Tonga

Well we went to bed on Saturday April 6th and due to the fact that we crossed the international date line we got up on Monday April 8th.  Really confused my camera.  Our first stop in Tonganwas at Neiafu. Tonga is an archipelago of 169 islands scattered over 700,000 square kilometres of which 36 are inhabited.  The total population is 100,651 people and Tonga is known as the Friendly Islands.  Neiafu Island is home to 5000 inhabitants and everyone of them that we met had a huge welcoming smile. We were met at the pier with music and traditional dancing to start our visit.  We then went for a drive across the island which we always enjoy as you get to see the local homes and villages.  We visited the botanical gardens where after strolling through the lush tropical gardens we watched demonstrations on making products from coconuts and leaves and tree bark.  Done by hand these were very labor intensive prosessives.  A visit to the oldest church and the main town completed our visit here.  With some time to visit the market before boarding the ship we were off to the island of Nuku which is uninhabited but has a beautiful sandy beach and wonderful snorkeling right off the shore.  A wonderful way to spend the afternoon of our short visit to Tonga.  

Young dancers greeting us on arrival 

An enthusiastic boys band 

Someone needs to supervise 

The hostess had the most beautiful smile and danced along to all the music

Local guide through the botanical gardens.  Her husband owned the property. Women cannot own property in Tonga. Property is passed to the oldest son and if their is no son the daughter gets a lease only until a male is born and then he gets property ownership.


This lady is pounding the dried leaves to thin them out .  In the end they will be about 18 inches wide.

This is the Kava root from which the kava drink is made.  He is holding kava powder in his hand which is against the law to possess in Canada but not in the USA

There were pigs grazing wild all over Tonga. Different from the chickens we had seen in other places

Tongan homes in the town 

Thought this was a different name for a bar

Lots of unique boats anchored in the harbour 

Could not resist this face

This fish seemed to be smiling at Eric 

These fish mate for life


On the healthy coral the fish were abundant 


The number of fish and the colours made the snorkeling delightful and of course it certainly made it even better that the water temperature was so perfect

Niue and Beveridge Reef

Our first visit to the country of Niue which is one of the smallest countries in the world and in fact one we had never heard of was to Beveridge Reef.  This is a unique area in that it is completely submerged in the ocean except at low tide so one must time ones visit very carefully.  It has unfortunately been the cause of several boat groundings as it is in the middle of no where.  Our timing was perfect and we went ashore by zodiac and were greeted with cocktails as we got out of the boats into the water which seemed very fitting given the name of the reef.  The sandbar and waters were pristine and the crystal clear water was home to plenty of coral but swimming was discouraged as the reef is also home to a large population of aggressive reef sharks.  That was enough warning to keep us in the shallow water wading only.  It was simply stunning to walk te sandbars with no land in sight and realizing that in a couple of hours there would be nothing left to see until the next low tide.  Definitely a special stop.

Today April 6th we visited the island of Niue landing at the capital Alofi which is the second smallest capital in the world.  With the whole island having a population of 2500 you can imagine how small this town was.  There was no such thing as a paved road though unfortunately we did see some Chinese surveyors as the Chinese are going to pave the road around the island for what the islanders did not seem to know.  The highlight of our visit was the trip out to the limestone chasm where after a short walk through the tropical forest we came upon a beautiful chasm in the shoreline where the snorkeling was wonderful and the scenery quite different.  The bus ride out there gave us a good look at the island and we had most informative local drivers which is always the best way to learn about some where.  The main economy of the country is derived from tourism but they rely heavily on aid from New Zealand to survive.  There are no property taxes and property stays in the family which is quite evident by the fact that most homes have some grave sites on the property and one would not want to leave family behind.

Beveridge Reef as seen from the air at low tide

One of the zodiacs arriving at the sandbar with cocktails waiting 

View of the reef as we were approaching.  There was a break in the reef where the zodiac had to enter

Beautiful sandbar in the middle of the ocean over 100 kilometres from land

Ship sitting outside the reef.  One did not go too deep so not to encounter any of the less than friendly sharks.

Another gorgeous day in a unique setting 

One of the few stores we saw.

Eye catching painting on this small building 

The ship right behind the warning sign was a good contrast. Their last big hurricane was in 2004 and the island has never had a Tsunami as the waters around are too deep but New Zealand wanted to put in a warning system so they graciously accepted.

The trail to the chasm

The waters within the chasm were abundant with tropical fish, some that one does not see elsewhere 

The shores of Niue are very rocky and sandy beaches are few on this island

Palmerston, Cook Islands

Today April 4th we had a very unique and amazing experience with a visit to Palmerston in the Cook Islands.  The total land mass of the islets is only one square mile and the large lagoon covers 56 square kilometres.  Palmerston is a very remote island and is rarely visited so we were welcomed with open arms and the children were given a day off school. What makes this island very unique is that all but 3 of its 62 inhabitants are descendents of The English sailor William Marsters who settled here in 1863 and with three wives produced 23 children.  The local men came out to the ship and helped guide our zodiacs through the reef.  We were greeted on shore by kisses and hand shakes from the locals.  The mayor greeted us with some history of the island and after a blessing from the pastor we were entertained with music and dancing which almost the whole island took part in.  We then broke up into small groups and the children took us on a tour of the island.  Our guide Tamatoe was 12 years old and has absolutely no desire to ever leave the island.  We tipped him but one does wonder what he will be able to spend the money on.  The island grounds were very well maintained with all the walkways raked but that may very well have been done for us.  The economy is based on fishing, coconuts, bird feathers and a bit of tourism but it is quite a subsistence way of life with few luxuries.  As Steve commented a furniture store would not survive here.  Though amenities were few beauty was everywhere.  The beaches and the water was outstanding.  We got thoroughly soaked as we crashed through waves exiting the reef but we returned to the ship feeling richer for our experience and so lucky that we had the chance to go where so few get to go.  As we were getting on the zodiac to depart a young boy came and shook our hand and wished us a safe journey.  A great end to a wonderful day.

Aerial view of Palmerston 

The children were all more than eager to have their pictures taken

The adults of the island preformed a traditional greeting for us

The whole population took part in entertaining us

Every one had a smile on their face and was happy to share stories of their life of the island 

This little fellow was the youngest on the island 


Beautiful sandy island and it was all raked

The school with 13 students. The teacher principal was from Australia

The main street with the very basic homes


The communal oven

This hammock we certainly indicative of the lay back way of life

A stroll along the beach

The man that started it all


Our return zodiac trip was a bit of an adventure with waves breaking over the reef and we did get very wet but it did nothing to dampen our spirits 

Bora Bora and Aitutaki, Cook Islands

Our first stop on our ship was at beautiful Bora Bora. As we had been here before and explored the island itself we spent most of our time on a snorkeling adventure.  The first stop was at a reef where sting rays and reef sharks were not only plentiful but also very friendly.  It took a bit of getting used to to having one of these large creatures come right up so close that they are touching you. Was a really neat experience in crystal clear water that was as warm as a bathtub.  After this unique experience we went off to another coral reef where there was a wonderful variety of colourful tropical fish.  After lunch we did a trip into town to visit a black pearl jewelry store as the one Tina got on our last visit had been stolen unfortunately.  With a beautiful new necklace in hand we were back on the ship and headed for the Cook Islands.

We arrived at the small island of Atui where a visit was planned but unfortunately the seas ere so rough that it was impossible to send the zodiacs to shore.  This would have been the first visit by tourists in two years to the island so the locals were very disappointed as were we.

Our next stop on Wednesday April 3rd made up for our disappointment of yesterday.  Today we spent the day at Aitutaki which is an almost atoll.  The main island is 6.97 square miles and the lagoon is 29 square miles and is teaming with tropical sea life.  We were welcomed at the pier with dancers and drummers as fresh flower leis were placed around our necks and we were handed a coconut full of coconut milk to enjoy.  Boarding local boats we went over to the uninhabited Honeymoon Island which is a wonderful snorkeling site with an abundance of corals and many varieties of fish.  There is also quite a collection of very large colourful clams which were really interesting and different to see.  After a lengthy snorkel we went for a walk around the beautiful island in the lovely white sand which we learned is actually parrot fish poop. One parrot fish creates up to 5tons of sand poop a year from cleaning the coral.  The red terns were nesting on the ground in the trees and we even found one with a new chick which was adorable.

The giant stingray were very friendly and would come up and rub against you which sent a few people back to the boat quickly

The black tipped reef sharks were curious but harmless though we were warned not to pet them as they could mistake ones hand as a food offering 

A feeding frenzy 

Being greeted at Aitutaki 

Gorgeous white sand beaches and crystal clear water that is as warm as a bathtub. Heavenly!

Tropical birds nesting on Honeymoon Island

These giant clams were quite abundant on the reef 

Many colourful fish were swimming and eating off of the corals

Quite a beautiful undersea world

Getting to quite like this drink witch is offered to us at each stop as the coconut is so abundant here