Shortly after my 0600 watch, I spotted land on the horizon as the sun began to light up the sky. We arrived this morning at Neiafu, Vava'u after a mostly uneventful passage and grabbed a mooring in front of the town. Winds during the night had been steady at times in the 25 knot range making the 3 meter beam seas a bit uncomfortable and sleep for the off watch a bit tough. Luckily the conditions lightened a bit by morning with winds in the 20 knot range and seas down to 2.5 meters. As we approached Vava'u, I couldn't help but think how the high rocky bluffs and lush green covered hills reminded me of more of Alaska than a tropical island. In fact with it's many inlets and islets, the topography shares much with the looks of southern Prince William Sound. We've seen several familiar boats already and look forward to catching up with them. Though we were pretty tired, we went straight to setting up the dinghy so we could clear in with customs and immigration. But we did stop by Morning Glory so Piper could meet up with some of the kids we've been talking up. Tomorrow we are going to a local cruisers "feast" and will catch up with Moonwalker, Laluz and Segue. Hopefully the food is traditional island fare and not cooked cruisers. We may book a tour with one of the whale watching outfits as we've heard great things about swimming with the humpbacks - something that is illegal in most countries. Sleep tonight!