For about 4 weeks the city of Auckland will be our 'home' base. (see NZ for more details)
From there we plan to travel to a few of the islands in the Pacific, mainly the islands from the Tonga and Cook Island group.
TONGA
The ancient Polynesian kingdom of Tonga is one of the world's few remaining constitutional monarchies, renowned for its friendliness and gentle pace of life.
Ruled by King Taufa'ahau IV, only 37 of Tonga's idyllic islands are inhabited. Tonga's main island of Tongatapu in the south, home to the capital of Nuku'alofa and the Royal Palace.
To the north lies the Ha'apai group, a chain of atolls surrounded by turquoise waters, and further north is the Vava'u group with its lush tropical landscape and limestone caves.
TONGATAPU
Thursday the 28th of September we flew from Auckland to Tongatapu with Pacific Blue. The flight was quite memorable indeed. The crew already warmed us up for our visit to Tonga by singing songs and making us do some kind of wave, really funny!
At the airport we were picked up by a taxi driver who first took us to Nuku'alofa, the principle town, to give us the opportunity to get some Tongan money and do some grocery shopping. On our way to town we immediately saw that the island is really green and full of palm trees. We also saw a lot of plantations where they grew different kind of potatoes. Besides many stray dogs, there were also many, many pigs running around through the plantations and the peoples gardens.
Another peculiar sight was that all fences, gates, trees, churches and so on were decorated with black cloth and purple ribbons. Our taxi driver told us that this had been done as a sign of mourning because their king had passed away just one week before! Black and purple are the colours of the royal family. The people were also practically all dressed in black and most of them also wore a ta'ovala, a pandanus leaf textile wrapped around the waist with a rope. The official mourning will take a month.
He also showed us the grave of the king. Selected people (only men), which were called the 'sacred hands' were looking after the king at the grave sight. They are the only ones allowed inside the grave. Even the family of the king has to stay outside the gates. The 'sacred hands' will guard the sight for 100 days. During this time they are not allowed to touch food.
Therefore the family of the chosen ones bring food and feed them.
After having done our shopping, we were brought to our Banana Beach Bungalow. We were welcomed by our hosts Chris and Shane, a couple from Australia who had been living in Tonga for over 21 years. Besides their t-shirt shop in town and their artwork, they also had 2 fales (original type of Polynesian house) at the beach. We had the most luxurious one, with a little kitchen and our own bathroom. We looked out on a beautiful tropical garden and the beach. We immediately got the Robinson Crusoe feeling. While admiring the view we were also lucky enough to see 2 humpback whales just passing behind the reef!
That afternoon we spent at the beach, swimming and snorkeling. The crystal clear water had countless varieties of blue and was about 25 degr. warm! The only downside during the day was the number of mosquito's but fortunately they left at night time.
After the first day we were already on 'Tongan time', a famous expression on the island by foreigners. We were completely relaxed and had lost any sense of time (just like the locals of the island). At night we sat at our own front porch, with a bottle of wine, enjoying the view and thinking by ourselves: "life is good!".
Friday the 29th, after having enjoyed a nice breakfast on the beach, we took the bus to town. During this trip we noticed the great respect Tongans have for their elderly. As soon as someone older enters the bus, at least two younger people stand up to give him their seat. We were also given that privilege, so we immediately felt really old. Later we were told by Chris that people just want to be friendly to tourists.
In town we were also taken by their friendliness. Especially the children were all greeting us and asking us our names. Since the population of Tonga consists for over 55% of children / youngsters under the age of 25, we were greeted a lot!
The Tongans are also really religious, so the number of churches in and outside of town is countless.
That afternoon we walked to the wharf to try and find the dive school of Tongatapu. When we finally found the 'office', a sign told us that 'they were out'. As well the building as the equipment, didn't give us much hope that this was a viable operation. After having taken the bus back to our bungalow, we made a few calls at Chris and Shane's house, to try and reach the dive school. The number we had from the lonely planet however, proved to be disconnected and we heard from Chris and Shane that a lot of businesses in Tonga just don't make it. There was one other option, but since they had heard bad reviews from other guests, we decided not to contact them.
That evening we went out to the 'neighbours', a resort which organised Tongan nights with traditional food and entertainment. Because of the Kings death however, dancing is not allowed, but during our dinner we did get to listen to nice traditional music.
Saturday morning we got a ride into town from Chris. The day before we had decided to go to Ha'apai, the island 50 minutes north of Tongatapu. Chris and Shane had given us some advise on possible accommodation and flights, so within an hour we had booked a flight and reserved accommodation. We were also sure that a dive school would be close-by and still in business.
After taking care of all of that, we walked to the royal palace. There a royal ceremony was held in honour of the new king. This ceremony had for the last time taken place in 1963 when the deceased King was inaugurated, so you might say that we were lucky!. Behind the gates in front of the royal palace a lot of Tongans in traditional clothing were sitting in a circle.
They had been given the honour to be part of the ceremony because of their position in the community or if they were living on royal grounds. Also Chris and Shane were invited because their house and fales are built on the royal estate! The King was sitting closest to the palace overlooking the grounds and his people.
Following tradition, selected Tongans then built a traditional fale for the king. Inside the circle countless woven baskets were placed all containing food as a gift to the king. Before going to watch the ceremony, we had been told that we would be able to see a lot of pigs. Little did we know that it wouldn't be living pigs! There were at least 255 large pigs, lying on their backs with a pin in their stomach. The Tongans have a really big ego and therefore everybody wanted to have given the largest pig!
The ceremony took all day, but we only stayed for part of it. We felt really lucky to have been able to witness such a traditional and unique event. At the end of the ceremony all the food was given to the chosen ones, who then distributed it over the people of the villages. Chris and Shane also got some pig, although it was uneatable due to the amount of fat.
Sunday morning we had to leave our bungalow and moved into room of the neighbours' resort for one night. It was very cheap, but we also were quick to learn why! Although the new owners had tried to give the rooms a make-over, they hadn't succeeded. The bathroom had also been the dirtiest we had seen during our complete trip (which says a lot).
We then walked through some tiny villages and listened to the different services which were held in the many churches. Sunday rest is holy in Tonga. On Sunday you can only go to church and after that relax. Planes aren't flying, ferries aren't going, shops aren't open, taxis aren't driving. You might say that being used to a 24 hr economy, this takes some time getting used to!
We also walked to the place where Abel Tasman had supposedly come ashore in 1643. But we know better now since Shane had showed us an old drawing from which we could clearly tell that he had come ashore just in front of our bungalow! Because it rained the rest of the day we couldn't do much else than read books and watch the ocean.
At night we got scared shit-less when opening the bathroom door and seeing a giant rat climbing against the wall. We finally managed to get him inside another room, after which we could breathe normally again. This was for sure not our nicest night on the island, but definitely our most memorable one.
HA'APAI
Monday morning the 2nd of October we flew with Air Tonga to Ha'apai where we arrived at 9.30. We were met by the owner of Matafonua Lodge, Dave.
Not many visitors come to Ha'apai, so there aren't many places to stay or things to do on the island. On our way from the airport to the lodge we only passed one small village and the rest of the island was still covered with native tropical bush, which was quite a change from Tongatapu.
When we arrived at the lodge, we immediately fell in love with our 'fale' and the view. The lodge was located at the end of the island, surrounded by white gorgeous beaches and looking out on an inhabited island. What else could you ask for! Every day we had breakfast, lunch and dinner in the main lodge.
Our fale was simple but beautiful. Besides the concrete foundation, it was completely built with wooded poles and woven palm-leaves. It only had a double bed and a table inside, the communal toilets and showers were located at a short distance from the fale.
We immediately changed into our bathing suits and went kayaking passed the uninhabited island. We really got the bounty feeling then!
Later that day we visited the dive-centre located on Sandy Beach Resort located next to our lodge. We booked a double dive for the following day and a whale watching excursion for the day after.
Tuesday we made two dives with the Happy Ha'apai Dive centre. We had a small group of 7 divers, all of them staying either at Sandy Beach or at Matafonua Lodge. Especially the first dive was simply amazing. We had never seen such large completely intact patches of hard coral. Although it was raining at first and quite bumpy on our way to the dive-site, underwater all was calm and the visibility was over 40mtrs. The colour of the water was mind blowing blue. Because of the many caves and swim-throughs it was also an adventurous dive.
When coming back from a walk on the beach that afternoon, we met two Tongan men enjoying their dinner. We were invited to have a taste of what they were having. Again we were pleasantly surprised by how friendly the Tongan people are. We got to taste a big piece of pig (which had been cooked as a whole!) and also some cooked sweet leaves. It was really very tasty. They were very interested in where we came from and how we liked f.i. the people in South-America. With the average pay of about 20 Tongan dollars (8 Eur) per day, most Tongans will probably never be able to travel outside the islands.
Wednesday, our last day on the island, we went on a catamaran to go whale watching. After a few hours we finally spotted a mother and a baby and were able to see them really close as well. They were not interested in hanging around so we didn't get the chance to swim with them unfortunately. But we were happy to have seen them anyway.
After lunch, we went for another kayaking/swimming/snorkeling trip. At night we enjoyed a nice dinner before having to return to our fale to finish packing for the next day. We had really enjoyed our stay here and were sorry to leave. Maybe next time...
Thursday morning we had the early flight back to Tongatapu. The day before we had booked a rental car to be placed at the airport. This had really been the easiest thing to arrange of our whole trip! For only 50 T$ (20 EUR) they would get a car to the domestic airport and at night we could return it to the international airport, no matter what time. Arriving at the airport we were met by two Tongans, holding a sign with Fab rentals and Linda written on it.
Without signing any papers, without showing our drivers licenses and without paying, they gave us the keys and said goodbye!
When returning the car, we could leave the key and the 50 dollars in the glove compartment, and they would find it. We were completely stunned, what an amazing trust in others these people must have.
That day, after having spent some time at the Internet café arranging accommodation on Cook Islands (our next destination), we visited some of the sights of the island. We first went to south coast, famous for its numerous blow holes. We had lunch on the rocks enjoying the force of the water.
We then drove alongside the coast, through pieces of tropical forest and plantations. We also visited some ancient burial sites, which are now again used for the same purpose. The Tongans have a really strong binding with their deceased. When they are suffering from some sort of illness, they often believe that their dead relative isn't at piece. They then dig him up, clean and re-arrange the bones and trust that the sickness is cured.
That night we dropped the car (and the money) at the airport and flew back to Auckland. We arrived at 2 in the morning which is a little bit to early to get into town. We wrote some e-mails/waited/ate and slept a bit till it was around 7.
The airport shuttle bus brought us to the same hostel as where we stayed before. Feeling a bit tired (understatement!), we slept for a few hours before hitting the city again.
We bought a new camera, since I (Linda) had wrecked our other one when I smashed it onto a rock in Panama (my only excuse being that at the time I fell from a slippery rock myself). The camera-troubles we were having were getting more and more serious and since we didn't want to miss any pictures from the next tropical paradise, we bough this new one.
We also booked our accommodation for Cook on line, so we are ready for our next trip again.
Saturday the 7th of October, after having placed our luggage in storage in the hostel, we went to the Internet café again (they know our names by now), to update our website. This evening we fly to Cook island - Rarotonga, were we will arrive Friday night since we are passing the Time/Date line again. We hope to do a lot of diving there and also some walks through the tropical rainforest.
|
COOK ISLANDS
A net of 15 islands in the heart of the South Pacific spread over an area the size of India with a population no bigger than a small New Zealand country town, 14,000 souls.
These unique and friendly Polynesians have their own language and government and enjoy a vigorous and diverse culture with significant differences between each island.
Despite some 70,000 visitors a year to the capital island – Rarotonga – the Cooks are largely unspoiled by tourism.
They offer a rare opportunity for people from the cities of the world to experience a different type of vacation.
There are no high-rise hotels, only four beach buggies and very little hype. Ideal for travellers seeking more than the usual clichés associated with the South Seas, each island has its unique qualities and offers the visitor a special experience.
After a flight of about 3 1/2 hrs we reached Rarotonga, the main island of the Cook Islands, just after midnight. Since the owner of our resort had overslept, another company brought us to our bungalow.
It was situated a little of the main road with a nice garden setting. We were also not too far from the ocean. Because we were pretty tired after such a long day, we went straight to bed.
Saturday, after getting ourselves organised in the bungalow and having breakfast, we arranged a 125cc scooter. The main coastal road taking you all around the island is just 32 km, so a scooter is enough to get around. We then went into the main town (a 15 min. drive)to get some supplies.
While driving to town, we got a pretty good idea of the island. It is surrounded by crystal clear blue waters and the centre of the island has some very high mountains, all covered with tropical rainforest. The small villages and roads are only on the flat areas near the main road and the beaches. It was really a gorgeous island!
That same day we also booked dive trips leaving on Monday and Tuesday.
Sunday the 8th of October we went on a walk to a mountain summit, which we had found in the Lonely Planet. They had described it as a difficult 5 hour return walk with steep climbs. We didn't pay much attention to that, since they often make it look more difficult then it actually is.
The first half hour we walked through beautiful pieces of rainforest, with sometimes a few patches which were used to grow some type of water plant. Thereafter the serious stuff started! The next 3 hrs consisted solely of extremely steep uphill climbing. Since it had rained continuously for a complete week the week before, the patch was still extremely slippery. This made the climbing even more difficult. The last part to the summit, we did with the 'help' of ropes fixed in the rocks. This took a very heavy toll on our arm and leg muscles. We were exhausted (and at the same time very happy) when we reached the top. Up there we could see the south and north side of the island. West and East were a bit blocked from our view because of the mountains. It was an amazing and beautiful sight and very much worth our efforts.
Our way back went a bit faster but was even more difficult than our way up. Especially when using the ropes, you had to descend with your face turned to the mountain, giving us not a clear sight on where to put your feet! I (Linda) must admit that I was pretty scared sometimes when my feet couldn't get a grip and I was only clinging onto the ropes. It finally had taken us 6 hours for the return walk, but we made it! (and luckily in one piece).
Monday we went on a two-dive trip with one of the islands dive operators 'Pacific Divers'. We visited two dive sites on the North side of the island. Although unfortunately a lot of the hard coral is dead, the dives were still pretty good because of the amazing visibility (around 30-40 meters!). The water temperature was around 25 degr., so we only dived in a shorty wetsuit, which is much easier to put on a take off than a full body wetsuit.
Tuesday we went for another two-dive trip. We now went to the West side of the island. Here the quality of hard coral was a lot better.
We also saw some pretty underwater wildlife f.i. giant moray eels, a giant pink sea slug, tiny nudibranches, beautiful lion fish, anemone fish and a scorpion fish.
Our second dive we went through several beautiful caves so that was pretty spectacular. The visibility was also around 40 mtr here, so it felt like swimming in big aquarium with a few rock-formations in it. To celebrate our 5th wedding anniversary we cooked ourselves a nice dinner that night and some wine. There are worse places in the world to have a celebration!
Wednesday we had a beach and read day. Rarotonga has some amazingly beautiful white, soft sand beaches. Especially around Muri beach, just 2km from where our bungalow was, the beaches are gorgeous and there are also a view uninhabited islands so close by that you can swim to them.
Thursday, the day that we had another dive trip scheduled, we got news that their boat had broken down, so all dives were cancelled till after the weekend! We immediately tried to find another trip for that same day, but didn't have any luck.
We then did some touring with our scooter on the island and visited some other lovely beaches. We also spent a few hours on the Internet to find a campervan in Australia, our next destination. We finally managed to book a high top campervan, a Toyota van with a high top roof. The 4WD vehicles which we initially wanted were simply way too expensive.
Friday, our last day, we spent in the little town checking out the little stores with the islands pride, the black pearls. We saw a lot of beautiful jewelry, but the pieces we really liked, didn't fit our budget!
Around 12 that evening we were taken to the airport by the owner of the resort. Again we had to wake her up after we had been waiting half an hour and nobody appeared to be coming. She is probably on island time, which is usually "whenever I wake up"!
We really had a great time on Rarotonga. It is just a beautiful piece of paradise and definitely not yet spoiled by too many tourists or resorts. The beaches are stunning but also the still untouched rainforest and the rugged mountain area is gorgeous. We met a few people who where on their honeymoon, or getting married on Cook islands, so that says it all.
|
|
|
|
|