Our first few days in Neiafu

Upon arrival we had to go through customs, then immigration, next health and quarantine. We were then given a tour of the town by Kjell our BPO contact who is from Norway and sailed across in a 28 foot boat as far as Indonesia and then came back to Tonga where he now owns a resort called Mystic Sands. He is married and has an almost 2 year old son. We did the shopping we needed to do and had a great tour of town and the market. 

The next day we went into town for that shower with an unlimited amount of water. Unfortunately the water was cold so we have not been back since. We invited Kjell on board for coffee as he wanted to see No Regrets. He brought his son on board and I spent the entire time chasing him around the boat making sure he did not end up in the water. Those who know me know I love kids and had a great time.

He would stick his head into the pilot house window and make some noise then climb on top of the pilot house and stick his head in the hatch & get the attention of the people inside then he climbed over the boom and stuck his head in the other hatch. Then he wanted to slide down the windows into the cockpit which I wouldn't let him do  so we would climb down off the pilot house climb into the cockpit onto the floor and then up the other side ready for the next adventure or to do the same thing all over again. His parents told me the next day that he was exhausted when he got home. I was glad to hear that because I was exhausted chasing him around. A few days later we found a bakery in town. Once we made arrangements to have the screecher and a hydraulic pump for the auto pilot delivered we were ready to leave until they arrived. 

Trip from Niue to Vava'u, Tonga

We checked the weather and also had other boats let us know that the wind was about to change direction and start to blow strong so that the anchorage at Niue would become a rolly one. The decision was made that we would head to our next destination. We left around noon with the hope to arrive in daylight the following day. The first 24 hours was a great sail. It became apparent that we would be spending a 2nd night on the water. The wind began to build and by night fall we were having a pretty bouncy ride. We had slowed down so as not to arrive in the dark and because it made it a lot smoother ride at a slower speed. We came around Vava'u north end at 5 in the morning in the dark. It was blowing 23 to 28 knots and the rough seas continued almost until we were in the channel on the way to Neiafu which is the port of entry for Vava'u. We pulled up to the dock as advised and the officials arrived and suggested we move off the dock and take a mooring ball for our safety due to the high winds and waves. Kjell, our BPO contract was there to meet us & suggested we take a mooring ball at the lee end of the bay up near his house which we did. We were all glad to be out of the wind and were even more tickled to find out we were able to connect to Kjell's internet. 

Being a tourist in Niue

It is amazing how each place we visit is so different. We rented bikes & cycled up the island. Zeke had the Limu pools in mind for our first stop as it was recommended we visit the pools at low tide when we got our information from the very friendly lady at the information centre. We arrived to find there were people already in the pools. We donned our snorkelling masks and we were off. We immediately discovered that there were cool spots where the fresh water was coming in. Interestingly enough the mixing of the fresh water with the salt water made for poor visibility with the turbulence and the 2 different types of water trying to form one. The fish were spectacular as was the erosion of the limestone that makes up the island. 

Here I am in the Limu pools under an arch. 

We then had a short ride to the start of the walk into both the

Matapa Chasm which was a 7 minute walk in. Apparently you can jump in from one of the sides. We could here the surf crashing at the other end of the Chasm. We returned to the starting point and then took the 30 minutes trail to the 

Talava Arches. You can see arch taken through an arch in this photo. At low tide you are able to walk to the arch. While there we explored some caves in behind. 

There were stalagmites and stalactites that had met to form a column. This was pretty cool and great to explore. Just before arriving at the arches we had to go through a cave 

Here I have my hand on a stalagmite that is very smooth and I'm leaning against a column. On our bike ride home we stopped at Sails Bar. It has a gorgeous view out onto the ocean and it's claim to fame is 

The World's toughest golf course Par 1, 96.5 metres

Here is the tee box and you can see the pin

Here is a better view of what you are really facing to get there. While we were in Nuie we had to hoist our dingy out of the water when we got to shore

They had a fishing competition while we were in Niue

Here was the larges fish caught the day we were there to see the weighing. 76 kilograms. It is a bluefin tuna. Another use for the hoist that we used to lift our dingy out of the water. 

Check out the captain of No Regrets blog

I know I've been delinquent in posting blogs as of late. I will try to catch up. In the meantime please visit our boat No Regrets captain's blog and check out all the photos. Some with me in them. My goodness indeed. Go to the right. Click on Zeke's blog. To see where we are click on the 2nd link.

Niue

Our passage from Maupiti to Niue took 7 days. The first few days we had light winds and No Regrets traveled along at 6 to 7 knots. When the wind was blowing from behind we put up the spinnaker which is a parasail. 

The last two days the wind picked up and the last night we took down the main sail and had only part of the jib up to slow down so we would not arrive in the dark. We were still traveling 6 to 7 knots in 22 to 25 knots of wind. 

Niue is a raised atoll made of limestone and is 10 miles (16 km) long. Upon arrival we checked in with customs. We then went to the tourists information and got great information on what to visit and where to get what we needed. We then toured the town visiting the Niue Yacht  Club (the biggest little yacht club with 1700 members) and there are only about 1000 residents on the island. 

Yesterday we walked to several sea tracks and saw some spectacular caves. 

We got a flavour for the island and the town of Alofi. The people are extremely friendly with many stopping to ask if we wanted a ride and offering good information on what to see. 

Pictures

No Regrets with cliffs of Maupiti in the background. Note the moon beside the cliff jut below the first notch from the bottom. 

The fish I caught that we enjoyed 

View from the top of the mountain on Maupiti. No Regrets is the boat on the left and the pass is between the two islands above the three peaks. 

I'm about to head up the mountain at 6:45 AM. 

I climbed to the peak which is the left one of the two tiny bumps at end. 

It doesn't get any better than this!

Just finished filleting a 8 to 10 pound tuna which we caught at about 3:30PM.  Perfect time to allow time to fillet it and have it fresh for supper.
This morning I was up before dawn and at 6:45 was on my way to climb the mountain at Mauipiti.  A 15 minute walk along the road and then it took me 1 hour to reach the top.  The views on route were spectacular and once on top they were breath taking.  You will have to wait until I am off the boat and have internet to see the pictures. I had a 360 degree view.  I was back at the dock an hour after reaching the top after getting off the path by mistake on the way down and having to bushwack for a while to find the path.  I chose to do that rather than climb back up to where I knew I was last on the path.  I had company on the trip.  A dog came up the mountain with me and kept me company. I met a couple coming up about 10 minutes from the bottom.  The lady was giving the dog lots of scratches and I never saw the dog again so I'm sure he went up for a second time with them.
Zeke and Bill were just about to leave the dock when I arrived at the dock at 9:05.  We got the dingy lifted, took the motor off and were ready to leave by 10.
The winds were light but have picked up to 12 to 13 knots and we are sailing along at 7 knots.

The skies are blue with a few billowy clouds. The boat is not rocking too much and we are all looking forward to a tasty fresh tuna dinner.