUKA IKI AND NOMUKA
A Village with Heart and unforgettable Tongan Women

Nomuka is one of Ha’apai’s best kept secrets. It is an idyllic South Pacific paradise with Nomuka Iki (small island) and its sandy beaches and shells; and Nomuka village on the bigger island. We arrived on a Friday and walked the long sandy beach on Nomuka Iki and found a beautiful fluted clam shell. The next day we visited the village and met some lovely Tongan women sitting under a tree cutting strips of palm branches. They were so friendly: Sara, Lavinia and Salote. Lavinia invited us to church the next day and another Feast. This Feast was in honour of the School Teachers on Nomuka Island. Men and women were roasting pigs and cooking food for the Teachers’ Feast the next day after church. Strolling through the village we encountered many women weaving mats in the shade of trees, grating breadfruits, washing clothes and buying fresh chickens at the little market. Men were feeding coconuts to the pigs and repairing their fishing boats and fishing nets.

The women of Nomuka. The next day we dressed in our finest and went to the church. Another chance to wear my straw hat that Aka made for me. Our friend Lavinia of the village sang in the choir. After church we strolled to the school yard where the feast was being held and met some of the women teachers. Ateliana is the school principal of the Primary Government School. We sit on benches and have a nice long chat, and when I ask her how she likes living on Nomuka Island she says, “I love living here. Everything I need and want is right here on Nomuka. I have been teaching for 20 years.” Ateliana teaches Grades 1 and 2. Lavinia is helping to set up the Feast with many other women as people keep bringing bowls, baskets and trays of food for the Feast. The Feast table is now laden with traditional Tongan food, the blessing is given and the Feast begins. Ateliana sits beside us and turns to say, “Enjoy the Feast.”

Another extraordinary feast. The men and women teachers take turns speaking…and then it is our turn to express our immense gratitude for the opportunity to be sharing the Feast with our friends on Nomuka Island. They break out in laughter when we say, “We are from Canada and, after visiting Tonga, we now know the true meaning of ‘FEAST!”

The next day we visit Ateliana and the little primary school. The Grade 1 and 2 classes are delighted to see us. They sing a special welcome song…and then we join in with another action song. The children give to us little straw dolls that they have made. How thrilled we are to have a gift to take home to our grandchildren from the Grade 1 and 2 students in Nomuka Island, Tonga. We carry on to say our goodbyes to dear Lavinia at her house in the village. She gives us a warm hug and hands us a papaya and a stunning red pendant to remember her by. The village setting in Nomuka is primitive and yet the Tongans here are happy living day to day working, praying and studying. We are humbled by their simple existence and their friendliness. We say goodbye and tell Lavinia that we will be back to visit next year. Tears turn to smiles as we wave goodbye.

NUKU’ALOFA, TONGATAPU

Nuku’alofa is the capital city of Tongan that is home to over 24,000. The Royal family live here in Nuku’alofa and the government for The Kingdom of Tonga resides in the capital city As a religious country, 98% of the country belongs to a Christian faith and there are no shortage of churches in Nuku’alofa: The Free Wesleyan, the Methodist, the Church of England, the Roman Catholic, Seventh Day Adventist and the Mormon. While there we went to the large Catholic cathedral to see the Bishop whom we had met at the Island of Uiha. We were privileged to have our picture taken with him as there were nearly 1000 people at the cathedral and it was Confirmation Day for many young people.
The Talamahu Market in the heart of the town is a bee hive of activity each morning. One can find the best vegetables and fruit stalls along with arts, crafts and woodcarving. We had a taste of Nuku’alofa city life knowing will be back next year. We leave this family-oriented society clutching beautiful wood carvings in our arms. Good bye dear Tonga. See you next year.

OUR PASSAGE TO NEW ZEALAND

The passage from Nuku’alofa to New Zealand is 1100 miles. The only stopping place enroute is Minerva Reef. We luckily had a good weather window and departed for Whangarei, New Zealand on the morning of October 16. The plan was to stop at Minerva Reef (275 miles) if the weather window closed and then wait for the next clear shot. We were most fortunate with the weather. The first couple of days were excellent sailing and we passed well clear of Minerva reef carrying on to New Zealand. In a matter of hours the wind increased to 30 knots with higher gusts and we were close reaching into 3-4 meter seas. Numerous times we had 2 feet of water washing down the decks. Maybe we should have stopped at Minerva Reef! We plowed on under reduced sail. Sea Whisper is strong, we are not quite as strong! After 20 hours the wind started to drop and the sea got calmer. By the next morning the engine was on and we were motoring on a flat glass-like sea; as calm if not calmer than the Gulf of Georgia in the middle of summer. Forty hours of motoring later the wind came back and once again we were under sail. We arrived at Whangarei on the morning of October 23. All in all an excellent passage compared to some of the horror stories we had heard of weather and sea conditions.

We cleared customs at Marsden Cove Marina. Customs was a piece of cake. We talked more about the recent America’s Cup more than the custom formalities. Bio Security and Quarantine (Health) was a different story. All sorts of food products are not allowed into the country. We had used up most of the ‘not allowed’ products. The officer left us taking with her a bag of assorted food: dried beans, a frozen chicken, honey, lentils, one egg, and a few other bits and pieces…nothing too drastic. We were now officially entered into New Zealand.
The next morning we untied and motored the 10 miles up the river to our new temporary home at Riverside Drive Marina. A very friendly cruiser orientated marina located 1 km from downtown Whangarei. This is where Eric Hiscock had his last cruising boat “Wanderer” built. Sea Whisper will wait for us to return in the Spring.

THANKYOU to all of you for your support and encouragement, emails and sailmails along Sea Whisper’s journey of the South Pacific. It has been a huge adventure in a huge ocean…The Pacific Ocean. We hope you have enjoyed our Adventure Stories…… to be continued next year.

All the Best,
Barbara and Lionel
SV Sea Whisper
cwhisper@hotmail.com
www.sailblogs/member/svseawhisper