hanging out with the whales

Bandit
David Morgan and Brenda Webb
Mon 25 Aug 2014 22:05
18:41S 174:01W
 
We thought we’d had some special experiences with whales in Niue....but Tonga has been amazing.  We’ve spent the last hour sitting in the cockpit watching three whales – a massive bull, a female and a baby just playing 200m away.  A local whale boat has had snorkellers in the water with them – right beside them at times.   We’ve seen whales every day since arriving – some breaching, some spouting and some – like these – just playing, tail slapping and having fun.  If anyone wants an up close experience with whales, Tonga is definitely the place to do it – and we’re here for another three weeks so come and join us!
 
We had a lovely few days in the sleepy village of Neiafu which included watching a great game of rugby as the All Blacks thumped Australia 51-20 in the Bledisloe Cup.  It was sheer joy to watch rugby on the big screen – we can’t think of the last time we did.
 
On Sunday morning the church bells began tolling around 9am.  I was keen to go along to the Catholic service but at the mention of the word church David was up on the bow letting the mooring lines go!  He did promise we would go next Sunday.  We dropped anchor in Port Maurelle just after coffee; usually our anchorages are a day sail or overnight between so it was great to have just a short sail.  The beach at Port Maurelle is lovely – white sand with crystal clear water and very protected in the chilly south easterlies we are having – we’ve even had to dig the duvet out. 
 
Yesterday we walked through the local village to another white sandy beach. The village was deserted but coming back we met some local men heading back from the hills who told us they’d been working in their vegetable garden.  There were lots of boats in the anchorage and we had a shared pot luck dinner on the beach last night.   Today we plan to walk over the hill to another village – if we can tear ourselves away from watching the whales play.  
 
We’ve only been in Tonga a few days but we’re loving it and will be very happy to spend the next month here just hanging out with the whales, enjoying the lovely beaches, catching up with cruising friends as they arrive (nine in today from Niue and Samoa)  and doing some snorkelling.  If you’re sitting in cold old New Zealand reading this and feel like an escape from the winter – come on up!