The Kingdom of Tonga was never colonized by foreigners so, unlike the other islands we have visited in the South Pacific…Tonga offered a more authentic cultural experience.

Traditional feast with David and his family at one of the anchorages we visited. His son pictured here maintaining the fire

Not everyone onboard Shenemere was “on board” with the pig roast however, it was a feast of local vegetables and fish dishes that satisfied all pallets both vegetarian and otherwise

Polynesian Paralysis=

A welcomed malady

Martin, Garth, Elizabeth and Adrien partaking in a local kava ceremony

In Tonga, kava is like alcohol

It is derived from the ground root of a pepper plant and is served up as a mild tranquilizer

From a communal bowl we each received a coconut shell full of kava

Neiafu- The town center of the Vava’u group

Good moorings, vegetable market, grocery stores and a local cruisers watering hole made Neiafu a great stop in between our island explorations 

Me and my kayak in our natural habitat

I appreciated every creek, cave, island I explored “independently” in Tonga on my kayak

Picnic and Snorkeling off a secluded beachNarrow passage of Hunga ; we entered into a big volcanic crater lake and enjoyed good holding during a Northern frontal system

S/V Irwinish off our bow as we make way from Tonga to Fiji

Not much street art in Tonga

AND (on the waterfront I found this)

The word is spreading

Next stop Fiji