Tag: Featured

Ha'apai Group, May 2019, South Pacific, The South Pacific

Traveling The Ha’apai Group

With Nuku’alofa and the Tongatapu group of islands far behind we have made our first stop at Nomuka Iki (pronounced: No mü kī kē) in the southern part of the Ha’apai group of islands here in Tonga. 

There are 62 islands in the Ha’apai group and only 17 of them are inhabited. In total there are approximately 8000 people living in 30 villages throughout the islands. Only the four largest islands actually have electricity, telephones and running water and none of the islands have television so for those binge TV watchers out there you probably wouldn’t be all that happy living here.            

I awoke from my post watch nap around 0630 to weather that was quite a bit more nautical than I was expecting. We had 25-30 knot winds and three meter swells beating us up pretty good. Dan was getting soaked in the cockpit as the waves crashed over the side of Dazzler. I stayed below because there’s really no need for both of us to get soaked right???

Just one of the many reefs surrounding Mango Island.

We had hoped to stop at Mango Island which is just a short trip from Nomuka Iki  but as we neared the entrance to the anchorage I was on deck and I just didn’t get a good feeling about it. The anchorage is very small and it’s surrounded by coral reefs. There wasn’t much protection from the wind and swell either. If winds changed during the night and we had to bug out it could have gotten pretty dicey so we opted to continue on to Nomuka Iki. It is just a short distance away but due to the sea state and winds it took us a good two hours. Needless to say we were both very happy to get the anchor down and enjoy the ceremonial anchor down beers.

Technically they ask you to do an inter island check in each time you move from one island group to another. For the Ha’apai group you have to check in at Lifuka but that’s further north and coming back down can be tricky so we decided to just make an overnight stop here to wait out the winds and weather. The fact is that we are legally checked into the country so we weren’t all that concerned about making a stop or two on the way to Lifuka. And, they can’t prevent you from taking safe harbor in bad weather.

Nomuka Iki is a small uninhabited island near the larger island of Nomuka. The remains of an old prison are on this island and the Takuo fishing vessel is beached on her shores. This boat hit the reef during a storm and several of the men were lost. The hull later washed up on the beach where it remains to this day. Sadly it reminds us all of how incredibly dangerous these reefs can be.

Just after we dropped the hook the sun came out and the winds started to die down a bit so we spent a lovely afternoon and evening here on the hook. The water is beautiful and life is good! Now it’s time to plan our next stop. Hmmm….so many choices out here. Where will we go?

Until next time,

Jilly & Dan

New Zealand

Bye Bye Nuku’alofa


This morning we took the ferry into town one last time. It was a beautiful ride and as we approached the wharf a fabulous rainbow appeared above the city. It was the third one we saw today! It’s almost as if Nuku’alofa is showing her very best to us on our last day here.
First stop….Crowley’s Bakery. Oh my…what lovely breads and treats they have in there. We picked up some bread and rolls and then it was off to the wharf. In Tonga all yachts must check in and out of the different island groups. So, after a brief stop at the Port Authority office to pay the $79 Pa’anga port fee we walked to the Customs office and completed our checkout. On the way back to the ferry we stopped at Billfish for a couple of Maka Maka beers.
Back at the island we made one last stop in Big Mama’s to say our goodbyes to the wonderful people we met there. We made some fabulous new friends at BMYC. We will miss them all…Big Mama, Earle, Lea, Pai, Andrew, Mary and Johnny. Today, however, it is time to say goodbye as there’s so much more to see here in Tonga. So, we are heading north to the Ha’apai group of islands to spend a week or so. This area is where the Mutiny on the HMS Bounty took place. Yep, we’re following in the footsteps of the famous captains of yesteryear.
Tonight is a beautiful night to be sailing. The sky is clear and the stars are brightly shining above. We’ve got 15-20 knot winds off the starboard quarter and Dazzler is sailing along at 4-5 knots. She loves this point of sail! We will be at our next stop just after sunrise. Looking forward to the new adventures ahead.
Until next time,
Jilly & Dan