1 - 10 August 2007  We spent the night of the 1 August 2007 tied to a mooring buoy off the Bora Bora Yacht Club, which allowed us to get away in good order, having spent the previous day getting the boat ready to tackle the 1200 nm passage to Niue.  We decided not to stop at the Cook Islands partly because of the insecure anchorages, partly because of the number of boats that were already on their way to the Islands and partly because we wanted to get a few more miles under our belt having spent longer in Bora Bora than we had intended.  The number of boats ahead of us was a factor for us because we didn't want to over burden the islander's hospitality.  We would love to have called in at the Palmerston Atoll, but we knew of 9 other boats ahead of us planning to visit there and, to our mind, that is a significant burned on a family that only gets a provision ship every third month.  Palmerston Atoll was uninhabited for many years until a prolific breeder, William Marsters (a Lancashire man who died in 1899) and his three wives settled there.  William fathered 26 children and divided the islands and reefs into sections for each of his three "families" and established strict rules regarding intermarriage.  Today, the Atoll has about 50 inhabitants, all descendants of William and all with the surname of 'Marsters'.  Many other descendants live in New Zealand and Australia.  Maybe we were wrong not to visit, but as it turned out the weather supported our decision and Niue was a better destination.  We can't visit everywhere after all and don't regret our decision. 

The passage began with very calm seas and light winds for the first 2 days and we made steady progress, enjoying the easy sail and easy roll of the boat.  It always takes us a few days to settle into the routine of a passage and our 4 hour watch system; however, we seemed to settle quicker this time than usual.  During this quiet time, we realised that we didn't have a Niuean curtsey flag, so Hazel made one out of a 'Q' flag for the background colour and two of our other flags for the Union Jacks.  She then cut out the blue circles and yellow stars for the centre; Blue Peter presenters would have been proud of her!  The afternoon of the third day out saw big showers behind us, to the point that we put two reefs in the main as a precaution.  We managed to stay ahead of them and shook the second reef out around dusk.  We held good sailing conditions until midday on the 5th when the wind began to build and we ended up with the second reef back in the main, two reef in the yankee and the staysail giving us 6.5kts.  We held these conditions until 2am on the 6th when we had a major wind shift to the NE that required us to gybe the boat.  The wind stayed in the ENE through to the 8th.  During that time the only significant event was Hazel having a Flying Fish land in the cockpit beside here one night.  It gave her quite a shock and put up a bit of a fight while she cornered it and got it back over the side!  The 8th also bought a change to the weather forecast, with much stronger winds forecast for the later part of the passage.  Our strategy was to make as much mileage as possible to then take advantage of the forecast wind shift to give us a beam reach to Niue and minimise the time we spent in the big seas that were sure to build with the wind.  We rigged the third reef, but kept 2 reefs in as we were making such good progress and the self steering was coping well, and set the storm sail on the inner forestay at 2am on the 9th.  The winds built steadily thereafter, as did the seas and by late afternoon we had 25kts and 12' (3m) seas on the beam.  We made good progress; however, by that night we had much bigger seas and were having quite an exciting ride!  Despite the rough seas, we managed to pick up a hitchhiker, who fell asleep standing on the pulpit rails and only fell off late at night when the seas really built!  We let the Monitor (self steering) have the boat all night as we hunkered down behind the dodger to stay dry.  At dawn we saw the full extent of the sea, which was now covered with more white foam than blue water and the waves were a good 16' (4m).  The wind was a steady 28kts with only the odd higher gust; however, that afternoon a larger that normal wave swept across the boat and disconnected the self steering, which we were unable to reset in the big seas, despite a valiant effort by Hazel hanging over the stern up to her elbows (and sometimes her head) in water while I steered.  However, it was too dangerous to pursue a repair so we resigned ourselves to a long night of hand steering.  We hove too to put the third reef in at this stage as we were beginning to take a lot of water over the boat and we hoped to slow down a bit and retain a bit more control.  We had one large wave break over the boat whilst Steve was for'ard putting in the reef and he came back soaked to the skin, despite wearing full foul weather kit.  The wind stayed a steady 28kts, but the seas continued to build and we took several big waves over the boat during the night of the 9th, one of which washed one of the solar panels off the side of the boat, another ripped the dodger and several saw us sitting up to our waist in water in the cockpit!  Fortunately, the water was warm!  We helmed for half an hour each and knapped in the cockpit as it took a great deal of concentration to steer the boat down the cross seas.

Dawn on the 10th saw the island of Niue rising above some very angry seas and we were grateful to get in the lee of the island and find some shelter by about 9am.  Once in the lee, things calmed down dramatically and we were able to hoist the flags and sail to the moorings of the Niue Yacht Club in Alofi Bay.  The moorings were excellent and there were only 3 other boats in the Bay.  We put the boat 'to bed' and headed ashore to clear customs and immigration, but first we had to lift the dinghy on the crane to get out of the swell.  A daunting experience the first time, but it soon became second nature.  The Niuean officials were very friendly and helpful and the Yacht Club made us exceptionally welcome.  We are the 1162nd members!  They pride themselves on being the biggest little yacht club in the world. They were great fun and more information can be found at www.niueyachtclub.com.  Although the weather was bad for the last few days of our crossing, we have to keep reminding ourselves that we've got away with it quite lightly considering the weather conditions some of the other yachts have been through who are making the same journey as ourselves.  These few days were the worst we've had since we were in the Caribbean some 8 months and 9000 miles ago!

Steve putting the dinghy back in the water, the pictures speak for themselves.  After some practice, it was possible to do it alone, although I normally assisted, someone had to take the pictures!
 

11 - 19 August 2007  We spent our time in Niue drying the boat, fixing the steering, fortunately we had the spares required, repairing some broken sail slides and enjoying the wildlife, which was spectacular.  We were treated to the joy of Humpback Whales lying no more than 50m off of the stern of the boat with their calves.  The mothers lay there supporting their calf on their fin, allowing the calf to rest.  Unfortunately, they were always just too away for our camera to record them, but we have some wonderful memories.  We planned to stay for 3 days and ended up spending 10 days there, which speaks volumes for the hospitality we received.

We went diving with Dive Niue, a small company run by an Australian couple Ian and Annie, who were also very good fun. We did two dives, the first one was down to 125' to see the large fan coral that escaped the damage of the cyclone that devastated Niue in 2004 and the second to see the sea kraits, of which there were so many it was like watching elevators going up and down.  Sea kraits are similar to snakes except that they are air breathing and they lay their eggs on land whereas sea snakes either lay their eggs or live young in the sea.  Sea kraits are extremely venomous; however, they are also quite timid and have very small mouths, so the likelihood of getting bitten was very remote.  We soon got used to them, despite our dislike of snakes (or things resembling them) in general.  We dived through a cave system and saw some very large crayfish; however, the most remarkable thing about the dive was the outstanding visibility.  Niue is a volcanic island with porous limestone and has no water run off as it all soaks into a large subterranean reservoir.  The surrounding ocean is therefore unpolluted by run off, clear and very deep.

Wonderful gorgonian fans at 125'

Sea Kraits and a Lion Fish

We also went on a forest nature walk with Misa, a friendly Niuean conservationist.  Misa was raised by his grandparents in a cave on Niue and brought up using the traditional methods of gathering food, medication and general way of life.  We spent the whole morning with him in the island's dense forest, learning to identify trees and plants for food and medical purposes, seeing how to construct an uga (coconut crab) trap, traditional ways to catch fruit bats and pigeons and how to make fire rubbing two pieces of wood together.  Steve had a go at making fire and it worked!  It was a very interesting morning and reminded you that traditional ways don't really mean out dated and that people used to maybe understand the land better and use it accordingly.

Misa with an uga trap, Hazel holding an uga, Steve making fire - if you look closely you can see smoke!

On our last Saturday in Niue, we went to watch the rugby 7's matches.  There were three matches planned, the ladies and men's matches were trials for the Niue team to go to the South Pacific Games and then the Veteran's friendly match.  The Veterans ran out first and were a mixture of ages and abilities; however, looking at some of them we weren't sure if 7-a-side was really a good idea as it is a fast and furious game.  The atmosphere was very good natured and friendly.  The crowd was behind both teams, with laughter and encouragement coming both from the spectators and the players; giggling could be heard from within the rucks.  It was all going well in the first 10 minutes, with both teams having scored a quick try each.  Unfortunately, the ruck before the yellow team scored had left one of the players on the black team on the ground.  One of the spectators (a doctor) quickly ran out onto the pitch and started CPR whilst the ambulance was called.  Despite all efforts, the man couldn't be resuscitated and the rest of the afternoon's matches were cancelled out of respect.  Talking to some of the players who knew the deceased, they told us that he was a 77 year old rugby fanatic, who had played rugby all his life both for Niue and Auckland when he lived there in the '70s.  During the team bushwalk warm-up in the morning, he had been asked when he was going to retire from rugby and had replied 'They will have to carry me off the pitch'.  I guess he got his wish and he died doing something he loved.

As everything is closed on a Sunday, we took the opportunity to cycle around the island.  As most people were at church, the roads were very quiet.  We went clockwise around the island and from the start to nearly three quarters of the way round, we seemed to be going up hill!  We stopped at many of the beautifully clear pools along the NW coast, including the Limu Pools and Matapa Chasm where the kings of yesteryear used to bathe.  About halfway round the island, the road turned into a mud track which slowed us down considerably and made us work harder.  By the time we had cycled 30 miles we were ready for a rest and luckily, we were at Washaway Cafe - the only establishment that is open on a Sunday!  We had a welcome couple of beers and some excellent hot fish sandwiches before continuing on our ride.  It is 38.2 miles around the island and we had a well earned rest in the afternoon!

Limu Pools, Matapa Chasm, Washaway Cafe and the view overlooking the reef

20 - 23 August 2007  We left Niue around lunchtime on the 20th August after clearing out with customs & immigration in the morning.  The wind had been relatively strong during our stay and, although it had dropped for our departure, there was still a moderate residual swell.  We were able to sail off of the mooring under full sail and were treated to an escort of 4 Humpback Whales as we left Niue astern.  A Dolphin escort is exciting; however, nothing compares to the scale and majesty of these beautiful mammals.  We kept excellent sailing conditions until early evening when it became apparent that we were in for a wet night.  A lingering cold front had made its way further North than forecast and by nightfall we were sailing fast through heavy rain, which lasted until dawn.  It wasn't comfortable, but it seemed a mere trifle after our last passage and the 6.5kts of boat speed made up for getting wet!  Dawn bought a clearance and excellent sailing.  Oasis really picked her skirts up into the now headwind and we bowled along at speeds touching 7kts.  We have not had headwinds for so long that we had forgotten what it was like to go to windward!  The wind slowly backed to the South during the day and was on our beam by dusk.  The Southerly winds reminding us that winter is not far to the South and we ended up wearing both our Musto fleece all-in one suits and oilies to stay warm!  The seas remained manageable, so we let Oasis continue to have the reins and made a very fast passage, arriving off of the north-eastern coast of Tonga at dawn on the 23rd.  Very confusing as the 2-day passage had taken 3 days!!  We crossed the International Date Line during the night and lost the 22nd, putting us 12 hours ahead of GMT instead of the 12 hours behind that we had become accustomed to! 

Our arrival was a magical as our departure as we spotted a Humpback mother and her calf spouts against the backdrop of the island as we ate breakfast.  We saw 2 more whales as we sailed around to the east of the island of Vava'u and a large pod of Spinner Dolphins.  We sailed in amongst the spectacular backdrop of islands to arrive in the port of Neiafu, where we moored against the fish dock to clear in.  We were boarded by representatives from the Department of Public Health, Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries, Customs and Immigration.  Quite a squeeze, particularly as Tongans are big people!  They tucked into coffee and drinks and we were soon having a great laugh with them despite their attempts to be official.  We came to the conclusion that it is not in their nature to be anything but light hearted and good natured.  All four left with as many Oasis boat stamps on their paperwork as we had their stamps on ours.  Officialdom had been satisfied and we were free to stay for 30 days and cruise the Kingdom of Tonga.  We left the fish dock and found a mooring amongst friends we had not seen for some time and headed ashore for a well earned beer or two.

24 - 31 August 2007  We spent our first 4 days in Tonga in Neiafu in the Vava'u of islands in the north of The Kingdom of Tonga.  The town was relatively small, bustling with life and, despite being 'developing world', was happy, friendly and full of people who all made us feel very welcome.  The weather was not so kind and we had frequent showers and relatively strong winds.  The later were of no great concern as the anchorage in Neiafu is very sheltered and one of the few 'hurricane holes' in the area.  There were far more boats than we expected to find, but we soon realised that we were now among the boats that had cruised north for the season from Australia and New Zealand.  We also met a few boats we had crossed the Pacific with, but had not seen since we left Panama.  We gained our land legs again by climbing to the top of the lookout hill, Mt Talau, which afforded us great views out over the surrounding islands and water and we were determined to move out of Neiafu, where it would have been all too easy to take root, and explore some of the surrounding bays and anchorages.

Views from Mt Talau of Neiafu and the surrounding islands

The market in Neiafu was a bustling place where we could once again buy fresh fruit and vegetables.  There was a good selection including pineapples, melons, apples, bananas, oranges, limes, onions, carrots, potatoes and other unknown roots which I guess you cook like any other root vegetable.  Every Friday lunchtime, a choir would arrive at the market and start singing.  After a few hymns, the preacher would loudly and forcefully delivered his address - although we have no idea what he said, we think he was trying to save us all and make us see the errors of our ways!  The men often wear distinctive pandanus mats called ta'ovala and women wear a kiekie, a decorative waistband from which are dangled strips of pandanus.  They are worn as a sign of respect  and support for the Monarch. 

The weather turned for the better on the 27th of August and after filling up our propane gas we headed out of Neiafu for a short cruise of about 8 nm to Port Maurelle, a beautifully secluded cove that gave great shelter from the strong trade winds blowing from the south east.  We sat up late to watch a total eclipse of the moon; however, Steve's extensive consultation of the Almanac had failed to take into account the fact that we had crossed the International Date Line and the eclipse was on the 28th not the 27th as he predicted!!  We stayed in Port Maurelle for a second night and spent the day snorkelling around the reef where we found a spectacular Lion Fish and some beautiful young soft corals.  We also took our dinghy out to Swallow Cave on the headland, which was full of small bats.  We had spent the previous evening watching the larger fruit bats, or flying fox, going to and fro over the boat; they are about the size of a small cat and quite easy to see.  We watched them again this evening as we waited for the eclipse, which this time occurred spot on time!  It was a strange experience with the sounds of the bush in the background, flying foxes overhead and a strange yellow hallow of light around the moon as it reached full cover.  We can certainly understand why the ancient people revered an eclipse and why it had so much spiritual significance to them.

A couple of the idyllic islands we passed whilst sailing

We left the anchorage off Fangakima Beach on Kapa Island and Port Maurelle on the 29th under full sail and had a fantastic days sail around to Tapana and Hinakauea Beach where we arranged to go to a traditional Tongan Feast on the Saturday night.  Rather than stay until the weekend we sailed the following morning through the rather tight pass in the reef at Fanua Tapu around to Olo'ua Island; however, we didn't stay long as the increasing wind put us on a lee shore.  We moved around to Ofu where we sailed to anchor off of the village.  It was wonderful to play with the boat and just sail for sailings sake, rather than be on passage to somewhere new, which has been the case for so long now.  Once safely settled down at anchor we went ashore and managed to trade some Corned Beef and Spam for fresh fruit and vegetables - I think we got the better deal as our diet of fresh fish and vegetables have altered our taste buds away from meat (at the moment).  We were joined in our walk along the beach by a group of local children who were keen to practise their English.  Two small girls insisted on holding our hands as we walked and we left them with colouring books and crayons, which bought wonderful smiles and some of the most heartfelt thank yous we have ever heard.