Uonukuhihifo Island, Ha'apai, Tonga
Harmonie
Don and Anne Myers
Fri 5 Jun 2009 20:08
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19:57.928S 174:29.596W
On May 27, the sun came out, the wind all but
disappeared, and we decided it was time to move on to a few of the
uninhabited islands of the Ha'apai group. After an easy twelve mile motor,
we arrived at Uonukuhihifo Island. In case you were wondering, it's
pronounced 'OO-oh-NOO-koo-hee-HEE-foh'. Try that ten times fast.
Then try it ten times fast after a vodka and tonic or two.
Almost immediately after our arrival, Don
and I decided this was the most incredible spot we've anchored. At least
so far this season anyway. It's actually two uninhabited islands
joined together by a sandbar, which creates two beautiful sand beaches
back-to-back. Who could ask for more?
Picture 1 - Uonukuhihifo Island as viewed across
the sandbar from Uonukuhahake Island
(pronounced 'OO-oh-NOO-koo-hah-HAH-kay')
Picture 2 - John from Storyteller, Don and myself
on the Uonukuhihifo/Uonukuhahake sandbar.
We stayed in this spot two nights, the first of
which Storyteller and Harmonie were very happy to have to
themselves. This is why it was such a surprise when early on the morning
of the second day, we awoke to the sound of a motor boat approaching followed by
a very persistent, 'Hello! Hello! Heeeellllllooooo!' Don
finally decided our unwelcome caller was not going to go away, so he
crawled out of bed and went up into the cockpit. Once there he saw
that a smallish wooden Tongan fishing boat had pulled up
alongside. The fisherman proceeded to ask Don if he wanted some
lobster. Don asked, 'Is it fresh?' The fisherman nodded
emphatically, 'Yes, we caught it last night.' Then he went on to say
with a smile, 'I would have brought it to you earlier, but I thought two in the
morning might be too early for you.' As it turned out, eight in the
morning was too early for us, but given that he sold us five good
sized freshly caught lobster for the equivalent of $10, we really couldn't
complain. We called Storyteller on the radio and confirmed that
they had purchased four lobsters for the equivalent of $10. Nine
lobsters for $20. Not too bad. Not too bad at all.
We did read in the guide book that these islands
are well known for their lobster. As well they should be. That
night we decided to be completely decadent and chopped off just the tails of all
the lobsters and grilled them. We are pretty sure the fish were
grateful since they received everything but the lobster tails for
their own dinner. We did have leftovers that turned into lobster salad for
lunch the next day so at least the four of us didn't eat all nine
lobster tails in one sitting. Although we probably could have had
we tried harder.
Picture 3 - We did get our exercise by
circumnavigating Uonukuhihifo Island by foot. Afterwards of course we had
to find a patch of shade and cool down with a beer. From left to
right that's Don, John and Sue.
Picture 4 - Harmonie and Storyteller as
seen from our patch of shade.
Aside from some snorkeling and swimming that about
sums up our visit to Uonukuhihifo Island. A place like this is really the
reason why we don't mind the sometimes rough sailing passages and
stormy anchorages. In the end it's all more than worth it.
Anne
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