Weather Window Wait in Tonga

John, one of the fellows that helped us on our Pacific crossing, was supposed to join us here in Nuku'alofa and do the crossing from Tonga to New Zealand. He was looking forward to a bit of diving, sightseeing, warm weather and so on along with the ocean experience. BUT he got tangled up in a hockey game and somebody ran over his hand with a skate causing enough damage that he couldn't come out. So we recruited Don and Paule (husband and wife) recommended to us by our friend and travel agent Deb (Don is her brother). They are from the Yukon and are avid outdoor sports people well used to the waters of northern B.C. and Alaska. We get them all cleared in and out of the country, but we still have to wait for weather to calm so we all take an island tour.

Tiny will be our guide/driver, he is more expensive than the other taxi guys, but he speaks good English and he is a funny guy. He weighs about 350 lbs so his name is fitting? The island is small, but Tiny has a full 6 hr day planned for us. We see the King's palace from the outside, it is being renovated for his Mother to live in, the royal cemetery, the first church, the local business areas, some more cemeteries and the agricultural areas. As we travel, Tiny provides lively commentary about politics both old and new in Tonga, the people, their customs and current conditions and he answers our many questions and takes a good deal of kidding about everything, especially his rendition of traditional legends. He took us to a magnificent under ground cave with fresh water pools and then to see the famous "flying foxes" of Tonga, huge fruit bats that hang in trees during the day. We were going to do some four wheeling on the beach, but Tiny's truck decided that today was not the day and promptly sunk to the axles in the powdery sand, not 10 feet off of the road. So we all piled out to push and with the help of some passers by managed to get the vehicle back on to the road. We had a good time teasing Tiny about that. He made it up to us by taking us to a nice resort for lunch (we paid, but it was very good) and then we went to the "blow holes" the greatest feature of the day and they were truly amazing. We probably could have spent the day just there. The steep rock cliffs have been battered by the ocean for so long and water has formed tunnels through the porous rock such that when the waves pound against the cliffs, the water shoots high into the air through these holes. Beautiful and awesome to see. When our day of touring is done and we are busy thanking Tiny for our fun he invites us to a Sunday feast at his house. We are all genuinely touched and accept.

Sunday after church, we had to let Don and Paule experience the Tongan choirs, we meet Tiny and head to his house. We have a cooler full of cold drinks and excess meat that will be confiscated upon our entry to New Zealand. Tiny and his family may as well enjoy it. Tiny and his family set before us a true feast, roast suckling pig, sweet potatoe, taro leaves and corned beef (a must try), raw fish salad, sashimi of another type of fish, cucumber salad and papaya desert. Delicious! We are so honored to be invited to these personal gatherings. We are learning so much from our travels about the generosity of others. Our Thank you's seem insignificant in return.

Monday, Nov 1, 2010, we have a window to leave and we haul anchor and head for New Zealand. All things considered and God willing, we will be there in 5 and a half days. We're on the water again.

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