It is hard to imagine a more perfect cruising ground than the 171 islands that make up the Kingdom of Tonga.  With our visitors, Stu and Tish Inglis we have spent the last couple of weeks in the Vava'u Group near the top end of the island chain and it is so perfect, it is easy to see why some people arrive here and never want to leave again.  The mutiny on HMS Bounty actually took place here in Tonga rather than in Tahiti as is popularly thought. The islands are sheltered by a huge reef that runs down the western side of the group where the mighty ocean swell spectacularly beats itself out against the coral and cliffs. Inside this reef, the waters are calm, crystal clear and dotted with small and mostly uninhabited islands. If this place was any closer to the rest of the world it would be smothered with resort hotels and motor yachts but fortunately, even in these days of high speed jet travel, Vava'u is not exactly easy to get to. Although a tourist industry is slowly developing you can still find as much peace and solitude as you want.

 

It is pretty idyllic and we are not the only big mammals that these attractions appeal to. Between June and November the Pacific Humpback whales arrive in large numbers to breed and, you can take it from me, with each male whale weighing in at around 45 tonnes they don't go about this courtship business quietly. We have been lucky enough to witness some of this showing off and one morning our breakfast was accompanied by a spectacular show from a family of whales leaping right up out of the water, waving their tails in the air and beating the sea with their fins. On another morning, we were anchored in a small bay when a small pod swam by within 30-40 metres of Savoir Vivre. Three of us slipped into the water with our fins and snorkels to witness the huge grey shadows sliding gently by. Even if you can't see any whales it is still often possible to hear them....by just ducking your head underwater you enter their world and can hear them singing to each other to attract a potential mate. They are magnificent creatures and they have recently provided us with some of the most magical moments of our cruise so far.

 

While not on quite the same scale as the whales some of the Tongans are pretty large as well!  When Cook visited in 1777 he named the group the "Friendly Isles" partly because of the local habit of having a huge celebratory feast given any possible excuse. There is a story that Cook was due to be the main course at one of these feasts but the locals couldn't decide when the attack should take place. By the time they had got their act together the feast was over and the ship was sailing away! One of the marketing slogans used by the local tourist board is "Tonga, Where Time Begins" due to its position right on the International Date Line (we are actually 13 hours ahead of GMT). In fact the time locally is considered quite a flexible commodity, and even seasoned travellers may be surprised by the lack of concern shown for timeliness. I have started using my watch just to tell me what day it is!  The locals however are wonderful and probably the most welcoming and friendly people we have met anywhere in the world.  After the relative wealth of French Polynesia we are suddenly right back at the other end of the scale but you could never tell from the generosity and smiles of all we meet. Many of the smaller islands have no vehicles and so no roads at all and even the main street of the villages are often grass. The kids sometimes run out to greet us and in one case a whole school emptied out of the classrooms to come and say hello!   Dogs and fowl run everywhere as do the pigs, even the big hairy tusky ones who presumably spend much of their time trying to avoid being the one caught on the spit for the next feast!       

 

Given the size of the locals (both men and women) and their passion for the sport it is easy to see why Tonga produces far more than its fair share of rugby players. While the Kiwis and Aussies do not seem to have noticed Jonah Lomu, Steve and Totai Kefu and Willie Ofahengaue are all Tongan and these are only some of the best known names. When we toured the main island of Vava'u our guide was an ex Tongan schoolboy International who has had to stop due to injury......all six of his brothers are currently playing rugby overseas! 

 

Our visit has also sadly coincided with the death of the old King, Taufa'ahau Topou (the fourth). Unlike many monarchies the King here really is still the main man, wielding all the power of the state himself and personally appointing the Prime Minister and the whole cabinet.  Whilst not universally popular, he was still highly revered by many Tongans who are now all officially in mourning.  The towns and markets are filled with men and women wearing black and wrapped in traditional matting skirts, a symbol of allegiance worn by both sexes.  The old king was well into his eighties and in his prime was quite a big lad (presumably he gets invited to lots of feasts?). He had not been well for some time but allegedly a few years ago he was put on a diet by his Dr's to improve his physical condition and managed to lose 75kg or just over 11 stone which I think makes Fergie's efforts for weightwatchers look a bit lightweight by comparison.

 

Stu and Tish left last week and we hope they enjoyed their stay as much as we enjoyed having them.  Lucy likes it so much here I'm not sure quite how I am going to drag her away but our plan is to spend a little longer here in Vava'u before heading down to the more remote Ha'apai group around the start of October.