Tonga is a Polynesian kingdom with many uninhabited islands full of white beaches and coral reefs. When we arrived we were reminded of the San Juan islands of home with their accessibility and beauty. We spent our time on Vava'u exploring underwater caves, having campfires on the beach, enjoying nightlife in town with friends and enjoying the humpback whales. It is a top place to 'snorkel with the whales'. While in Tonga, Jake returned to Lorien and Gus returned to school. Fortunately, both Jake and Gus were able to join the sites and tastes of Tonga.

An hour outside of Niue we caught a 35 pound yellow fin tuna. We were thrilled as it had been a while since we caught a fish. The whales were active during our stay and one night JD and Gus counted 11 Humpback whales in our anchorage. Niue has many caves for exploring and a diverse landscape. We rented a car to travel to the various destinations. The small island was well supplied and offered many dining options. While exploring one cave, we were hit but a big surge, and Melinda twisted her ankle. A visit to the hospital and x-rays confirmed it was a bad sprain and nothing was broken.

Seemingly situated in the middle of nowhere, Beveridge Reef was a fantastic snorkeling destination. The reef featured a sunken ship and more colorful fish and coral than we have seen at any other location. At one point, Ed came across a giant (8-10) pound lobster sitting on a ledge. After grabbing the fleeing lobster, Ed managed to pull off its tail! He went back and got the rest of the lobster, but that agitated a white-tipped shark circling the reef. We put the lobster in dinghy and went looking for more. To our surprise, we found one nearby. After Ed fended off the aggressive shark by bonking him in the head, we made a second catch and enjoyed a grand lobster feast.

Halfway between French Polynesia and Tonga we stopped at an isolated coral atoll in the Cook Islands called Palmerston. Most contact with the outside world is from cruisers and we were provided with a royal welcome. The roughly 60 residents are descendants of one man and surprisingly there was a strong political infrastructure. The Humpback whales actively swam around our boats in the anchorage. On shore, the dirt roads were well kept and the town was tidy. We had an island host named Edward who brought us to shore with our friends on Dream Catcher and provided us with fish and rice every day. We fished, snorkeled and enjoyed visiting with locals, including one man who went by the name Bill Clinton. When Melinda would go running, Bill would stop her and insist she (and any other visitor) go to his home and eat ice cream.

Society Islands - Tahiti, Moorea, Huahine, Ra'iatea, Bora Bora and Mopelia

In mid-June we arrived in Tahiti, part of the Society Island group. The marina in Pape'ete was situated next to a waterfront park that was great for walking or jogging. We spent the first few days getting accustomed to the hustle of the city, making necessary boat repairs, shopping at the colorful markets, and touring the island on scooters. During our tour we saw gigantic waves, visited ferny grottoes and sacred sites called maraes. Our favorite eateries were at the roulettes consisting of 25 or so trucks preparing food with tables situated outside. The food was very good with options ranging from Chow Mein to crepes and barbecue. The roulettes were near a public courtyard where children played, artists displayed their art, and musicians entertained the crowd. Our visit culminated with a sailing rally to Moorea to reunite the Pacific Puddle Jump participants.

We had a festive arrival in Moorea set in a striking anchorage boasting vertical mountain peaks and music in the background. We rafted with Family Circus and Shine then enjoyed dance performances, a variety of feasts, and lots of local crafts. Everyone participated in big canoe races, local dances, coconut husking and other activities. It was a wonderful weekend of family fun and it was even better catching up with our friends. At the end of the event, Melinda and Jacob departed to bring Jacob to St Croix for the summer. Ed and JD sailed back to Pape'ete to pick-up Gus, JD's best friend from Bellingham, who sailed with us down the west coast.

After Gus arrived, we returned to Moorea. We snorkeled at the nearby reef and then ventured down to snorkel with the stingrays. Initially it was disconcerting, but once we got used to having the stingrays rub up against us in search of sardines, it was a lot of fun swimming with them. Our dinghy engine was not performing well with all the bad fuel, so Melinda and Ed ferried over to Pape'ete to purchase a new one. We played bocce with locals and our friends on Ransom and Libby. The bocce court was a dirt parking lot with a makeshift overhead light powered by a car battery. The games generated lots of laughs and lasted until the man who owned the car battery was ready to leave.

Huahine was deemed the 'hippie island' with big reef breaks and a laid back atmosphere. Unfortunately, there were high winds and cooler weather so the conditions were not optimal for snorkeling. That said, our friends on Shine anchored next to us and JD and Gus sailed with them the next day to Taha'a for an American-style Fourth of July celebration. Melinda and Ed stayed in Huahine and rented a scooter with Ray on Sea Note. We circumnavigated the island stopping to visit the marae, blue-eyed sacred eels, a pareo (sarong) shop and had lunch with the crew on Pied a Meir in the tiny town of Fare. We ran into Stan and Sioux who were camping nearby and enjoyed catching up over a cocktail at the nearby hotel on the beach.

Once the weather allowed, we went on to Ra'iatea, the second largest island in the Society group. On our way to the botanical gardens, we were greeted by a local man who took us on a tour of the gardens and the grounds near his home. He wanted nothing in exchange for his time and we left him loaded with a bouquet of flowers, coconuts, vanilla and vegetables we purchased from his family. After a couple of days, we picked JD and Gus and took scooters around the island. A highlight was going to Taputapuatea, a marae dating from the 17th century, and deemed the center of spiritual power in Polynesia.

From Ra'iatea we sailed to the volcanic peaks and blue lagoons of Bora Bora. We arrived on Ed's 50th birthday and after tricky maneuvering at the marina, we made plans to celebrate at the famous Bloody Mary's restaurant and have drinks with friends from Family Circus, Scintilla, Sea Note, Good as Gold, and Free Spirit. Bora Bora has clear aqua water that was great for snorkeling and diving with manta rays, lemon sharks, eagle rays, reef fish and coral gardens. Gus and JD went wake boarding with the crew on Shine and had a memorable evening snorkeling with a manta ray that was circling our boat. We topped off our stay by attending a Heiva celebration featuring dance and band performances.

Our last stop in the Society Group was Mopelia. We were invited to a dinner that evening that a local family was preparing for the crew on Lazy Jack to thank them for delivering goods, and a child, from a neighboring island. That night we enjoyed a huge meal of coconut crab, lobster, rice and other tasty dishes. We listened to the family sing and JD and Gus were invited back that evening to celebrate Gus' 20th birthday. It was a memorable experience.

After a 4-day passage from the jagged peaked Marquesas, we arrived in the flat ringed Tuamotus. The Tuamotus are made up of 77 atolls, and resemble rings of coral with only the crowns exposed around a central lagoon. They are a striking contrast to the previous island chain and every atoll is unique. We arrived at Kauehi near sunset and carefully navigated through our first of many tricky entrance passes where current runs up to 6-8 kts.

Kauehi was a welcome landing for us. The local people were very friendly and they had a decent store full of canned goods and cold soda. Coke has never tasted so good! Whereas fish are plentiful in the lagoons, the harsh conditions do not lend to fertile soils to grow much fresh produce. We played soccer with the local residents on the first day, and on the second day, we arrived with a baseball and bat to see if they would be interested in playing. We managed to mix up the playing field to include soccer, basketball with the soccer ball and in one corner, baseball. Again it was striking the friendly and giving nature of the people and the lack of footwear. We left the bat and ball and gave a local family some grapefruit and limes we had brought from the Marquesas. The reef was nearby and we snorkeled with the colorful fish and coral.

Our next stop was in the south pass of Fakarava, the second-largest atoll, reputed to be the most beautiful of all the Tuamotus. Our friends on Family Circus were there and we snorkeled with them in the south pass. This was our first time snorkeling and diving with the sharks and it was exhilarating. The snorkeling was amazing with a variety of colorful fish, hundreds of black-tip and gray sharks, and explosions of coral arrangements all within the channel. Ed and Melinda met another cruising family and dove in the channel the following day with them. The sharks were larger at the deeper depths and the views just as stunning. The anchorage itself was surrounded by motus and brilliant blue waters where we had a picnic with new friends, played bocce and football, built a bonfire and even went out one night in search of lobster. Our lobster hunt yielded a tasty lobster and we had a lot of fun exploring the coral covered terrain at dark. It was wonderful to catch up with our friends and the kids enjoyed a couple of movie nights.

After a week at the south pass, we headed to the north pass to provision and catch-up on personal business. We rented bikes to tour the island and enjoyed a couple of delicious meals of sushi, poison cru, sashimi, and fresh veggies. There were many pearl farms and we arranged a tour to learn about the production process and purchase our own pearls. Ed and Melinda enjoyed beautiful singing at the local catholic church where they spoke in their native language and French. The décor was simple yet ornate with decorations in woven palms, sea shell chandeliers and flowers.