Neiafu, Tonga – reconnecting with friends in main town of Vava’u

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After we went swimming with whales in Ha’apai, we sailed back north, to the Vava’u island group. The main town, Neiafu, is a popular spot for cruisers to hang out, socialize and rest, after a challenging passage with few stops in between French Polynesia and Tonga/Fiji.

Most cruisers are well prepared for their big Pacific passage, going from Panama to French Polynesia, which for many takes up to 4 weeks nonstop. However, most cruisers are not prepared for the tough sail from French Polynesia to Tonga. We now understand why this stretch of the Pacific is called “the dangerous middle”.

It is an area with unpredictable weather, as there are two convergence zones meeting. This results in confused and choppy seas, and quick changes in the weather forecast. We have experienced some of the worst weather we have ever sailed on this stretch. On top of facing challenging weather, the area also has few protected anchorages, which are far apart.

So, as most boats arrive to Neifau in Tonga, they want to rest – a lot. As we expected, the bay and town was jam packed when we arrived. We counted almost 40 boats. There are several mooring balls to rent for visiting yachts, as the bay is hard to anchor in and is very deep. Dropping an anchor in +30 meters, is definitely not for everyone…

All of the mooring balls were occupied when we arrived, so we had no choice but to anchor. As our windlass has been struggling quite a bit lately, we were not too happy about the situation. We let out all of our chain, 120 meters, in 30 meters depth. We crossed our fingers that we would be able to retrieve our anchor when we were ready to leave.

Noxoma anchored in 30 meters depth in Neiafu.
The bay of Neiafu seen from the south. At least 40 boats were there when we arrived.
The bay is very well sheltered, and also considered a cyclone hole, where boats can tuck away from strong winds.
The southern part of the anchorage and the outer islands and reef as seen from the lookout point just outside the town.
Views towards the north from the lookout point.

Neiafu has almost 4,000 inhabitants, and is the second largest city in Tonga. The capital, Nuku’alofa, on the southern island group of Tongatapu, is the largest one. We were guided around town by our friends Tom and Karmen from SV Sauvage, whom we have not seen since Mo’orea, back in late April.

A happy reconnection with our friends Tom and Karmen from SV Sauvage.

As we were walking around town, we noticed that it had the feel of a larger town, with big churches, lots of street life, restaurant and cafes. Our friends took us to their favorite places, and ensured we got to know town in a short couple of hours of exploration.

The captain and Tom strolling down a residential area in Neiafu.
A neighborhood restaurant that had seen its better days.
Two “guard” dogs outside the main church in Neiafu.
Beautiful whale mural at an apartment building in Neiafu.
Three generations dressed up in traditional wear to celebrate Mother’s Day.

We were so happy to reconnect with friends the two times we went back and forth to Neiafu while we were in Vava’u. We have especially longed to see our friends Tom and Karmen again. We had lovely lunches and met for dinner on each others boats several times. We celebrated a couple of birthdays happening just before and after we met, as well!

Celebrating Tom’s recent birthday onboard Noxoma. Clearly the admiral missed something in this picture….
The captain had made a lovely steak dinner.

Tom’s birthday dinner, made by the captain, of course! Photo by Karmen, SV Sauvage.
The captain and Tom, all dressed up!
Tom and Karmen, SV Sauvage.
Mexican feast onboard SV Sauvage!
Soo much yummy flavors. We haven’t eaten Mexican food for years!
The captain preparing Karmen’s birthday dinner.
Last dinner together on Noxoma – celebrating Karmen’s upcoming 50th birthday.

We also met several other cruiser friends, and had many lovely meetups in local restaurants and bars while in Neiafu.

Ready for fish and chips at the floating bar, The Hideaway, together with the crews from SV Sauvage and SV Pisces.
Maka, the local Tongan beer.
Fish and chips on the menu!

Dinner at the Harborview Cafe with the crews from SV Sauvage and SV Galileo, as well as two other boats not in the photo, SV Pisces and SV Kavenga.
Getting to know the cat “Red” at Mango restaurant.

Through our friend Judy from SV Galileo, we were lucky to be invited to a local artist’s workshop, where he showed us how he makes jewelry from whale bone. The day after, we went to the market, and checked out his jewelry, which his sister sells there.

At David’s workshop in his backyard.
David told us the story of how he was trained by his father, who also was a jeweler. Both of his brothers shares his occupation as well.
We got a demonstration how we works on the jewelry he makes.

David had lots of design templates he used when crafting his art.

Beautiful whale tails carved from whale bone.
The market in Neiafu, where David’s sister sells the family’s artwork.
Some beautiful tapas and letter openers carved from swordfish beaks.

The local market in Neiafu also has lots of fruit and vegetables, as well as local artifacts. During our last day in Neiafu, we went for a major shopping spree, and filled up on fresh produce. We are planning to sail south towards New Zealand, which means we’ll have to provision for a few weeks.

One of the ladies selling us fresh produce at the market. The black shirt worn with the traditional skirt signals she is in mourning.
The captain waiting patiently in the market, with filled up bags of fresh produce.

After stocking up the boat, we were ready to leave down south again, back to the Ha’apai group, where we will wait until we see a good weather window to start our passage towards New Zealand.

There was definitely a different vibe in town during our last few days there. We could feel that the season was ebbing out and that cruisers were getting ready to leave the region. The cyclone season starts November 1st, a little more than a month away. Most cruisers are either planning to go to New Zealand or Fiji with their boat.

All of these jerry cans belong to cruisers who are filling their boat with fuel before heading for the season’s last passage.

Vava’u has provided us with some rest, and as we start the last passage of this season towards New Zealand, we also know that this might be the most challenging one of them all. We have watched the weather south of us for quite some time, and there is a new weather system coming through every fifth day, or so. As we are moving into October, it is supposed to get better, and we sure hope that will be the case.

We left Neiafu saying bye to many cruisers we are not sure when and if we will meet again. Hopefully, we will see most of them again next season in Fiji. And some, we will see on our way south, and perhaps also in New Zealand. Off we go!