Our first stop on the way north from Nuku'alofa was Nomuka Iki island. We actually got here before sunrise and had to standoff for an hour waiting for better light before approaching the island. The first place we anchored seemed fine until the tide went out and a jagged coral reef emerged less than a 100 ft away from the boat. I don't think I saw the reef clearly in the early morning light when we first anchored. Since it was blowing around 20 kts this reef made me nervous and we decided to re-anchor the boat in a more open spot nearby, which proved to be a good spot. Not much protection from the wind, but the outer reefs kept the swell at bay. Ashore we found an old shipwreck to explore, some friendly piggies and a lovely beach to comb (see picture).
The next day we had a gorgeous 3 hr sail up to Ha'afeva island where we anchored in a very protected lagoon all to ourselves. Just as we were getting the dinghy ready for some exploring, NINE more boats came in from the ICA rally, then local boats started pouring into the lagoon from the outer islands and finally a big supply ship came in later that afternoon. Which explained all the local boats. Supply ships are kinda big deal on most of the smaller islands we have visited. This one had oranges, which were popular. The ICA folks were nice and invited us to join them (16 peeps...) for sundowners on Gallant Cavalier.
That afternoon we ventured ashore to see the small village and visit the school. The village was quite small, but busy because of the supply ship. Still everyone was friendly and helped us find the school where we met Peter the principal and about 20 of his young charges. Wendy had brought a bag of school supplies and a soccer ball to donate and the energy levels were high. You'd think these kids had never seen a palangi (foreigner) before. Or maybe it was a palangi carrying a heavy sack? Either way, when the soccer ball came out the kids erupted into a mad game of jungle ball that remotely looked like soccer. It was fun to watch but kinda loud and Peter was grateful for the other school supplies.
Sometime during the night the supply ship left. These island captains really seem to know their way around the reefs. Taking our que, we weighed anchor the next morning and sailed 20 miles on a nice close reach to Uoleva island where we found yet another great anchorage and fine sand beach to explore.