is about when to leave Tonga to go to New Zealand. It is about an 8-day trip, and the weather information available is only for about 3 days out, so you can’t be assured that the weather will be good throughout the crossing. Leaving too early will only reap very cold and stormy weather in New Zealand. If we leave too late, cyclone season will have begun in the tropics. The consensus seems to be that somewhere between October 15th and November 15th is the best time to go. During that period, you just watch the weather closely and pick your day to leave. If the weather turns while you are underway, there is a small spot called Minerva Reef about 200 miles from Tonga. You can stay there and wait for better weather, then high-tail it to New Zealand. I guess the crossing can be rife with storms that come up unexpectedly. One boat told us they had 3 knots of wind on the beam, 12 knots of wind from behind, and 30 knots right on the nose, all in an 18-hour period. We checked the weather today, and it said there was no wind at all leaving Tonga, but that there were 40-knot winds approaching New Zealand. Guess we won’t be leaving just yet…
Besides, so many great things have been checked off our “must do” list! Swimming with the Humpback whales is right up there at the top (see Molly’s update below). For me, it was as if it was Valentine’s Day, and God gave me this great big present and said “I Love you!” It was so tender to see the baby whale resting underneath the mother’s chin, and then gracefully coming up to the surface for a breath of air. Mom, knowing she had taught her child well, stayed below, keeping a watchful eye on us, and waited patiently for Junior to come back for the rest of his nap.
We found the village and the church that were so memorable to us 15 years ago when we were here. The village is called Hunga, and it is in Anchorage #13, for those who are keeping track. The church looks the same, but they had taken down the velvet painting of puppies and kittens that decorated the walls yea those many years ago. The seating was still on the floor. The church had changed to a Church of Tonga, however, which has proven to be not the best for singing, and the preacher tends to scream for an hour, and then it’s over. So, we didn’t go to that church – we went to the one across the path, and heard some great singing. These Tongans know how to belt it out.
We met the school teacher of the village. Her name is Sarah, and she is a Peace Corps volunteer. She is in Hunga for 2 years, and is the only teacher to the 35 elementary-aged kids in the village. She is not a teacher by trade, but is learning as she goes. Her main job is to find and train another person to take her place when her time is up. We had been looking for a village to give some school supplies that we had purchased specifically for needy Tongan kids, and this seemed to be the right place. Sarah said that during most of their school lives, these children had been sharing a couple of pencils between them, and had no paper to write on. We gave them paper, tons of pencils and sharpeners, color crayons, colored pencils, and writing tablets. They were very grateful and seemed excited to get to know Molly and Jessie better. About six of the kids followed us back down the path toward the dock, so we invited them to hop in the dinghy and we brought them to the boat for a tour. Jim and Jessie played the guitar for them, and they sang a song for us. It was right out of National Geographic.
Good thing #3: Jim caught a Wahoo today! Wahoooo! It was about 40 pounds, and has been cut up into about 10 good-sized meals and placed lovingly in our freezer. Wahoo is a very sweet, white fish, and has kind of a salmon-like texture. It was nice to have fresh fish tonight! Jim’s manhood has been restored. He hasn’t caught a fish in well over two months, and was beginning to doubt his hunting/gathering skills. We have no money for counseling, so I’m glad he’s back on his game.
Our favorite local restaurant, the Aquarium Café, had an “open-mic” night a couple of weeks ago. Jessie played her one song – the Spanish waltz, and did a great job. There is another performance opportunity coming up this week, so she is working hard on her second piece.
There will probably not be new pictures in the media gallery until we get to New Zealand. With only one satellite for all of the Tongan Islands, uploading is painfully slow. So, instead, I will leave you with a couple of salient quotes. ~ Jeanna
A lot of people ask me if I were shipwrecked, and could only have one book, what would it be? I always say ‘How to Build a Boat.’ – Stephen Wright
If one does not know to which port one is sailing, no wind is favorable.