Tonga
Karinya
Tim And Vicki Schofield, Captain Cal 7 and Jess 4
Fri 2 Sep 2011 19:06
We have just spent a week in Tonga and starting to look for a weather window
for the 3 day passage to Fiji. At the moment we are getting a lot of frontal
systems coming up from NZ and causing larger winds and seas than are
comfortable. I desperately want to leave latest Tuesday so we can make it to
Fiji for the opening game of the rugby.
So Tonga.....really different to what I expected, so 3rd world it's scary.
Last Saturday I went to the local rugby field (more like a concrete slab)
and watched the locals play, they have great running skills, but line outs
and scrums are similar to their international squad.....rubbish.
I met a couple from Fiji who came to the island 11 years ago, the wife runs
a school she started for young kids, she gets no funding, the parents pay
$10 a week to pay salaries for the teachers and buildings etc but apart from
that they have no income. We got a few things off the boat that the kids
don't use and donated them to the school. Jess spent a few hours at the
school and loved playing with the kids.
We watched the NZ-Aus game, NZ must be trying a new tactic....loose games
before the world cup.....they looked mediocre at best!
Then off to the out lying islands. We spent a full day out with friends on
Karinya, first we went to a cave that you need to dive down 2M then swim 4M
then up 2M to get in. It was too hard for Cal and Vic to free dive it, so I
took them through using my dive bottle. The only problem was I had the
bottle on my back, they had the air from it and I free dove with them, by
the 6th time through I was exhausted as I helped friends from other boats
through too.
After that we spent time watching whales in the pass, the local dive
operators get annoyed as they feel they should be the only ones who can get
near as they have paying guests! We had some spectacular sightings and
enjoyed seeing at least 12 whales throughout the day.
The following day we went out again.....not a whale anywhere to be seen,
that's nature at it's best.
We now back at the main town, getting diesel provision, weather etc then out
to the islands and then off to Fiji. We may only be in contact next weekend
again so don't worry if you have not heard from us.
If Vicki gets a moment this morning she will upload some photos.