Stormy Skies in Paradise
Storyteller
Mon 25 May 2009 05:08
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Position 19.57S 174.42W
After the partying at Pangaimotu, the 'royal'
island off Nukualofa, we headed north on Friday for the fabulous Haapai Group,
probably one of the loveliest and most unspoiled cruising grounds in the world.
There's been only one fly in the ointment, though--there's almost no shelter
from the West, and we've become mixed up in that huge weather system that has
caused such havoc in Queensland and NSW this week. For the second time in a
week we've spent a sleepless night on anchor watch as the weather has refused to
do what has been forecast, leaving us exposed in big seas, surrounded by coral
reefs, with waves too rough to allow us to lift our dinghy. It's not all
bad though as I write this from our comfotable pilot house with a
stunning view of the local village, a glorious sunset and coconut
palm-covered atolls all around, not to mention a couple of volcanoes, hopefully
dormant, rising up from the sea.
As with everywhere on the coast
of Tonga,at low tide the pigs go fishing in the shallows. The islands have
bountiful supplies of papyas and bananas and in the Haapaii group the Mormon
church seems to be the centre of village life. A Tongan friend confided to us
that many people join the Mormon church to benefit from their scholarships to
university in Hawaii, but on their return to Tonga revert to the Catholic and
Wesleyan churches!
Tonga must be one of the world's few remaining
feudal systems, with the royal family and nobles highly revered. There are also
more churches per head of population than we have seen anywhere, including
Malta. The whole economy relies on remittances from Tongans working overseas and
one of the most prized possessions seems to be an All Black jersey.
There's so much to explore here, so we just have to
hope that weather will clear up in a couple of days' time so that we can go
ashore and mix with the local people, not to mention go snorkelling over the
surrounding reefs.
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