Tonga

South Pacific journeys involve long passages, in our case, shortened by air travel. At Vancouver (YVR) airport, we checked our bags right through to Vava'u. That caught the attention of the Air Canada ground staff who made all kinds of jokes such as “Are you sure that you don't want to go to Moosejaw instead?”. In the process, we managed to unknowingly leave the counter short one bag receipt. We spent a couple of extra hours in YVR because of a flight delay. Bags and flight delays would later play a bigger part in our travel plans, especially in Vanuatu.

LAX (Los Angeles) is not our favourite airport but the Tom Bradley terminal has been improved in recent years. While we waited for our flight, we ate at a Mexican cantina bar counter and conversed with an Aussie bloke from interior Queensland. He was returning home and was chuffed with his trip. He had flown to Southern Ontario to purchase and ship home an older motorcycle. The trip over saved him thousands of dollars and he gained quite a yarn in the process. Over at the Fiji Air counters, our lack of a luggage receipt had garnered some consternation; our luggage did not appear in their luggage system.

An overnight flight and then a transfer onto the twice a week flight to Vava'u was routine. Vava'u has one of the smallest international airports in the world. The Duty Free shop was a table with a selection of cheap booze and smokes on it. However, we were relieved that both our bags appeared on the trolley. A driver was supposed to take us to the Hilltop Hotel, but we figure that someone else answered to “Glenn” and took off with our lift, so we banded with an Australian group that were also heading to the Hilltop and took a van into town with them. On arrival, we did see a taxi coming out of the hotel with a bewildered looking tourist who wanted to go to another hotel, who probably didn't understand why he was being taken to the Hilltop in the first place.

Not much happens in Vava'u, especially on Sundays. We went for a walk on our first full day in Tonga and then headed for large Catholic church to check out the 10:00 am service. We were a little late and the church was overflowing, so we looked in through the main doors Before we knew it, we were ushered into the service and space was made for us on the second row. Many of the Tongans were in traditional dress and there was plenty of singing going on. Early on in the proceedings, the ground started to shake (a tremor), but the congregation carried on and seemed to sing louder.

Some humpback whales winter in the warm Tongan waters (calving and reproducing). They head back south towards the Antarctic in October (males first, followed by the females and calves). We had registered for and paid up for a few whale watching/swimming trips so that kept us busy for a couple of days before our kayak trip began. Tourists pay top dollar to go out in mostly fully booked boats. It can take a couple of hours to find cooperative humpback whales either in sheltered waters or out in the deep blue. Then groups of 4 tourists with a guide quietly swim out and observe the gentle giants. After a little while, the first group returns to the boat and the other group of 4 take over. Our first two trips out were really good experiences, but didn't strike us as extra-ordinary (ok, we are slightly jaded, they were extra-ordinary). That would have to wait for our third excursion, which we had booked for after our kayak trip.

We were booked on an 8 day kayak trip with Friendly Islands Kayak Company. I had reached an agreement to photograph the trip with the company to update their marketing material. We had a very good trip with them and the weather was cooperative too. It is a well run outfit and I'd recommend them. Their trips are not cheap, but the South Pacific is an expensive place to operate in.

On our return to Neiafu, we once again stayed at the Hilltop Hotel. This time around, the town felt a lot bigger and busier after quiet beach camping nights. The following day, we went on our third day of whale watching and we experienced the magic. Our group of 4 tourists and guides floated over a mother whale who was resting in a vertical position. She was just a few metres below us and she was well aware of our presence. Then the calf came up to the surface and engaged with us, swimming with us. At one point the calf was so close that it brushed, touched one of our group. Magic. Whale watching from above the surface will never be quite the same after that. See more of the amazing whale photos here.

On that last whale swimming excursion, we did spend a few hours motoring out in the blue water, looking for whales. The captain and guide were up on top of the wheelhouse and Sheila was sitting in the disused Captains chair. When she got up from the seat, the boat happened to rock and she put her hand down for balance on the “kill” switch. Suddenly, we were adrift in the ocean without power. It took a little while before the captain got the diesel engine going again. Phew.

Every so often, something does happen in Vava'u. A yachtsman was in custody, charged with murdering his wife. While we were there, he walked out of jail, and sailed his boat to American Samoa. An investigation followed. One of the investigators stayed at our hotel. Each morning he would have a Tongan breakfast, which in most other places would feed half a dozen people. Tongans like their food.

Neiafu is a sleepy place. There are plenty of pigs running about. It seemed super safe. Not much goes on there. Market days (Saturday mornings) are busier. The shops all seem to sell more or less the same stock, but if you check enough of them out, you will find some that sell a few different items, some catering to visiting yachties. The open air market is the place for produce. Deeper in the harbour area, you can buy fresh whole fish.

Accommodation

Hilltop Hotel : we spent 9 nights here in a sea view room. It is a good affordable option. The room was spacious and came with a large balcony with a “million dollar” view. It took a little while to sort out the hot water, and we never used the air-con as a fan was sufficient in Sept-Oct (not sure if the AC worked) but the view more than offset any minor issues. It had friendly staff, a nice open air eating area and a functional kitchen where we made a few meals. The sunrises were beautiful from the eating area. The wifi was not functioning, but internet was often illusive in Neiafu. It was a 10 minute walk up from town and the church bells sometimes could disturb your sleep, but all in all, it was a great choice and we would stay there again.

Eating Out

We tried a number of restaurants in town including Bellavista, Aquarium, Mango, Rooster and Panda. We single out Bellavista for both its seafood dishes and pizza. There wasn't much to choose from at the low end of the spectrum; Panda served mediocre Chinese, there are a couple of very basic chicken & chip places. You can always grab a sandwich to go from a shop (green front) on lower Kovana road.

Whale watching

There a number of outfits offering this service. Supply is barely sufficient to meet demand, so it is best to book well in advance (months ahead). You can normally find a spot due to cancellation but don't count on it. The whales are amazing. Do your own research as to best times of the year, but at the end of September, viewings were taking longer to find than earlier in the season, but still OK. Our last day out with them was Oct 6 and it also took a while to find them. Apparently, they are easier to locate earlier in the season. We were limited in our choice when we booked a couple of months earlier and went with Tongan Expeditions. I wouldn't recommend this outfit, based on my own experience and that of others who went with a variety operators.; their boat was too slow and the guides were so-so. “Whales in the Wild” would be a better choice, in my opinion. Don't miss this opportunity if you are in Vava'u. The operating costs and small group sizes make the cost of these trips high, but it is worth the money. The actual time with the whales may be short, but the experience will stay with you for a very long time!

Kayaking

We paddled with the very competent Friendly Island Kayak Company on an 8 day Vava-u trip. It's really only 6 days (actually 5.5 days, 5 nights) because they include the Vava'u arrival and departure days. We have paddled in Fiji and Pulau and we thought Vava'u was pretty good and we would prefer it over Fiji largely because it has more interesting topography and it was not as hot. FIKCo had enthusiastic guides, nice campsites, good food and some decent (not spectacular) snorkeling.

Apparently, independent camping is illegal in Tonga, and property/beaches are always owned by someone, so an independent paddling trip (with a folding kayak) would require some leg work to get the appropriate permissions. We did visit the beach where Paul Theroux stayed while paddling as described in his book The Happy Isles of Oceania.