Arriving Tonga

Tongan ensign

Made it!

Having been thwarted by TC Ita then a gearbox failure in 2014 (the delays from which resulted in us being forced to sail direct NZ-Fiji), finally we made it to Tonga!

Arriving in the lee of Eua Island at 2 AM, we stumbled around a bit in the dark to find anchoring depth not too close to shore, before dropping the hook and breaking out the rum. Nobody wanted it, but hey: it's Tradition!

It was rather nice to be out of the gale and, after days of roaring along at 8-9 kts, the silence was a little spooky!

OK, we're here. Now what...?

Up with the sun, we raised the ensign and Q-flag then set off for Tonga's capital on Nuku'alofa's, Tongatapu and the CIQ arrival process. Along the way we prep'ed the boat, expecting an NZ- (or even Fiji-) style examination for dangerous & toxic foodstuffs.

No reply to our calls to the Port Authority on ch16 or 14, but we did hear two other yachts chatting about berthing in the harbour as if they'd just arrived (they had, also from NZ) and they gave us some pointers. We ended up rafting alongside a third new arrival: X-412, Nelly Rose to wait for a stream dribble of officials to show up in their own good time: Bio-security, Health, Immigration (each with their own raft of forms) but no Customs! We eventually visited them in their office at the main port the next day.

Big Mama's

However, job done, and without losing any of our rations, solid or liquid!

We were now 'encouraged' to leave the harbour (read: thrown out), so we happily motored a couple of miles over to Big Mama's resort on Pangaimotu Island, in company with four other yachts that were waiting for the breeze to drop. Still blowing a bit of a hooley, Arthur was beside himself with excitement. He could now kite surf!

Given the (gusting) 40 kts whistling through the anchorage, the rest of us tended to agree with the sentiments of the neighbouring yarpie skipper:

"What da faark?!" he shouted (a phrase that we must have mimicked a hundred times over the following weeks) as the kite whistled past, but Arthur was in seventh heaven...

Arthur...

in 7th...

Heaven.