Tonga to Fiji

Wandering Dream
Steve Litson
Wed 17 Jun 2015 00:20
18:44:9S 176:05:9W
 
Tonga
“The Friendly Isles,” could quite easily have been called “The Happy Isles” or “The Smiley Isles.” People here were so friendly and cheerful you just can’t help but be influenced by it. At content place at ease with itself.
 
Singing:
As we arrived and each of the two mornings we were there, we were greeted and awoken by the wonderful sound of church choirs singing drifting out over the water to all the visiting sailors.
 
Although less affluent than the French Polynesian Islands, the Tongans are proud to be their own people. School children, office workers and officials, male and female still wear the traditional woven grass skirts over a wrap around cloth.
 
Businesses do seem to be predominantly run by New Zealanders or Chinese, only small local convenience stalls by Tongans.
 
The islands of which Vava’u is amongst the largest are low lying flat topped limestone plateaux's, dissected by fiords or loch like inland lagoons, a wonderful safe cruising area and no wonder that Moorings and Sunsail have set up base there. The sparsely populated, surrounding land is mostly wooded, with beaches of white coral sands.
 
Lautoka, Viti Levu, Fiji
Here we come Fiji! A 520 mile passage. Where we are meeting Simon (who brings a special fruit cake and Marmite for the skipper as well as bits for WD) who will be joining the WD crew for the passage to Cairns, Australia.
 
Miles travelled in the last 24hrs: 128 miles