And more coronation events!
11 August 2008 | Lifuka, Haapai Group, Tonga
Surprise
We had a lovely time in Ha'afeva, sharing the anchorage with Steve & Suzie on Hiraeth and Jose & Erica on Patagonia, a cat from Chile. Jose had arranged with some locals for a night dive for lobster, but it was canceled. It did turn into a invitation for Sunday lunch from Oka and his wife. We were included, so the four of us went off to meet Oka. We were escorted into the house, where the table was set for four. There was batter fried fish, four lobsters, yams, pork, palusami (corned beef and coconut milk in taro leaves) and lemonade. In Tongan fashion our hosts did not eat with us, but watched us enjoy ourselves and shooed the flies away. Much more than we could pack away, so we took the leftovers to Hiraeth. We had taken a fishing lure and lipstick as gifts; Erica baked a cake and Jose has promised to find a silver wedding ring in Chile! In mid afternoon we all went diving/snorkeling; beautiful coral and some new fish. At the end of the dive Steve (Hiraeth) found a lone lobster and wrestled in out of its crevice with his gloved hand. As you can see, the Pacific painted lobster lives up to its name. They invited us for dinner and there was plenty for the four of us, and very tasty too. Lobster twice a day--how lucky can you get! All three boats left next day to get to LIfuka before the wind went into the 20's again. We arrived to the sounds of a brass band and discovered the King had just arrived on his outer islands pilgrammage. In the evening there was another beach torch lighting ceremony, even more impressive than in Nukualofa. There must have been over a thousand "torches" (they are made of the dried shell that initially covers the coconut flowers and made extra flammable with gasoline) along the 5 mile shoreline. They burned for over 30 minutes--really a magical sight on a tropical evening. Today is another military parade and a party, so we'll go ashore to take see the sights.