This blog took a while to post but here are some nice memories of Fiji and its people. We have since sailed to New Caledonia. Hopefully we can post on this before the boat goes on the hard for the cyclone season.
We left Savusavu on August 21 with clear skies and little wind. We had a week to sail around the Yasawa group of islands before we had a meeting with our insurance expert at Vuda Marina on Viti Levu.
On our way to the Yasawas, all colours of blue.The beach at Yasawa-I-RaraTypical house at Yasawa-I-Rara villageIn the houses there is very rarely furniture. People sit , eat and sleep on mats.The village of Yasawa-I-RaraThe future of Fiji.Stefan in Bula shirt and sulu skirt with one of the elders of the village.The beach on a sunny day.Fiji mother and son, even here the smartphone is not far away…Preparing beignets the Fijan way.Family pictures at Yasawa-I-raraThe village chief and his wife. We were invited to have a wonderful dinner with them.Eating beignets and drinking tea sitting on the floor. The generosity and hospitality of the Fijans is truly amazing and heartwarming.
Before we left the village we were able to print out the pictures and this was the best present we could give them.
We left Yasawa-I-Rara to sail to the Blue Lagoon where we had 2 days of rain š and decided to move on to Naviti Island where the snorkeling should be excellent.
and the snorkeling was excellent…lots of beautiful coralin all coloursand shapes..A crown of thorns, this is a large sea star with 13-18 arms. The spines are venomous and can deliver a painful sting even when the animal has been dead 3 or 4 days. You do not want to touch this one.The next village we sailed to was Yalobi village on Waya IslandAnother warm welcome after the Sevu Sevu ceremony with the chief. Fijieans are very curious and in every village, children and adults ask how old you are :-).I will remember the Fijeans always with a smile on their faces.A small traditional “bure”, a house made from wood , bamboo and pandanus leaves. There are not many left in Fiji, new houses are built in corrugated steel boards. Goes faster and lasts longer but unfortunately is not as pretty.A typical “bure” would last about 3 – 5 years if a cyclone does not come by. The floor is covered by woven mats.School had been out for 2 weeks, tomorrow it was “back to school” again. This school took children ages 6 till 13. Most children stay at school for the week and go home by boat on friday afternoon to come back on sunday. The children learn Fiji and English in school.
Too bad we did not see the boys and girls in uniform as we had to leave early the next morning to be on time for our meeting with the insurance expert in Vuda Marina on Viti Levu Island in Fiji.
We left Niue on friday July 14th (Bastille day) late in the afternoon to the tunes of great French music. We crossed the international date line and lost the 15th completely in a flash and arrived early monday morning the 17th in Neiafu, the Vavau group of Tonga.
We only cruised the Vava’u group of Tonga (60 islands) as we did not have time enough to go more south.
After a visit from the health inspector, customs and immigration officials at the dock and paying our duties we were cleared in and free to take a mooring in Neiafu harbour.
Neiafu harbour left, Nieafu town in the middle, mooring field on the right. Picture taken from Mt.Talau (130M)
The kingdom of Tonga is the oldest and last remaining Polynesian monarchy and the only Pacific nation never brought under foreign rule. It is the first country west of the International Dateline and they call themselves “the place where time begins”. They are a very Christian nation.
Utula’aina Point, with the Tongan Flag, a cross symbolizing Christianity (97% of the people are Christian), white colour is purity and the red colour symbolizes the sacrifice of the Blood of Christ.Typical schooluniform of girsl and boys is conservative, no knees are shown. The boys wear a wrap around skirt (tupenu) and a woven mat (ta’ovala) of pandanus leaf around the waist.Pandanus leaves drying in the sun before it is flattened to weave mats, hats, baskets etc.Tongans carrying pandanus to be washed and soften in the sea before it is dried.Weaving of a pandanus mat. Usually women will get together in a weaving house to make mats or other handicrafts.We went to a Tongan feast in the village of Matamaka and visited the school. There were 2 classrooms. One for ages 5 to 8 and one for 9 to 12 years old. This picture was taken in the class of the older group.Happy Tongan school kids.Typical Tongan dance, totally different from the Polynesian hip dancing we saw in French Polynesia. In Tonga the arm and hand gestures were important. During the dancing money gifts are collected in the basket on the floor. In some places Tongan dollar bills will be stuck in the belt of the dancers. The skirt is made from tapa.
The next day we motorsailed to the Coral garden anchorage and snorkeled…
The Linckia laevigata. There were many of these blue seastars.Soft coral. It comes in very many different colours and shapes.Anemonefish trying to hide.Soft coral.It was almost like being in an underwater flowershop…Acropora sp hard coralFeather stars, they are animals! They like to be in a spot where there is a lot of current since they feed on passing plankton.A “heart shaped” coral, I think the Acropora hyacinthus, but I am not sure.A beautiful spider shell hiding between the coral. We did not take it with us since it was occupied.Sanuk and Flipper in another paradise like anchorage.
Coral with, I think, polyps on it. They look like eyes …Swallow cave. We went inside with Flipper but found only a lot of graffiti.
Stay tuned for our next blog post where we talk about our incredible whale encounter !
