Tonga - the Vava'u Group

Tonga is an independent country still operating under a Kingdom although there are some that say they are trying to move to a democracy. The country is made up of 170 islands spread North to South over 500 miles. They are clustered into three groups; Vava'u, Ha'apai and Tongatapu.

We are currently in the Northern group, Vava'u, which is a preferred cruising ground for us yachties who enjoy the many small islands and cozy anchorages. The good folks of Vava'u also provide excellent services for yachties with boat accessible wifi, a morning cruisers information net on the VHF radio, restaurants where they are more than happy to have you come by and chill out for as long as you like, and some social events such as a weekly boat race in the Harbour.

And the big attraction in Tonga (at least for Jens and I) is the Humpback whale which migrate from the frigid waters of the Antarctic to the warmer waters close to the equator every year to breed, give birth and frolic.

As for the journey, we are now officially across the Pacific Ocean although there are about 1900 miles to go to reach Australia. We have a few long passages to make but if the wind is in our favour they should not be longer than 6 days. In the meantime, we will be in Tonga for about three weeks enjoying the beautiful beaches, snorkeling and hopefully lots of whale watching.