Maybe our anchor is just plain growing roots. We have been making noise about leaving for Nuku Alofa now for a week but it just hasn't happened yet. We were going to leave tomorrow, Friday. Leaving on a Friday is never a good plan, but we have to move to the customs cement quay to check out and leave immediately. Today we had just another excuse to stay for another weekend. We were going to do an oil change, but another 8 point earthquake, in Vanuatu this time generated a tsunami warning. We are so well protected inside this island and the fact that the wave would hit Fiji first then the west side of Vavau we opted to stay put but to be ready to leave the mooring ball on a moments notice. The warning was subsequently canceled, but it sure puts all of us on edge. after the last warning! We are pretty much ready to go though. I made cinnamon rolls, bread and cookies to munch on. Just about everything is put away and lashed. All that is really left is entering my route waypoints into the cockpit plotter and lashing the dinghy. We will probably wind up leaving Monday because we need to leave in the morning for timing our passage. By the time we finish lashing the dinghy, oil change and customs, it will be into the afternoon. Since customs is closed on the weekend, it's just as easy to wait until Monday. I hope the weather will still hold. We still have ample time for passage planning to New Zealand. We are hoping for a nice weather window at the end of the month or early November. We have certainly enjoyed this nice break. The people here are nice and we have really enjoyed visiting with cruising friends.

On a very happy note, we made contact with our friends in Pago Pago and all is well with them. We are so relieved. Also, the traditional catamaran, the Va´atele is fine and not broken in two. Even better news is that the communities in Samoa and Tonga are getting relief assistance. The food and relief items that the cruisers here along with community members donated has been distributed in Toputapu. I expect that it is going to take a long time before some of the villages are free from the affects of this disaster.