The Happy Islands

Serenity of Swanwick
Phil and Sarah Tadd
Wed 11 Oct 2017 03:05
The Ha'apai Islands live up to the nickname the Happy Islands. When we arrived in the main township on Lifuka, we were taken in hand by two lovely ladies who showed us all the way to the customs office, and almost everyone smiles and says hello.

This group is less developed than Vava'u to the north and Tongatapu to the south. It is mostly small islands with sandy beaches and coral reefs. As it is not perfectly charted, and there is not a great deal of information on anchorages, it is a case of nosing your way slowly into a bay, using eyeball navigation to avoid any dangers. The rewards for doing so are nights spent anchored by fabulous beaches.

The Island of Uoleva, where we are today, has three small Eco resorts on it, where the accommodation consists of huts hidden in the trees behind the beach. There Eco credentials include solar power and the use of rain water. On an island with no infrastructure that's called making a virtue of a necessity.

We will have at least one more stop in this paradise before heading to the bright lights of Nuka'alofa on Tongatapu.

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Nukunamo, our first anchorage in the Ha'apai group

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The Royal Palace in Pangai, Lifuka. The King visits a couple of times a year.

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The raised cross outlined by the white and red is said to have appeared overnight and is believed to have been sent by the Angels to the people of Tonga.

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The owner of this solar powered Tuk Tuk says he has the last laugh when the supply ship is overdue and everyone else has run out of fuel.

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Every time we have sailed around the islands here we have seen whales. We haven't been very successful with the camera, and this is the only photo we have.

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The beach at Uoleva - it could be the loveliest we have seen in the Pacific.


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