The Sounds of Neiafu

We have been anchored in the bay of Neiafu for a few days now, enjoying the very calm waters and easy access to shore. It is nice to have a break from the constant rocking of the boat. The days here are sunny and warm but the nights cool down beautifully and are usually accompanied by a cool breeze.

The sounds of the sloshing and slapping of the waves against the boat have been replaced by the sounds of a typical town. At dusk, the frogs (I believe they are frogs of some sort) raise their voices. This is followed by the merrymakers at the restaurants on shore. The Aquarium and Mango are just a bit more than a stones throw from our boat so the sound of laughter travels easily to us. Then the village dogs have their chance to settle turf wars or whatever it is they do.

When that is all said and done and you are pretty sure there are still a few good hours left in the night, the roosters start in. All of the islands we have visited since crossing from Ecuador have plenty of free range chickens. And although roosters are supposed to crow at dawn, they start much earlier than the break of day. And I mean much earlier. Somewhere around 3 am is what I'm guessing is when the first one starts. The roosters here cock-a-doodle-doo with gusto, giving it their all.

But for as lovely as all of these sounds are, the best is yet to come. St Joseph's church is nearby on the hill in the bay and the bells start pealing at 6:00 am. The bells are calling the parishioners to mass and when mass begins, so does the singing. By now I am out of bed sitting in the cockpit, watching the sun rise and listening to those heavenly voices singing their praise to God. They sing without the help of an organ, their voices strong and true, singing a Capella.

The Tongans are religious people and after hearing the church bells ringing and the morning singing, we decided to attend church on Sunday. It was a wonderful and moving service even though it was all in Tongan. Everyone was dressed in their finest. The men in Tonga wear long narrow skirts with a knee length woven mat over top. And the women are in dresses with a decorative mat on top. The choir has some truly amazing voices, and when the whole congregation joins in, the church is definitely alive with the sound of music.