The Kingdom of Tonga

Monday 22 July

It’s the last of our early morning flights this morning: we’re up at 3.30 to make our transfer to the airport.  It’s a bit foggy in Auckland this morning, so pretty much all the flights are delayed.  It’s 2 and a half hours or so up to the Kingdom of Tonga and we land with barely enough time to screech through the achingly slow immigration queue, snatch our bags and pile into a taxi for the domestic terminal.  We’re connecting straight up to Vava’u with Tonga’s brand new airline: Real Tonga.  Now there’s a story.  Internal flights used to be handled safely and efficiently by Chathams Pacific.  We’d booked our flights with them when we got the news that the government had decided to chuck out Chathams and install their own airline: Real Tonga.  It took a bit of a pfaff to get our tickets: we booked directly with Real Tonga and paid way back in February, but didn’t manage to squeeze confirmation of our flights out of them until about 10 days before we flew.  In a way, that was the least of our worries.  After putting Chathams out of business Real Tonga realized that it didn’t actually have any planes.  They accepted one dodgy plane off the Chinese and bought another old plane of Air Vanuatu.  New Zealand, the US and the UK all raised safety concerns about the new airline, so I’m fully prepared for a white-knuckle ride.  My fears are not in the least allayed when we arrive at the domestic airport to find that the flight schedule is written up on a whiteboard and all boarding cards are hand-written.  In the end, we needn’t have worried.  We’re not on the dodgy Air Vanuatu or Chinese plane.  Instead we’re on an old Convair 580 – she was built in 1953, making her 60 years old this year.

She lumbers and creaks a bit up the runway but she does, eventually, get us up, up and away.  She flies us smoothly and safely over some of the South Pacific’s most spectacular aerial views. 

In under an hour we’re touching down in Vava’u.  We’re loaded into an even creakier taxi and start the drive into town.  Dogs, chickens and pigs roam the streets freely: I love it already. 

We’re staying at the Port Wine Guest House in a beautiful wooden room.  Tai and his family make us feel right at home.  Nick sets about making friends with the local dogs whilst I fail miserably at making friends with the local piggies.

We’re knackered after our early start this morning and don’t have the energy for more than a quick unpack and a stroll through town.  We have the use of the kitchen, but unless we fancy tinned spaghetti on toast the supermarkets aren’t bursting with meal opportunities.  Luckily it’s fairly inexpensive here and it doesn’t take long to find a harbor-front bar for some local beers and cheap, good eats. 

We have a big day tomorrow, so we crash out early.

Tuesday 23 July

Tonga is one of the few places in the world where you can swim with humpback whales.  It’s pretty much the only reason we’ve come here and most of our trip has been planned around being here at the right time.  We’re booked on a whale trip today and the excitement is almost too much for me.  We’re going out with Dolphin Pacific: the same guys who took the BBC Life team out to film humpbacks.  We get down to the docks early and get loaded onto a boat together with our guides Ali and Tavida.  We make one stop to pick up the remaining 6 passengers and then we head out into Vava’u’s sheltered waters.  Every winter humpbacks come here to mate and calve.

Before too long we spot some whales in a little bay. The whales are either extremely playful or they’re just not interested in us at all, because wherever we are they are not. We cruise slowly from one side of the bay to the other, hoping they’ll relax in our presence or show a bit of interest in us, but it’s not happening.  We leave them in peace and head off in search of more whales.  Boy, do we find them.  Our guides tell us that we’ve stumbled upon a heat run in progress.  This is where a group of male whales compete and vie for a female’s attention.  There are 5-8 whales in the water around us, slapping fins and tails and generally doing a good job of making themselves look impressive.  All attention is on the female and they really couldn’t care less whether we’re there or not, which is good for us.  Just watching from the boat is a treat in itself as the whales get closer and closer. 

We pull up in front of the whales and drop some snorkelers into the water – only 4 are allowed in at a time, so we’re split into two groups.  We’re not too sure what to expect but before we know it we’re in the water and huge humpbacks are gliding just below us.  They’re passed us all too quickly and the boat swings round to load us up again.

We leapfrog around them for a while – getting in front, dropping snorkelers in, letting them swim passed and then doing it all again.  I get 3 swims with the whales and Nick 4 – each time they’ve got progressively closer as they’ve got used to our presence.  It’s such a dreamlike experience that as soon as I get out of the water into the boat the details start to go all hazy, but I’m happy and over-awed.

We let the whales swim off and we shelter behind a reef on the edged of a little island for lunch.  We have a quick sandwich then take a short swim over the reef to the island.

Before we know it, it’s time to be pushing on.  We’re searching for whales again this afternoon but with less luck.  We see the occasional plume or fin and our guide drops in to hear them singing faintly, but we can’t get near enough to get in with them again.

All too soon we’re out of time and making our way for dry land.  On the way back we spot these industrious piggies fishing for their dinner on the beach at low tide.

Exhausted and exhilarated we warm up with hot showers and then find another waterfront bar for some food.  Our beers are served with an interesting snack: roasted fresh coconut.  Strips of fresh coconut are roasted until the edges start to blacken.  It really brings out the nutty flavour, but keeps the centre juicy.  It’s delicious served with some sweet chili sauce.

Janet adds: we’d read mixed things about Tonga and nothing overly positive, but it’s one of my favourite places.  The people are friendly, sincere and funny, the scenery is spectacular and the wildlife is out of this world.

Wednesday 24 July

We haven’t got any big plans for today, so just take it easy.  Mount Talau sits just outside of town and promises great views from the top so we decide to spend the morning climbing that.  The road out of town goes from tarmac, to dirt and then peters out into a rough track lined with citrus trees laden with fruit.  From here it’s a short but steep climb up to the top.  From the top we do indeed get great views back over Neiafu, the main town, and the Port of Refuge. 

Once we’ve clambered down we take a slow stroll through town, wandering the backstreets to see if we’ve missed anything.  It is only a little place and there’s not much to see, but it does have some beautiful buildings.

We find a little café for lunch and then head back to our room.  Most of the afternoon is spent relaxing and taking care of a few odd jobs.  Five o’clock is happy hour time so we make sure we’re back out for five. 

Janet adds: I’m settling into this lifestyle quite nicely – if only I could get some piggies of my own and somehow stop Nick from eating them.

Thursday 25 June

Before we arrived we booked two days of whale watching just to be safe.  Today is day two.  We had such a good day on Tuesday that there’s no pressure on today to deliver, but we’re optimistic as we get loaded up and head out.  We’re with the same company today but on a different boat, with Claudia guiding and Patella skippering. 

Everyone is out on deck with their eyes peeled for whales. 

Luckily our skipper can multi-task and doesn’t need more than a foot to keep the boat going.

Before too long we find a mother with her calf in a little sheltered bay.  We hang out with them for a while, but they don’t seem to want to play with us so we leave them be.  Not long after someone spots a triple breach on the horizon.  We blast over there but these whales aren’t interested in playing either.

News comes over the radio that the other boat has found a ‘friendly’ whale.  We head over just as they’re pulling their swimmers out.  We jump in as quickly as we can but unfortunately the whale is diving and we just catch a glimpse of his tail as he disappears into the depths.  The second group has more success and manages to stay with the whale for a while, so we get another go.

He’s down as we jump in, but we can just about make him out.  He’s singing loudly and the clicks and whistles echo all about us. When we’re right above him we can even feel his song vibrating through us.  We wait ever so patiently and quietly and then there he comes: rising up from the deep he comes closer and closer until we’re eyeball to eyeball with him. 

I think he’s checking us out as much as we’re checking him out.  Once he sees enough he heads back down into the deep.

We pile back onto the boat exhilarated and go off to find some lunch.  We moor just off a beautiful coral reef for some sandwiches and a quick snorkel.

After lunch we’re back in search of whales.  We try to find our singer again, but get waylaid by various other whales that keep popping up. 

At one stage we’re not sure which direction to go in – even some pilot whales have turned up to join in the fun.  Two humpbacks are coming our way and we hop in.  Suddenly they’re rising out of the depths towards us again – this time so close I’m afraid to breath. 

They surface just next to me and Nick, my hero, even manages to snap a photo.

It’s more than I could possibly have wished for, but we still get one more swim today.  This time as we drop in we’ve landed right in-between two whales.  They’re coming towards us fast and for the briefest moment we’re not sure what to do. There’s no need to panic though: they know exactly where we are and come on either side of us.  We end up sandwiched between them.  It’s sensory overload and we don’t know where to look. 

Then it’s all over.  They’re gone and it’s time for us to get our boat back to shore. 

Janet adds: beyond words.

Friday 26 June

It’s our last full day today and we didn’t have anything planned.  We thought about cycling round the island but couldn’t source any bikes.  The whole time we’ve been here we’ve been admiring a beautiful, wooden boat in the harbour. 

We’ve seen her out sailing and then some people staying at the same guest house as us mentioned that they’d had a day out on her and highly recommended it.  So at the last minute we find a phone number for Captain Dennis and call to book a trip.  It’ll be another day on the water for us, but this one at a far slower pace.  We’re not leaving until 10am, so we can take is easy this morning.

Dennis picks us up at the marina and ferries us over to the HM Salote.  His wife, Donna, is waiting on board, as is Isi – our snorkel guide for the day.  As it turns out we’re the only two guests, so it looks like it’s going to be a private sail for us today. 

The engines take us out of the harbour and then we open the sails and pick up the wind.  We sail out to Nuku island, our first stop for the day.  There’s some beautiful snorkeling just offshore and a crescent of white sand to warm up on afterwards. 

Isi finds, husks and cracks a coconut in shorter than it’s taken me to type this – we’re impressed.  By the time we’ve swum back to the boat Dennis has whipped up a meal fit for a king (or 4).

We fill our bellies then sail over to our next stop while our food digests.  We’re at Swallows Cave – a half-submerged cave.  It doesn’t look that impressive from the outside,

but once we snorkel in it’s just beautiful in the filtered light, with unbelievably clear water beneath us.

Our last stop for the day is at the Japenese Gardens – another snorkel spot full of bright fish and huge, candy-pink starfish. 

Back on board we relax with a beer and some banana bread as Dennis and Donna sail us back in.

We tidy ourselves up and head out for yet more food – we’re even in time to catch the end of the Friday afternoon harbour sailing race.

Saturday 27 June

We’re leaving today but we’re not flying until late this afternoon, so we’ve got the morning to relax.  We get our bags packed up and then take a walk into town to enjoy the bustle of the market.

We fill the rest of the time hanging out at our guest house or in town, until it’s time to get our taxi to the airport.  We’re flying back down to Tongatapu and then connecting on to Nadi, Fiji.

New Zealand

Sunday 14 July

We’re picked up a little before 6 this morning to get to the airport for our flight back to Auckland.  We needed to ‘bounce’ off New Zealand to get to Tonga – our next stop.  Seeing as how we both love New Zealand it seemed a shame not to spend at least a bit of time there.  We’ve given ourselves a week but hadn’t really thought what we’d do with it – especially as it is winter.  Then Nick hit upon the obvious but brilliant idea: go skiing.

Our flight to Auckland is smooth and painless.  When we arrive we make our way over to the domestic terminal to pick up a connection to Queenstown.  There’s some bad weather hanging over Queenstown that delays us a little and we’re further delayed when our pilot discovered he’d left his glasses in his car and had to go back for them (I kid you not, but I’m not complaining – I’d rather have a pilot that can see).

The flight is mercifully short and it is going well until we hit some horrible air over Greymouth that sets us bouncing like a ping-pong ball.  Still, the views (when we get a break in the clouds) over the southern, snow-capped Alps are beautiful.  I’m more than a little relieved when we finally touch down.  We’re staying in a cozy little motel in the city centre.  We warm ourselves up with a cup of tea and proceed to layer up with virtually all the clothes we have with us (this proper cold is a bit of a shock to the system and our pacific island wardrobes are not really up to the task).  Once we’re as wrapped up as we can be we walk down to the lakefront to a Mac’s brew bar for a pint of Mac’s Gold in front of the fire.  After that we walk to our favourite pizza spot: The Cow.  You’ve got to love New Zealand.

Monday 15 July

As we knew we’d be getting in late on a Sunday we gave ourselves today to sort stuff out.  We get some washing done, stock up on groceries and take a walk through beautiful Queenstown.  It’s cold but it’s also dry and bright with spectacular views of mountains and lakes in all directions. 

We sort out our ski hire, lift passes and transport and get ourselves kitted up with hats and gloves. 

Tuesday 16 July

For our first day skiing we hit the slops at the Cardronas:

Wednesday 17 July

Today we stay closer to Queenstown at the Remarkables:

Thursday 18 July

As we enjoyed yesterday so much, we ‘re at the Remarkables again:

Friday 19 July

We’re flying back up to Auckland today and, for a change, we’re flying at a reasonable time.  It’s a beautiful day for it too – bright and sunny.  Queenstown must have one of the most picturesque airports with snowcapped mountains on all sides.  We’re a bit late taking off but the flight is wonderfully smooth this time.

By the time we arrive at our hotel it’s mid-afternoon.  The highlight of our day is that we have our own washing machine – everything is going to get washed about three times. 

We spend the evening visiting our favourite haunts from last time: the Northern Steamship for drinks 

and Little India for food.

Saturday 20 July

It’s a bright, sunny winter’s day in Auckland.  We have a lazy start (doing yet more washing) then spend the rest of the day wandering through the city. 

We window shop, take a walk through the art gallery and explore the docks.  We find the delightfully quirky Silo Park – it’s old, industrial land that has been turned into a city center park. 

Today there is a market with clothes, crafts and food stalls and this evening they’ll be screening a film here.

We pop out for a few drinks in the evening and Nick once again decides to take on 500g of beef.  Oh dear.

Sunday 21 July

It’s a nice, sunny day again today.  Once we shake off our respective hangovers (mine from too many cheap bubbles, Nick from too much meat) we spend most of the day pounding the pavements.  We take a walk through Parnell, Newmarket and Ponsonby.  It’s mid-afternoon before we’re back at the hotel and we take some time to get ourselves packed up and ready for the next leg of our journey.  In the evening we pay one last visit to the Northern Steamship then find a Mexican café for some eats.

Janet adds: Off to Tonga in the morning…

New Caledonia

Friday 5/Saturday 6 July

3am flights are just no good, but if you’ve got to do them the airport at Rarotonga isn’t the worst place to be.  There’s a little bar where you can sit and sip a beer while a guy with a ukulele sings you a farewell song.  We’re flying to New Caledonia via Auckland.  It takes about 4.5 hours to reach Auckland but along the way we cross the date line, jumping forward suddenly to Saturday morning.  We have just enough time to grab some breakfast before getting the 2.5 hour flight to Noumea in New Caledonia.

After all the small, tropical islands it’s quite a shock to the system to be on an actual, significant land mass.  This is an island that you can’t drive all the way round in a day – it takes 50 minutes just to get from the airport into town.  It’s still too early to check–in to our hotel, but we dump our bags and head out for a walk.  We’re staying in Anse Vata – a touristy suburb on a beautiful, sweeping bay. 

It is, of course, winter here and while it isn’t tropically hot it’s lovely and warm in the sunshine.

We stop at a seafront café for some lunch and then get ourselves checked-in.  By the time we’ve managed to unpack and drag ourselves out for some groceries the afternoon has disappeared.

We find a bar nearby that serves us local beers with huge bowls of peanuts and then head next door for shockingly expensive pizzas. 

Sunday 7 July

After another bout of jetlag and little sleep we’re operating at a snail’s pace today. 

Noumea is another place with weird alcohol sales laws.  You can’t buy booze on Wednesday, Friday, Saturday or Sunday afternoons – but you can buy on Sunday mornings.  We start the day with another trip to the supermarket to get some beers and the makings of dinner – at last night’s prices we won’t be doing too much eating out.

We’re not finding it quite warm enough to hang out on the beach, but we do take a stroll round to the next bay, Baie des Citrons.  It’s another lovely crescent of sand backed by cafes and restaurants. 

Sunday afternoon is ice-cream time and we find a boutique-y ice-cream shop that makes the most beautiful flower cones.  It would be a shame to eat them if they didn’t taste so good.

The evening is spent relaxing on our balcony with free wifi and views of the sunset over the skyline.

Monday 8 July

We wake up to rain this morning so we’re a little slow getting out and about to do anything.  Once the morning clears up we decide to walk into the city centre.  It’s takes about an hour to walk in, but it’s a nice enough walk along the city’s bays and marinas.  Apart from the beautiful waterfront views, the town itself feels rather like most cities.  We could be in France rather than the South Pacific and our horrifically bad basic French is getting a lot of practice.

We’re trying to find a sandwich shop for lunch when Nick spots a sign for a stone grill.  He hasn’t had one of these since New Zealand 2 years ago.  Basically, a big chunk of meat of your choice is served to you on a sizzling hot stone and you get to cook it yourself.  It’s too good to walk past, so we treat ourselves.

A few afternoon rain showers slow down our walk back to the hotel and by the time we get in the afternoon has almost gone.  There’s just enough time to have a go at torturing myself in the fitness room downstairs.

Janet adds: this is the first place we’ve been in a while where the main industry isn’t tourism.  We actually have to work at being tourists a little bit.

Tuesday 9 July

It’s sunnier again today, but we’ve been spoilt by tropical weather and are still not brave enough to hit the beach.  At the end of our bay is a hill that’s just begging to be climbed and so we do.  The views from the top are glorious, with sweeping bays and islets in most directions.  From up here it really is a beautiful city.

We also spot a nearby beach that seems to be sheltered from the ever-present wind that turns Anse Vata into a windsurfer’s paradise.  After lunch we walk over there and find a calm spot of sunshine to warm our bones in.  I’m even brave enough for a paddle, but wuss out of anything more.

Wednesday 10 July

We’ve decided to hire a car for a couple of days so that we can explore a little further afield and maybe do some hiking.  We head out of the city towards the Parc Provincial de la Riviere Bleue.  It takes about an hour to get there but when we arrive we find it inexplicably shut.  There goes that idea.  Since we’re out here anyway we decide to do a lazy loop of the southern end of the island.  Nearby we find the picturesque Madeleine falls and stop for a quick look-see.

We’re driving across the narrow end of the island heading for the opposite coast.  The road is steadily climbing through the hills and mountains that run up the middle.  We’re getting deep into mining country and the scenery is a bit like Western Australia: all stubby green plants and blood red earth.  The big difference is that it’s wet here.

We find a lovely lookout spot to eat our sandwiches

and then push on.  As we reach the other coast and start heading round the point the roads deteriorate but the vegetation gets more lush and tropical.  Mining has scarred the hills.  Red mud and dust coats everything and the blue lagoon has been turned to blood by the run-off.  Old mining ruins jut out of the vegetation like Mayan ruins. 

It’s strangely beautiful but also a little sad to think what this may have looked like in a pristine state.  Still, mining is what puts food on most New Caledonians tables, so it’s not for me to criticize.

We stop at Prony to stretch our legs and take a walk through the coastal forest to an old convict settlement. 

The afternoon is getting on and there’s still a long drive back to the city.  The roads are still getting worse with potholes, washed out areas and numerous water crossings.  Luckily we’re well prepared in our bright purple Peugeot 106 – a squeaky, creaky city car with zero clearance.  Still, it mans up to the abuse and looks pretty cute too.

We’re driving through the middle of nowhere when suddenly, perched in the hills, a huge mine looms like a nightmare fantasy city.  It’s a bizarre and creepy sight and I’m happy to rush past.  Luckily the roads improve from here and we get back into town just as dusk is falling.

Thursday 11 July

We have our car again today, but this time we’re smart enough to check in with tourist information to see if the Parc Provincial de la Riviere Bleue is open before we set off.  It’s a good thing we do, because it’s shut again.

We’re a bit out of ideas, but we decide to head north as we haven’t been that way yet.  There are a couple of day hikes that look promising in this direction.  It’s a fairly scenic drive but for most of the way we’re blasting up a motorway.  It means the roads are good, but the driving is some of the most horrific we’ve seen.

After spending so much time on smaller islands we’re not much good at judging time and distances.  Couple this with some misinformation and a spate of road works and the morning ends with us still sat in the car.  We’re the better part of an hour away from our intended hike and, of course, we’ve still got to get back again.  We decide to give up and head a little way inland where we find a scenic little spot on the riverbank to have lunch. 

A short walk through the surrounding forest leads us to some cascades.  It’s time to turn around and make our way back.  At least we’ve stretched our legs and seen a bit more of the island.

Friday 12 July

It’s a cooler, windier day today and as we’re not inclined to don our snorkels and see New Caledonia’s lagoon up close, we do the next best thing: visit the aquarium. It’s a lovely aquarium full of captivating displays.  I’m happy to spend a couple of hours making friends with the ‘inmates’.

When we emerge we continue walking round and into town.  We’re planning to visit the museum, but as it’s closed for lunch we take that as our cue to get lunch too.  The museum, when we get to it, is packed with art and artifacts from New Caledonia and the rest of the Pacific.

Once we’ve absorbed as much information as we can we start our walk back, detouring briefly to our new favourite ice-cream shop.

Saturday 13 July

The weather isn’t great today but we’ve done pretty much all we wanted to do here, so we’re more than happy to have a relaxed day making the most of our unlimited free wifi.  We take a walk out in the morning to stretch our legs and in the afternoon the sun comes out, so we take another long walk along the seafront. 

In the evening we get the suitcases packed up and hit the sack – we’ve got an early start tomorrow.