Happy New Year!

Due to the time zone, we were first in the world to welcome 2009. We reunited with our cruising mates in Auckland for the occasion: Elusive, Island Time and Little Wing. For midnight, we gathered on Queen street within view of the iconic Sky Tower only half a block away. The Sky Tower is the symbol that distinguishes the Auckland skyline from other metropolitan cities around the world. In appearance, the tower is nearly identical to the Space Needle in Seattle. It is the tallest tower in the southern hemisphere and taller than the Eiffel Tower. The mass of celebrants collected in the street was a true melting pot of nationalities and cultures. The band of Harry Krishna’s dancing and chanting nearby proved it. As Father Time reached midnight an explosion of fireworks shot out in all directions from atop the Sky Tower and continued for several minutes. Not having planned to be in the square for New Year’s, we were very happy to have made a last minute change of venue for midnight itself. It sealed the realization we were in a foreign country for the big event.

Touring the countryside the latest few weeks has been great fun. There has been a wide variety of adventures including a nighttime Kiwi bird hunt in a forest. This was as ridiculous and nutty as a snipe hunt. We didn’t see a Kiwi but we did hear them, along with a lot of our own snickering and giggling. The male Kiwi bird call resembles what you might expect to hear in the movie Blair Witch. It’s a high pitched scream repeated for 8-10 times. A few days later, we managed to see a live Kiwi at an educational center focused on preservation of the highly endangered bird. Interestingly enough, most New Zealanders never have, nor will they ever, see a live Kiwi even though it’s the origin of their moniker.

Jim went scuba diving at Poor Knight’s Island, one of the top rated dive spots in the world. My ears won’t let me dive, so I snorkeled. Neither of us was disappointed. Wearing a 7 mm thick wetsuit needed for the nippy water temperature is like dressing up as the Michelin Man for Halloween. We stayed warm though which was key to our enjoyment.

We took a ferry 45 minutes off the mainland to spend Chrismtas and the days following it on Waiheke Island. Vegetation on the island is rich and thick with native bush and hence, native bird life. We spent our days sea kayaking, hiking, and shelling the beaches—not with artillery. I may have mentioned this before but normally I don’t spend much time collecting sea shells by the seashore (I had to say it that way) but the shells on the beaches here are so varied from one beach to the next that I absolutely love it. Luckily, we made friends with a local artist in our travels who incorporates shells he finds on New Zealand beaches into his Kauri wood carvings of bowls, platters and coasters. When we commisioned him to make a center-piece platter for us we provided him with an array of shells we collected ourselves. It takes him a few months to finish one of these incredible bowls. In the meantime, he asked if I would collect shells for him during our travels. This makes my time spent shelling well worth the effort since I don’t have to listen to Jim taunt me with “What in the world are you ever going to do with all those shells?” A highlight to the sea kayaking came when we encountered the elusive blue penguin. We only saw one but he was only a few feet from us splashing and rolling around. These are the smallest penguins in the world and cute too!

Considerations & Observations VI

• Very small town living predominates the lifestyles in New Zealand. Even a major city, Auckland, is petite by comparison to San Francisco. In our rambling, we hop from one tiny town to the next. They exude a charm and comfortable atmosphere by not having an abundance of chain stores. The shops lining town centers are usually individually owned stores for crafts, clothing, imported foods, butchers, convenience stores, cafes or coffee shops. We didn’t see a single Starbucks or the NZ equivalent, Esquires, outside of Auckland.

• While touring the northland, stunning sights of rolling green farmland sprinkled with cows and sheep dominated our car window slideshow. While very beautiful, I think I could take pictures of the northland, mix them with pictures of Virginia and Pennsylvania and most people wouldn’t be able to tell one from the other. This is not a criticism of the scenery. It’s gorgeous but not completely incomparable to sights in the US.

• Jim achieved another personal best. We arrived in the one eatery, one mini-convenience store town of Baylys at 1 in the afternoon. It didn’t take long for us to find a pathway from our holiday park (campground) to the eatery/bar/restaurant. The Funky Fish was having a party for their 8th anniversary complete with a band and local delicacies. We’re pretty sure we were the only non-locals there because we met just about everyone by the end of the night. We think my evening came to a close around 7 (details are still a little cloudy) when I headed back to the van to sleep off the beer hangover that was rushing my way. Jim returned to the van at 1:15 am - - a full 12 HOURS after he walked through the back gate of the Funky Fish. When I pointed this out, as wives love to do, he simply commented, “but I made a lot of new friends.â€� I then saracstically stated the obvious “Well, I guess you had fun.” Jim responded in Confuscious-like style with “All bars are fun… if you stay long enough.”

• International Ambassador. Traveling around, we encounter more German, French, and UK citizens than Americans. Ah, how I do enjoy antagonizing the French. I engage my victim in innocuous conversation. Then, when they’re not expecting it, I go for the sucker punch, “So, what do you think about Lance Armstrong returning to cycling and the Tour de France?” At this point, the exchange changes tone to that of a lively debate. After a healthy volley of arguments on each side, I go for the jugular. The closer: “I don’t know why the French get so upset. We always LET you win a stage on Bastille Day.” This is immediately followed by vulgar hand gestures and my adversary retreating to his native language. Yes, I’m doing my part to improve stereotypes of rude Americans abroad.

• US media outlets fill the news with doom-and-gloom reports to the point one might think we’re living through Armageddon-like times. American news focuses strongly on the US, so Americans don’t hear much about the rest of the world. Here in NZ, the theme isn’t so much doom and gloom as bent toward reporting about death. Reading the paper is often like deciding on the Darwin award winner for who “offedâ€� themselves in the most creative manner, around the world. Nonetheless, it’s a luxury just being able to pick up a daily newspaper again.

• Newspapers report the daily UV exposure rating. The scale goes from 1 to 11 but most days the rating is 12. I didn’t know this, but apparently there is a hole in the ozone layer that results in NZ and Australia ranking at the top when it comes to melanoma cases. It’s a good thing we have a ton of sunscreen leftover!

• I never thought of our lighting on the boat as being any darker than on land but apparently it is dimmer. Unfortunately, with better lighting comes the realization we both have lots more gray hair and sun freckles than when we left on this adventure.

• Living in the Bay Area creates wine snobs. Happily, we counted ourselves among them, prior to this trip. Initially, we found it odd to read wine lists and not see any CA wines. We got past that though when we didn’t need to pay more than $10 for a bottle of decent, tasty wine. We sank to a new low though. Not only is the wine cheap and palatable but almost all of them have a twist-off cap!

• Reversal of grocery shopping. Cruising we had to stock up on fruits and vegetables whenever we saw them because we had no assurance we would see them again. As a carryover affect, it is very hard not to buy “extras” in the produce section of a grocery store. However, if you thought the boat was cozy quarters, you should see the van! Space makes the decisions on the quantities of groceries and souvenirs we purchase.

• In just over two-and-a-half weeks of travel, we stopped in only one town large enough to warrant a movie theater. It had been over two years since we sat in a movie theater. In 24 hours we made up for it, somewhat. We caught three movies including the new James Bond movie, Quantum of Solace.

• Sports enthusiasts may know the New Zealand rugby team is called the All Blacks. However, did you know their basketball team is called the Tall Blacks? True.

• NZ is not famous for its culinary offerings, but they do recognize one basic concept in food. Anything that tastes good naturally tastes even better fried.

• One thing that has remained the same with stepping off the boat: not knowing the day of the week. In Tonga, we kind of kept an eye out for Sunday because everything was closed… everything. Here it can take a lively debate or a scan of the newspaper to establish what day of the week it is. Yes, it is nice to be ignorant of the day of the week but not knowing the day usually comes with a partner – not having a “payâ€� day.

• You know you’re in New Zealand when you’re reading employment ads and see one titled, “Career in Skydiving.”

We have so much to tell you. Our most surprising news: We put Blue Plains Drifter up for sale. We calculated we sailed more than 10,000 miles, spent the night in more than 50 anchorages, visited 5 countries and 19 islands from Mexico through the South Pacific. If BPD does not sell, we could embark on a third year cruise taking us to Fiji, Vanuatu, New Caledonia and on to Australia.

In Opua, New Zealand we enjoyed stepping off the boat directly on to a dock. It has been seven months since BPD tied up anywhere for anything. Jack and Jim reunited. The old friends settled in together as if they had never been apart. That is Jack Daniels and Jim. Jim is off rum and back to Jack for those keeping tabs. Jack was darn expensive in the islands. Jim had his turn at becoming a consumer and indulged in a new watch, casual jacket (hadn’t needed one in a few years), shoes to wear with jeans (hadn’t worn jeans in a couple years either) and long sleeve shirts (pure craziness). We also met and became close friends with a famous member of the local sailing and ferry community. He has his own boat but often rides the ferry across the bay for an afternoon. We first met Sam one morning when heading to the showers. When we returned Sam was IN our boat checking out the interior. Remember, cruisers are a rather friendly lot. Another time while airing out a lazerette on deck we left its hatch open overnight. The next morning, Sam woke us up when he came aboard and put his full body in the lazerette trying to see what all the work was about. Becoming part of his daily routine, Sam stopped by each morning and again each evening. He was not opposed to having appetizers on BPD before grabbing dinner on his own boat. Our most startling run-in with the gregarious chap was returning one afternoon; opening the companionway doors and seeing Sam poke his head around from the spare room as though he were looking at someone disturbing him on his own boat. We had left the forward facing saloon hatches open and Sam had let himself in through the window, leapt to the table and made himself at home. Sam, of course, is a cat. He’s large, black and white and as feisty as they come. Jim appeared below deck many times after playing with Sam in need of a napkin and several band-aids to stop his bleeding. I have to say, Jim deserved every scratch and bite he got. My favorite sight was Jim rolling Sam over on his belly, tormenting him and causing Sam to scratch the heck out of him. Jim retreated, happily dabbing at his wounds. Jim, thinking play time was over, started to walk away. Sam dashed after him, and in full dive, wrapped himself around Jim’s calf and sunk in his teeth. This move always gave Sam the last word in their wrestling matches. The most entertaining match involved an unsuspecting neighbor playing with Sam after Jim had antagonized the hell of out him moments earlier. When the man turned to finish his conversation with a friend, Sam lunged after his calf and chomped down. The guy never had a chance. Victorious, Sam left in a flash.

You may be wondering where Bailey, the best kitty ever, was in all this feline fuss. Unfortunately, our beloved Bailey passed away a few months back, just after her 15th birthday. The veterinarian treating her said it was heart disease. I haven’t mentioned it until now because it was truly the hardest thing I’ve ever gone through. Jim and I miss her dearly, talk of her often and have brought a few Bailey mementos with us so she continues to be part of our adventure in our hearts and minds.

Jim and I have transitioned from roaming the blue plains of the ocean to traveling the black plains of the byways of New Zealand, hence the title of this post. Our medium for this next venture is Quinn, a campervan. The man from whom I bought the campervan reminded me so much of my grandpa that I named the van Quinn, after him. In preparing Blue Plains Drifter for showing to prospective buyers, we moved everything off and put things into storage or Quinn. It’s odd knowing that two years of living accessories, souvenirs and assorted boat equipment fit into 6 x 5 x 4 space and a tricked-out cargo-van. We’ve gone from the house, to the boat, to the van. At this rate, we should be living in a cardboard box by spring. We’re hoping for a nice refrigerator size box – fingers crossed! The most embarrassing thing to move was food provisions! I often boasted to Jim about being a master provisioner. For the last 12 months, we never lacked for anything on BPD: paper towels, Kleenex, Ziplocs, soap, toothpaste, shampoo and, of course, food. While other cruisers spent time scouring markets and toting bags of goods back to their boat in wet dinghies we were enjoying the moment snorkeling, hiking or relaxing with a drink. Well, Jim now describes my provisioning approach as less than “mastery.� I think his exact words were “You put so much stuff on the boat we couldn’t possibly run out of anything.� Suffice it to say, there are many canned and prepackaged goods coming with us in Quinn. Heck, we are still drinking Tecate! We could readily have cruised another six months only needing to buy perishables. Oops!

We’ve been living in Quinn just over a week, and much like living on that boat, we feel like turtles. Here again, we carry everything with us so we never forget the camera, sunscreen, toothbrush, socks, etc… It’s all at the parking grounds in the worse case scenario. It does usually take us a few minutes to find the van keys. Neither of us is used to carrying keys. So, we misplace them regularly. I still can’t believe WE LIVE IN A VAN. It is nice that we always park on grass so it doesn’t feel like you’re tumbling out of the van each morning onto a parking lot. It’s more like tumbling out of a van onto a meadow. It has been an amusing enterprise already. We visited the northern most tip of the North Island, Cape Reinga. Venturing north included stops at the northernmost everything: tavern, winery, campground, lighthouse and even petrol station. Quinn runs on diesel.

Campers and campervanners alike converge on holiday parks, the term given to the abundant number of campgrounds throughout New Zealand. Usually a well-equipped communal kitchen, dining area, games, tv room, bathroom and showers are available. In cities, holiday parks are usually a fair way from the action but in the more common smaller towns they can be impressively central or near lakes, bays, beaches, rivers or forests. The nightly cost of holiday-park camping is between $7-$9 USD per person. We have the option of plugging in or not plugging in to power which allows us to swap facilities for wilder, less-developed locations like national parks. So far, we’ve been happy preparing our meals wherever we happen to turn off the ignition. It’s deluxe having a two-burner stove and a sink with running water in the van. In our first few nights, we had views of mountain ridges; we parked right next to the shoulder of a scenic bay; parked on a bluff overlooking a distant bay to the south with a cow filled pasture to the north. We also parked at a beach, one backdrop we’ve seen plenty of the last two years. Sometimes there have been other campers in view and sometimes not. Because of the pure excitement of seeing and doing things on land, we moved locations most nights to maximize the variety of our experience. We rode quad ATV’s on the infamous Ninety Mile Beach and through towering sand dunes, surfed in the Tasman sea (burrrrr), stopped at landmarks, collected tiny treasures on the coolest shell covered beach I’ve seen, tasted at two wineries and Jim had Fish and Chips of the most famous variety in New Zealand. In addition to the activities, we’ve also had the pleasure of meeting some pretty colorful characters, who immediately opened their homes and personal histories to us. If this sounds like a lot, I guess you could say we’re in overdrive, literally. This is our new life, for the next few months at least.

This will most likely be our last post before the holidays so we wish all you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

P.S. Unfortunately, we have not been able to find bandwidth which will allow us to update photos. We’ll let you know the next time we add them.

I am overdue for an update. I do apologize. The guys made it here Tuesday late morning. The trip took them 8 days and 30 minutes. That’s really good speed for a boat of our weight. Of the nearly 100 boats to make the voyage from Tonga to New Zealand this season BPD was probably one of five or less who did it without any of the following: without stopping at Minerva reef, without experiencing wind speeds over 30 knots and without breaking anything! What a great passage. I knew with my flying ahead, Murphy’s Law would have it that they’d have a blissful time. Dave, Tijny and Jim have been enjoying land again with drinks, dining out and exploring the new country. Dave and Tijny left this morning in Quinn, our campervan. They’ll use it for touring the next week or so until they head back to the states.

I had no issues “driving” Quinn on the opposite side of the road but there was one occasion that involved two guys pushing the campervan while trying to jumpstart my dead battery. Who knew that leaving the refrigerator plugged into the 12 volt overnight would run it down? Did I mention… I’m so glad Jim is here now so I can go back to little to no responsibility for things like that.

We’ll head out for some exploring of our own in the weeks to come.
Take care and have a great Thanksgiving everyone!

It was a busy 24 hours. The wind came up and was blowing 25-29 kts on the nose. We spent a lot of time trying to balance the sails so that it would not over power the autopilot. I spent a lot of time trying to get a grib file (weather) to see what the winds are going to do.
Everything is good. It actually turned out to be a great day of sailing. The winds moved around to the beam and we have been doing 7.5 kts all day. It’s been a little lumpy but getting better. We are having fish again tonight for dinner.

We had a great night. The winds picked up yesterday and are still good, about 12 knots. It should be a good sail the rest of the way. We hit the half way point yesterday! The second half should be much faster than the first half. We did pretty good though. We only used about 26 gallons of fuel. That means that we will have plenty to motor if we get wind on the nose coming in to Opua.

Dave caught a fish yesterday. It was a skipjack but we ate it for dinner anyway. I marinated it in Worcestershire and put a lot of Old Bay on it. It was pretty good. TODAY though we caught a monster. It has to be the biggest mahi mahi I have ever seen. It must be 50lb. It took us an hour to get it on the boat.

The captain wrote: It’s going great! We’ve had to motor a little more that we wanted but it has been a nice comfortable passage so far. We made 340 miles in 3 days. We are going slow but that was the strategy. Start slow then have nice winds and weather the rest of the way to NZ. I just got an update from Commanders Weather. They are confirming that we should see 15-20 knots starting tomorrow for the rest of the passage.

The swabbie update: I bought a campervan! It’s a 1995 Ford Transit. It is newly remodeled so the bed has never been slept on and the upholstery is brand new. Also, new and never used are the shower and porta-potty. It has a double to queen-sized bed, a sink, two-burner stovetop, shower, porta-potty, mini refrigerator, microwave, storage under the bed and beneath a small couch and a table mounts in the middle for eating. As with most campervans, it is diesel with nice bucket seats and a Kenwood stereo. It is taller than a normal car but width wise it fits in a normal parking space. The exchange rate made the price in US dollars only $7550. I had to tell you all about the perks first. Otherwise, if you only heard the price, you would have thought I bought a real junker. The man I bought it from is in his mid- to late 70’s and reminds me of my grandpa. He’s SO nice. That’s why I felt guilty when I nearly killed him. Remember, I have been living on a boat the last two years AND they drive on the opposite side of the road here. During the test drive, he grabbed the wheel more than once, asked if I had driven before (at all), asked if I knew how to drive a stick and inquired about my intent to purchase insurance. He giggled and laughed along with Wendy and myself but I could see he was a bit concerned for us. Wendy has also bought a campervan. We’ll keep our room in the city until Saturday to finish her purchase transaction. We need access to internet, fax and phone to do that. We’ll pick up my campervan Saturday morning and drive north to meet the hubbies. Jim should arrive about Tuesday.

Stay tuned for more updates!

The weather yesterday was good. We sailed most of the day. We had the spinnaker (light wind sail, very large) up for a while but the wind went behind us so we went wing-on-wing. Then the wind shifted 180 degrees which allowed us to do 7knots on a beam reach. We have not seen over 12 knots of wind since we left, unfortunately. We motored most of the night and still are now.

We have been eating okay. I just made biscuits for breakfast. They were good. I made the pre-packaged pasta from the Dancing Rooster (a Tongan restaurant) last night. That didn’t work out so well. The pasta had thawed so it turned into a sticky mess. I boiled the hunk but most of the pasta fell apart. I was going to put a red sauce on it but that would have totally made it look like road kill. Dave and I ate some and it tasted fine but it looked like crap. We are going to have chicken with pasta tonight.

The only other boat around us is Little Wing. They are 60 miles behind us. There are a number of boats leaving Minerva Reef today including Steve (Tiffany’s roommates’ husband). They are 93 miles away and will have intersecting courses. We will probably get close to some of the boats. We are now about 90 miles south east of Minerva. Meridian, Tin Soldier and several other boats are leaving Tonga today. They will be 2 days behind us.

The weather yesterday was good. We sailed most of the day. We had the spinnaker (light wind sail, very large) up for a while but the wind went behind us so we went wing-on-wing. Then the wind shifted 180 degrees which allowed us to do 7knots on a beam reach. We have not seen over 12 knots of wind since we left, unfortunately. We motored most of the night and still are now.

We have been eating okay. I just made biscuits for breakfast. They were good. I made the pre-packaged pasta from the Dancing Rooster (a Tongan restaurant) last night. That didn’t work out so well. The pasta had thawed so it turned into a sticky mess. I boiled the hunk but most of the pasta fell apart. I was going to put a red sauce on it but that would have totally made it look like road kill. Dave and I ate some and it tasted fine but it looked like crap. We are going to have chicken with pasta tonight.

The only other boat around us is Little Wing. They are 60 miles behind us. There are a number of boats leaving Minerva Reef today including Steve (Tiffany’s roommates’ husband). They are 93 miles away and will have intersecting courses. We will probably get close to some of the boats. We are now about 90 miles south east of Minerva. Meridian, Tin Soldier and several other boats are leaving Tonga today. They will be 2 days behind us.

Here is the report on BPD’s first day out to sea:

We had a good night. Light winds and smooth seas. We had to motor sail quite a bit yesterday but have been under sail since about 2am. Pretty slow day. We will probably only make about 125 miles. At this time, it looks like we picked a good day to leave. They are getting lightning and squalls in Nuku’alofa. Meridian, Tin Soldier and several others were going to leave today. Now they are stuck for at least another day. We watched the lighting storm move over them last night. It was pretty cool. By the way, I am updating Yotreps so you can track our progress on the website.

Hello Everyone!

We wanted to let you know that Dave and Tijny (pronounced Tiny) arrived Monday in Tonga. Being that I left a week ago, it is a bachelor pad boat. I received a few emails from Jim and the guys which included notes like “Just an update, we have now gone through 4 bottles of rum (and have started a 5th) and finished about 3 1/2 cases of beer” and “We had a get together with two other boats on our boat and I made dinner.” I think it is safe to say the guys are having a good time while waiting for a weather window. It’s been a rough ride for the boats preceding them. The first wave of boats left two weeks ago and hit two strong systems which gave them knots in excess of forty and fifty knots, respectively. Two boats were damaged in the first gale. Safely but slowly, Meridian and Morning Star limped back to safe harbor in Nuku’alofa to make repairs. Another group of boats left a week later and experienced opposite conditions. The winds were so light they barely made headway. The forecast then changed as a system developed and headed straight for them. This resulted in their backtracking to Minerva Reef where they’ve been at anchor for several days waiting for conditions to turn favorable.

Blue Plains Drifter is poised to shove off tomorrow morning. It should take nine to ten days depending on Mother Nature. I will update you as reports from Jim make their way to me. Jim is not quite the Communications Director I am, so I don’t expect an excess of information.

Wendy and I have been in New Zealand for a week. It’s been a mix of work and play. On the work side of things, Jim and I now have a New Zealand cell phone. I’ve also made contacts with local marina staff for maintenance items. There is nothing major to be done. It is more asthetics and it will be nice to pay someone else to do the more tedious chores like varnish work and waxing the decks. The biggest project has been finding a source for the purchase of a vehicle. Since we’ll be here a minimum of six months, we want to buy a campervan for touring. Intelligence reports had suggested this was an easy and inexpensive endeavor. Well, it’s been neither. Wendy and I have scoured the web, taken trains, buses and walked to various showgrounds, car fairs and car lots to find inventory but the selection has been dismal thus far. Campervans are either more costly than expected or not inclusive of some of our requirements, namely a bathroom and shower. I have a few more individuals I’ve located on notice boards and in newspapers. I will call and inquire about their listings next.

The play side of our first week was much more interesting. UNLIMITED, CONTINUOUS-FLOW, HOT SHOWERS are the hands-down, biggest thrill of our return to modern convenience. I feel very guilty not turning off the water while lathering up but I’m struggling through it. We also got our hair cut professionally for the first time in over two years! It’s a luxury to be using a hair dryer too. In the last week, I haven’t had my hair in a ponytail or under a ball cap once. That’s amazing. We did a two-hour spa treatment that consisted of a massage, facial and nail treatment all for $65 USD. We have seen televison programming, not DVD movies or series like we have aboard the boat. Our culinary indulgences cover the globe: Indian, Thai, Chinese and Japanese. Even an Italian deli sandwich with mortadella and salami was a treat. Then, of course, there has been the ability to shop. My complete wardrobe, since moving on the boat, resembles a photo shoot of an REI clothing catalog. While I do enjoy sporty wear, I have missed my feminine attire. The first purchases were a little black dress and strappy black heels. Those were followed by several purchases of updated, casual wear for a much cooler climate than what I had packed for on the boat. Again, the play side has been much more fun than the work side.

Naturally, after living on a boat and visiting simpler countries and/or island settings the last twenty-four months, there were things we noticed immediately upon arrival. These nuances may not have crossed our radar under the normal circumstance of a week long vacation, but nonetheless, here they are:

People in this country exercise!!! I have seen a lot of lycra cycling past me in full regalia: high-end road bikes, helmets, clipless pedals and jerseys. Needless to say, I think I drooled watching them go by. They even cover cycling events in the sports blurb on the evening news! I foresee the purchase of bikes in our future. There are also plenty of runners and even speed walkers out for some cardio, not to mention gyms.

Jim will like this next one. The pour for beer is imperial sized here which means 20 ounces as opposed to 16 oz. Also, it is not common to tip for drinks! True. Tipping is optional and infrequent. Usually tipping is observed only when dining and ten percent is considered generous. Even in the most upscale pubs, we have to physically go to the bar to order drinks. Normally there is no waitstaff roaming about. When there is waitstaff, their main purpose is to deliver food or clear plates. We could stay sober in a bar, if we’re not careful.

Musically speaking, Kiwi’s realize the American music they play is dated, very dated I might add. Their excuse for continuing to listen to it is “It is really good stuff.” The most commonly heard song, to which many sing the words, is Nancy Sinatra’s, “These Boots Are Made For Walkin.’” Other artists commonly seen and heard on the big screen include: Billy Joel, Kool and the Gang, Blondie, Leonard Skynard and The Charlie Daniels Band. Even old UK music is played enthusiastically: Elton John, the Eurythmics and yes, Boy George!

It is much colder than expected. Jim and I visited the South Island five years ago for three weeks and as I recall it was not this cold. The seasons are reversed from the US. Seasonally, New Zealand is transitioning to springtime but it’s still quite cold. I’ve been wearing a jacket over a sweatshirt most days. More than one local has told us, “New Zealand has all four seasons. They happen everyday.” This appears quite accurate. It gets warm when the sun is out. However, the wind comes up in the afternoon and may bring a light rain or the sky goes gray and the result is layering back up to keep warm. With early spring conditions, my allergies have also reappeared after two years of dormancy (sniffle, sniffle). The good news: there are pharmacies and allergy meds here unlike countries we’ve just visited.

Our hostel is located in the heart of downtown Auckland. In reading about the cultural diversity in New Zealand, we expected to see more ethnic variety, including a large population of Polynesians. We have yet to see anyone suggestive of Polynesian heritage. The only mix we have seen is Caucasion and Chinese which is about a fifty-fifty split, including probable tourists and store owners and their employees. As a result, I suspect car insurance is quite high - - sorry Patrick

We visited a large, chain grocery store which seemed to have most of what we would see at home. To our delight we saw fruits and vegetables we haven’t seen since Mexico: avocados, cauliflower, broccoli, eggplant, cherry tomatoes, grapefruit and much more. Big on my list of favorite items, not readily found the last 8 months, is Pepsi. Coke is the dominant softdrink in the world, for certain. There is one cause for alarm on the grocery side of things. Jim and I are HUGE fans of Mexican food, namely that which we make ourselves. The only stocked Mexican items were a selection of Old El Paso products. This is not good. I went so far as to ask a manager of the store if he knew of any Mexican markets where I could buy products. He looked at me like I had a third eye. Hence, this search now rivals the search for a campervan.

To our surprise, the presidential election in the United States was keenly anticipated. On the eve of the election results, Wendy and I found ourselves at a local watering hole. CNN was on the big screen updating results as they became available. Since we are several hours behind California time, we were witnessing the final tally as polls closed. Everyone was glued to the tv. This was common in all establishments. Since we were the only Americans, our opinions were continually solicited. Upon hearing the first CNN projection of an Obama win, the bar erupted in cheers and glasses were raised in toasts. Being the only Americans, rounds of drinks started appearing at our table with congratulatory exultations. Kiwi’s told us repeatedly that the US is the world leader and what is good for the US is good for the rest of the world. People feel like we’ve passed through a portal in history, jumped over a major milestone. The day after the election, the entire front page of the largest newspaper was a color picture of Barack Obama waving at the crowd with his slogan emblazened in bold white letter across the bottom, “Yes, We Can.” It was a surreal experience to be in a foreign country during the announcement with such a bold and enthusiastic support everywhere. We were both proud to be Americans.

That about covers it for now. Stay tuned for passage updates from BPD and her crew in the days to follow.

NOTHING IS WRONG. NOTHING HAS HAPPENED. It’s just a catchy title for the post. Relax, relax. Blue Plains Drifter is fine, we are fine. Everything is fine.

The time is nearly upon us to make our passage to New Zealand. Well, let me restate that: The time is nearly upon Jim to make the passage to New Zealand. Yes, it’s true. I will abandon ship before BPD starts her voyage from Nuku’alofa, Tonga to Opua, New Zealand.

With weather this season poorly predicted and winds consistently exceeding norms, Jim decided months ago that we needed to have experienced crew aboard for the upcoming passage. The 1,200 mile stretch from Tonga to New Zealand has the potential and reputation for being nastier than the 3,000 mile passage across the Pacific. High- and low-pressure systems roll through that ocean span in rapid succession. So often that BPD is just about guaranteed at least one kick butt gale during the voyage. Adding to the challenge is the fact that since we left Mexico, almost all our sailing has been downwind. A good portion of the upcoming stretch will be sailing upwind. In sailing terms, this is called “beating� referring to the fact that you beat your brains out sailing into wind and swell. Sound fun yet? The good news is the voyage should take only about ten days, compared to the 26 days it took to do the Pacific crossing.

When setting out to find crew, we first looked to seasoned sailing and cruising friends. Luckily, we didn’t have to look any further. You might remember, when BPD left her slip in Mexico for the very first plunge into cruising life, two years ago, our friends and mentors, Dave and Sue were aboard. Dave was one of my sailing instructors in Santa Cruz. He and Sue had cruised their boat, Peregrine, from the US to Australia in 1998. Fortunately for us, their route skipped New Zealand and Dave always thought he “missed out� by not getting to experience the notoriously challenging stretch between Tonga and New Zealand. Oddly enough, Sue still smiles today that she “missed out.� With opportunity knocking a second time, Dave eagerly joined the crew list. Dave’s not your ordinary cruising yachtie (in more than one way!). He’s sailed all his life for both enjoyment and profession. He’s heavily credentialed, hence, is able to instruct and certify would-be sailors like myself and more advanced sailors. Dave has also been a delivery captain, delivering boats from one place to another around the world. For the last few years, Dave has captained the Monterey Bay research vessel, the Derek M. Bayliss. So, while he is the rum and tequila guzzling cruiser we all are in port, he also knows the pointy end goes first. Of course, I was thrilled at the thought of having someone else aboard but things only got better. Dave works with another seasoned salt on the Bayliss, Tijny (pronounced Tiny which his 6’2 frame is far from). We had come to know Tijny in the Bay Area when paling around with Dave and Sue. Tijny was also eager to join in the fun. Sailing men have an odd idea of “fun.� With three crew, shift rotations work nicely and no one gets too tired but with four the boat (namely the cockpit) gets crowded. So, there was only one thing for me to do – save myself and get the heck out of here! Oh, I mean, graciously bow out and fly ahead to New Zealand for the good of my fellow crew.

Several other boats will do the same; add veteran crew for the leg and/or add crew while wives fly ahead or home for a visit. Our friends, Steve and Wendy, on Elusive, are one such boat. Steve has a buddy who is preparing to leave on his own cruising adventure and readily opted to lend a hand. So, Wendy and I fly out together late on November 1st (Jim and my 8 year anniversary of our first date!). Wendy and I reserved a hostel in downtown Auckland where we’ll look to get a head start on getting comfortable in New Zealand. With the purchase of campervans/cars for touring New Zealand, getting cell phones, making arrangements with ship yards for maintenance items, we’ll be busy. Okay, so we’ll also be checking out the eating and drinking establishments, appraising the sights Auckland has to offer and thanking our lucky stars we’re sitting this one out on non-moving land with unlimited hot showers, complete with a flush toilet in our room! There I said it. Happy?

Dave and Tijny arrive here - Nuku’alofa - early on the third of November. Jim will already have been monitoring weather patterns awaiting a window for departure. As soon as conditions are favorable, Blue Plains Drifter and her hardened crew will head out. Keep in mind, a large fleet will be waiting to jump, of which almost all are heading to Opua, New Zealand for check-in to the country. This will be like the Pacific crossing in that there are radio nets for boats to check in, log their position and share weather information for boats following behind. The departure will be a staggered one for all the boats, based on everyone’s individual timeline but essientially, there will be company, plenty of it. Jim will keep me abreast of how the passage is going via boat email, over the single-side-band radio, and I will, in turn, update all of you regularly.

Next stop, New Zealand or as the Kiwi’s say it, “Nuh Zillon.�

Before we bring discussion of Tonga to an end, here are three last anecdotes of our experiences:

• When we arrived in Nuku’alofa we were pleased to find several coffee shop cafes. It’s as though we’re migrating little by little from village life to urban life. The fun part came when I ordered a decaf coffee. The woman crooked her head to the side and answered me with “We don’t carry that brand.� I thought maybe there was another word Tongans used to differentiate between caffeinated and decaffeinated. So, I proceeded to describe to her, and subsequently two more of the staff, the difference. Finally, one of the women looked at me and said, “Is it like food and how some are vegetarian?� Yes, I guess you could look at it that way. They do not have nor have they heard of caffeine in Nuku’alofa. Jim, while still snickering at my endeavor to order coffee, proceeded to order an iced coffee which was surprisingly listed on the drink selection board. His iced coffee arrived moments later in a tall sundae glass with a straw sticking out. “Iced coffee� in Nuku’alofa means it has a scoop of ice cream in it!!! They made him a coffee milkshake of sorts.

• One thing that’s remained the same in our Tongan travels has been the introduction of lollipops and dog biscuits to kids and canines. Surely, I’d have been arrested several times over in the States for offering candy and trinkets to small children as we walk about. The kids receive the tootsie pops and suckers with a big smile and say “malo,� Tongan for thank you. However, we have seen children moments later with the pop in their mouth going about their business happily with the wrapper still covering the sucker! Imagine their delight when the wrapper comes off and they get to enjoy the sugary sweetness.

• A similar incident occurs when trying to proffer a biscuit to a dog. They don’t know what it is, so they first avoid the handout, to the point of running away in many cases. Dogs roam freely in Tonga, just like the pigs. Seldom have we seen dogs that appear to be actual pets. So, they’re not used to being fed, especially treats. We’ve become skilled at tossing biscuits near cautious dogs, then backing away to give them a wide berth to check it out. In most cases this works and they gobble it up then look to us for more. The toss is key to success though. On one occasion, Jim tried to get a biscuit within range of a dog and accidentally overthrew. The biscuit bounced off Fido’s nose and sent him running away yelping.

In reflection, we were very excited about the people, scenery (above and below the water) and the anchorages when we first arrived in Tonga three months ago. Having since visited three distinctly different island groups within the Kingdom, our opinion remains the same. This country is number one on our list of South Pacific cruising grounds. You can’t beat it.

We are now at the southernmost of the Tongan island groups, Tongatapu. We anchored at a tiny island, Pangaimotu, only 100 yards away from Big Mama’s Yacht Club! Uh oh! That could be trouble. Every time we move the boat it opens up all new exploring activities and we love it! We’ll report back soon on what we find! In the meantime, below are some more Considerations and Observations:

• Cruising is like being a kid again. You play with your friends every day and when you get to a store, you binge on Doritos, Coke, Cheetos and cookies.

• Before we became cruisers, we only added to our photo albums when we vacationed, once or maybe twice a year. Since we left Mexico in March, we have added over 1,200 photos to our collection and that’s after paring it down to only the good ones! Thank goodness for digital photography.

• Monday Night Football is shown live on Tuesdays at 1:30 in Tonga due to the international dateline and time change. That feels really odd.

• Prior to cruising if someone inquired as to what religion I practice, I answered, “I’m Catholic but not practicing.� After the wild rides we’ve had, I’ve dropped the “not practicing� part.� I’ve done my fair share of praying!!!! Someone once observed there are no atheists at sea.

• That same person may have coined the following statement as well: “People who would go to sea for pleasure would also spend time in hell as a hobby.� We heard this recently from a fellow cruiser.

• Sights and Sounds of the South Pacific:

Marquesas: horses roaming and grazing freely, anywhere they happened to end up, with the sound of cock-a-doodle-do ringing in our ears.

Tonga: piglets, pigs and more piglets rutting their noses in the ground while large fruit bats, called Flying Foxes, chirp in the trees during the day and traverse the sky en route to the fruit groves at night.

• We don’t eat as much seafood as you might imagine. We don’t eat as much as we would prefer either. Ciguatera, poisoned fish, has been one reason and the other is just catching fish at an opportune time. Catching and fighting a fish on a line when navigating a technical pass or in rough seas is not fun.

• I am still refusing to call Jim “Master and Commander� as requested, at least until he starts wearing the funny, pointy-ended hat.

• When we swap boat names with other cruisers and upon hearing Blue Plains Drifter they say, “Oh, you must have a blue hull� we know they don’t “get� our boat name.

• The phrase “When it rains it pours� may have originated in Tonga. In one such downpour we topped off our water tanks by adding 150 gallons in just under 2 hours!!! After a prolonged boat rinse, we opened the cover of each tank and used a towel to funnel deck runoff rain water into them.

• The crazy fish award goes to the remora. They are the hitchhiker of the sea. They have what looks like a large, rectangular, sneaker print on their head. This is the side they attach to a host for a free ride. Normally remora attach to the underside of sharks, dolphins or whales. However, they’ve also been known to suck on to unsuspecting cruisers while in the process of cleaning the bottom of their hull!!! Their suction left an impressive hickey.

• I’ve been told that Spanish and French are very close linguistically. Since I don’t speak French, I tried my Spanish. Jim always laughed at me but that’s nothing new. It didn’t work in the way I hoped but it did work. In our travels, I met 3 Polynesians who spoke Spanish! So we found a common language and were able to converse. It has been very pleasant that most Tongans, including very young children, speak English.

• Monsters in your closet. Remember how, as a kid, you were edgy at night because of the monster in the closet or under the bed? Well, for me now, the monster comes out after dark on passages. You may recall, I had the midnight to 4 am shift during the crossing, which just happened to be when all our major mechanical failures occurred. Ever since then, I have a strong dislike for sailing in the dark and refuse to do the midnight watch. I hear things that I’m sure are a problem. My favorite is checking the bilge to confirm it hasn’t filled with water. When I’m not inspecting the bilge or staring at BPD’s rigging, I count the hours until sunrise. Yes, I’d say I’m a little traumatized still.

• Cruisers don’t swim. We’re in these fabulous places with gem colored waters and usually I am one of two boats, our friends on Island Time swim too, who swims for pleasure and exercise. Some don’t even snorkel usually fearing reef sharks, which we have not seen in three months!

• It’s time to do some trash talking. A highlight for cruisers is taking trash to shore. I had no idea how much trash a small boat could generate. All the packaging, empty jars, plastic wrapping and, of course, beer cans and wine bottles, end up going ashore for disposal, unless we are at sea. At sea, all but the plastics can be filled with water and thrown overboard to sink. We don’t have space for a normal garbage can so it’s often the grocery store size plastic bag that acts as the receptacle. Jim calls me the garbage Nazi. I like it taken off the boat as soon as feasible-sometimes sooner.

A photo album titled The Vava’u Group of Tonga has been added to the Gallery tab.

It’s been awhile since we updated you on our adventure. For the last month we have been exploring the Vava’u Group of Tonga. The main city, liberally speaking, is Neiafu. Compared to the last few months, dining has been a delight. We’ve been enjoying a handful of waterfront cafes and nighttime watering holes, not to mention a market for fresh produce! To offset our caloric indulgences, we spend afternoons hiking to outlying villages, playing Santa Claus to the locals by passing out gifts, summiting nearby ridges, kayaking, scuba diving, swimming with whales and touring the main island by go-kart.

The Vava’u Group is a cruiser’s paradise with over 40 anchorages just hours or less away from Neiafu. Numerous petite islands, fringed by reefs speckle the map of Vava’u. When we fill our stomachs and drain our pockets of pa’anga, the local currency, we sail to the islands for some free entertainment: snorkeling (which is exquisite here), cave diving, bonfires ashore, trekking through thick vegetation to remote villages and, of course, sundowners on friends’ boats. With the multitude of anchorages, we’ve even had the rare treat of being the sole boat which is always a welcome surprise.

Two exhilarating moments in the last few weeks deserve a mention. Above, I wrote that we swam with the whales. Tonga is one of only two places in the world where you can swim with humpback whales. With a licensed whale tour operator, we spent a day in absolute awe. On an aluminum, double-decker boat, we and six friends, went scouting for blowholes. Once sighted and carefully approached, we were able to sneak up so close that we felt the deep, guttural, bellow of the water and air being expelled through their blowhole. It was like a geyser as they surfaced twelve feet from the boat. Before we ever got in the water with them, we all felt we had experienced something truly unique and beautiful. When our operator felt the whales accepted our presence, he would turn off the engine and we’d drift in closer. In teams of four, plus our guide, donning full snorkel regalia, we slipped beneath the surface like Navy seals to steal an up-close look. It was INCREDIBLE! We spent 90 minutes side-by-side observing a mother, her calf and two extremely large male escorts lumbering through the water. The calf, atop the spine of the mother, would somehow cradle there and gently loll from side-to-side over her dorsal fin. We saw with utmost clarity her white underbelly, wrinkled edges of her mouth and the nodules on her head and pectoral fin. We all had good sense of the size of a whale fluke from experience, but the pectoral fin was absolutely massive. I think it was larger than our mainsail. It gently swept out from her body and ever so slowly propelled her and the calf through the water. At one point, I got so absorbed watching them, I failed to notice a male’s dangerously close to bapping me in its rhythmic up and down motion. Luckily, our guide jerked me out of the way and back to reality. In a full breach, it takes only two flutters of that tail to propel their 30-40 tons of body weight out of the water. We found other whales, some not so willing to indulge us voyeurs. Our guide was continually mindful of the whales’ behavior. If the whales appeared to avoid us or shielded their calf from us, he motored away in search of another opportunity. We felt privileged and humbled to experience this facet of the animal world in its natural surroundings.

Our second adrenaline-charged experience came from another up-close-and-personal contact but in this case it was with a coral reef instead of a whale! We had picked up a mooring at small island resort. A mooring is a line attached to a heavily weighted, allegedly, near-immovable object. You slip the line over a cleat on the bow. It is very, very common and we’ve used them frequently since leaving Mexico. We had come to Mala island from a remote anchorage to watch the bi-seasonal Cowboys versus Eagles football game on the only public satellite tv around. Other than Jim’s Cowboys winning and my Eagles losing, it was an enjoyable game. The bar tab confirmed it. We racked up sixteen beers in five hours. The next evening, while still on the mooring, we were below deck when the whole boat shook and jerked. We staggered to our feet as a second jolt shook us into panic mode. Our first fear was another boat had hit us. On deck, while completely blacked out with no moon, we could tell no one had bumped us since none of the eight boats in the anchorage were anywhere to be seen. Maybe the tide went out and somehow we were in such shallow water we grazed the top of the concrete block securing the mooring to the bottom? Why couldn’t we see other boats? Jim went to the bow trying to solve the mystery. As he tugged on the mooring line, it felt limp. He continued pulling until, eventually; the other end of the mooring line came up in his hand. The shackle connecting the chain to the line had come apart. We had been drifting freely. In total darkness we could not get our bearings to make sense. We couldn’t see anchor lights on other boats that had been nearby. We couldn’t recognize the smattering of lights ashore and the compass reading made no sense at all. How could we be facing west-northwest? We had realized by that time we must be grazing up against coral and/or solid ground. So, we attempted to radio another boat in the anchorage for assistance. Who was it that came to our immediate assistance? It was none other than Alan on the sailing vessel Charisma. You may remember Alan from the Pacific crossing; he came to our aid then as well. We have since nicknamed Alan, “Clark Kent” for repeatedly coming to our rescue. With Alan and his friend Mike aboard, Jim jumped into the water with his snorkel, mask and underwater flashlight. Alan manned the bow with a forward looking flashlight while I took the helm. For the next hour, as the tide receded, Jim would assess the position of Drifter’s keel relative to coral heads and voice directions to Mike at the side deck who would relay them to me. BPD’s draft is six feet. I cannot tell you how tense I was watching the depth as we would go from 6′3″ all the way down to 5′8″. The low grass was giving us shallower readings than true depth. We very slowly navigated our way back to a decadent 7 plus feet. I was never so happy to see we had one foot of free room under our keel. Ultimately, we made our way back to the anchorage and set the hook on the sandy bottom. The next day we noted our drift location was a half mile past the anchorage and onto a reef. Had we drifted the opposite direction, we would have drifted into the other boats. The good news in all this is we had only slight scratches in the bottom paint at the base of the keel. The encounter did no damage at all to the fiberglass. We still aren’t sure if that makes us lucky or unlucky for having gone through it in the first place. You decide.

Since we don’t have visas pushing us to leave Tonga, like we did in French Polynesia, we’ve been able to slow to a crawl in our movement here. We’ll stay in Vava’u for another three weeks before making our way to the next island group, the Ha’apai. Stay tuned for more adventures on Blue Plains Drifter!

Hi Everyone,

Finally, we have internet access again so I uploaded photos. There is a new album that covers the last two posts. It’s called Cook Islands and Niuatoputapu, Tonga (easy for us to say).

In addition, I added a few pictures (5 only) to the front of the Tahitian Islands album that give you a glimpse of our experience in Bora Bora, which seems like months ago at this point.

We are currently anchored in Neiafu, Tonga and are really enjoying the quaint town. There are restaurants here, unlike other islands, and even bars. Suffice it to say, we’ll be a here at least a week, maybe more.

We wish you all the best.
Tiffany and Jim

We had so many wonderful and varied experiences in Niuatoputapu, Tonga it would take me several pages to detail all of them. To spare you the novella, I tried to pare the descriptions down to bullet-sized briefs:

• A man, fully clothed, in long pants and a shirt, with a dinghy in tow, ferried us from the main island to a spit of land across the waterway. He waded knee deep in water at one point, then chest deep at another as the bottom terrain rolled up and down. We sat, high and dry. I almost felt like royalty. We landed at a defunct hotel called Palm Island Resort. The owners don’t do any business because air travel to and from Niuatoputapu has been out of commission for over a year. The only way to arrive is by boat, either sailing in yachts like ours or by securing passage on the monthly supply ship. This makes guests at the inn non-existent. After the innkeeper, Laura, fed us pizzas for lunch, we trekked a mile on the shallowest part of the reef, about ankle deep or dry at low tide. There were various size openings in the coral maze. We slid into pools and snorkeled clear waters. In some cases, an underwater tunnel linked two pools in the reef. We took deep breaths, dove down into the tunnel, swam through and resurfaced in the pool at the other end. In one case, Jim took a wrong turn in a tunnel and emerged in an opening just large enough for his head to stick out but not his shoulders. He looked like a mole in the arcade game Whack-A-Mole. Although tempted, I did not bop him on the head, like the game. This was not an outing for the claustrophobic.

• Hiking to the top of the ridge on Niutoputapu afforded amazing views of the island, boats in the anchorage, adjacent Palm Island and the nearby motu. Locals who accompanied us not only hiked shoeless over rugged terrain but also proceeded to climb a palm tree to knock down coconuts. Once the tops were lopped off them via machetes, we drank heartily. After our hike, we located a natural fresh-water spring which resulted in a cool and refreshing plunge, fully clothed.

• After swimming a half-mile from the boats, we snorkeled a towering reef wall, overflowing with a wide spectrum of colored corals and fish life. The uninhabited motu (small island), north of the anchorage, begged to be explored while we were out there as well. After landing our dinghy on a small patch of beach, we noticed the ground seemed to be on the move, with thousands of hermit crabs scampering about. This led to four stick-plowed lanes in the sand and then, of course, hermit crab racing.

• The volcano looming across the water was too much for us to resist. We contracted a local, Nico, to take us across the five miles of open ocean in his 18 ft panga. The passage to and from the island in Nico’s panga was as much of an adventure as clawing our way more than two thousand feet to the top of the volcano in steep, wet, mossy, rainforest surroundings. Swell had built up pretty good between the two islands making for a wet and wild ride in the skiff. Since it was an hour long trip across the water, Jim brought his fishing pole. He caught a twenty pound yellow fin tuna on the way to the island and a rainbow runner on the return. Being that locals take catching fish quite seriously, Nico would stop his precision navigating of the panga in the swell and focus solely on assisting Jim in landing the fish. This made for some wide eyes by the rest of us as we took large swell on the beam of our little craft. Waves would wash over the gunnels (side walls), so much so that on the return trip water had to be baled to keep us afloat! Since whales mate and calf in this channel, we were fortunate to see several while en route. Here again, Nico, knowing we were happy seeing the whales, would veer off in any direction, regardless of swell, in hot pursuit of a closer look. As the excitement abated, or seemed to, our friend Ron noticed something warm beneath his bench seat in the panga. Then he noticed movement. Inside a heavy, blue mesh bag squirmed a live pig! We never met Porky but were told he was to be the guest of honor at our feast the following night. When not landing fish, chasing whales or baling water, we focused our attention on the question on everyone’s mind, “Which of the two islands am I going to swim toward if we capsize?” After that experience, we felt we understood why Nico wore rosary beads round his neck.

• Porky sighting! Nico and his wife hosted the anchorage (only six boats) for a traditional pig roast. Yes, we finally saw Porky from the panga. He was bronzed, well done and hanging from a spit when we arrived. Once we got past our “connection” to Porky, he was good eating. Complimentary dishes included the South Pacific staple of poisson cru (fish cooked in lime juice and coconut milk), papaya, breadfruit, taro and a pudding of taro, banana and coconut cream all blended together.

• While on another snorkeling outing, Mary Ellen and I raised our heads to the sight of whales breaching outside the reef. They broke the surface, tall and straight monoliths then tilted and slammed to the surface displacing an explosive spray of water. It appeared to be two whales and the two of them repeated this in rapid succession of one another at least 4 times. What a treat!

• The people of Tonga are the friendliest we’ve seen anywhere, children included. Before leaving Mexico, we stocked up on small gifts to give remote communities such as this. We have a supply of everything from baby clothes, to notebooks and pencils for the schools and even baby needles for the medical clinic. I’ve been passing out “lollies” which is what the kids call candy here, finger puppets, Spiderman stickers and little girl sized bottles of nail polish with glitter in it to the kids. They even know my name now and call it out when they see me. Well, it sounds a lot like “Tiffany” when they say it, just not exactly. We also regularly dole out treats to the four-legged locals from our supply of dog biscuits. The dogs usually are in better physical form than the emaciated ones we saw in Mexico but they still appreciate a biscuit.

• During our stay, the newly anointed King, as in the Kindom of Tonga, arrived in Niuatoputapu to a fanfare of good cheer. Banners were strung the mile-and-a-half length of the main road. Wooden arches were erected and decorated with ferns and blessings for His Majesty. Although schools were closed, children dressed in red and white school uniforms lined the road from the airport to town waving the Tongan flag of the same colors as His Highness passed. Local men turned out in the traditional attire of woven mats bound around their waist with black bands. Women adorned their dresses with woven reeds dangling in strands hanging from their waist. Pigs roasted by the dozen as the entire town prepared for a feast with the King. Townspeople lined a chain link fence surrounding his palace (a simple house). As loyal subjects they sat on the ground peering through in anticipation of the kava ritual, ceremonial dances and the presentation of gifts. The offerings included: two, very large, live pigs in bamboo cages; tarot root grown on the island; and hand woven baskets with yet more roasted pigs. The people of Tonga revere their King. It was a treat to be on the island for the occasion.

As you can probably tell by the tone, we had a vigorous and fantastic time at our first stop in Tonga. Experienced cruisers advised us to allow ample time in our South Pacific travels to fully enjoy Tonga. We certainly agree with that recommendation already. Since this is our last country stop before departing for New Zealand in November, we’ll spend 3 months in Tonga. Next up: The Vava’u Group.