The east coast of Nuku'alofa and the blowholes

Tonga's version of Stonehenge

Lunch with Ed and Nila from Quixotic

Since we finished most of our boat work, we took a day off today, rented a car and drove around the Kingdom of Tonga with Ed and Nila on Quixotic. Actually, they were nice enough to invite us on the expedition, so Ed drove and we got to sightsee.

First impression: A very, very rural country/island. There is very little infrastructure here. It consists mostly of the 8-acre farms that we’ve learned about on other islands. Every adult male gets his 8 acres. We saw lots of those little plots that were being farmed. All of them mostly by hand. There are very few tractors or other mechanical devices here. During the whole day, I saw only two tractors. Most of the little plots looked like they were being tended entirely by hand-including hoeing the weeds. Lots of taro, manioc, some bananas, tomatoes, carrots and sundry other crops. All of the fields also kept their coconut trees for that element of the local diet. In fact, it would appear that the most dangerous part of farming here is the risk of being hit by a falling coconut-and they can be deadly. There is lots of evidence of cars parked under the trees in town. Cracked windshields.

So, a fun day. Now it looks as if there is a weather window tomorrow. Our weather router, Bob McDavitt is sending us a route plan tonight, but he hinted in an email today that tomorrow is a good day to leave for Minerva Reef. This is a spot 220 miles SW of here. It’s an atoll type reef a mile or so in diameter that is hollow on the inside. You can enter through the pass and then anchor in the sand around the periphery. Very much like Beverage Reef where we stayed a month or so ago on our crossing from Palmerston to Nuie. The holding is sand, so it’s a great place to just “camp” while waiting out a blow or better weather for the final 5 or so days to NZ.

Anyway, tomorrow early we’ll go into town and stock up on fresh produce and fruits. Ed (Quixotic) has graciously offered to pick us up at 0730 and drive us to the market and back, then he’ll return the rental car and hopefully we’ll be back on Charisma by 1000 and leave. We’ll see-and we don’t have a final passage plan yet from Bob McD so things might change.

Stayed tuned tomorrow.

P.S. We’ve been listening to all the boats who have left here the last three days or so and they are reporting head winds and seas that are making for a long and bumpy passage. I don’t know what made them decide to go, but am glad that we chose to stay here. Most are well into three days and the voyage with favorable winds should only be 48 hours at most. That’s the biggest thing we’re seeing change-the wind shifting from southwest to southeast or even east, which means going from a headwind to a following wind.

Cross fingers and check in tomorrow to see.