Tonga: Chilling with Whales on the Friendly Islands

Six Months ago I didn't know anything about Tonga.  I'd have guessed it was in the South Pacific.  I knew they had a reasonable rugby team, and that, I'm ashamed to say, was about it.  Tinas brother Drew first mentioned it to us during our stay in New Zealand as a possible adventure weekend for my 40th Birthday.  Almost as an aside he mentioned "You can swim with Whales!"  After those 5 little words I was hooked.  Sure enough the big day came around and my amazing wife came up trumps and treated me to a holiday in The Kingdom of Tonga.

So after several weeks of research, studying the Tonga lonely planet and cross referencing with trip advisor we set off for Tongatapu (Tongas main Island).  We were really keen to get straight for the outer Island groups, so we only spent one day on the main Island.  We arrived quite late in the day and our first impressions of the main Island weren't great.  The capital Nukalofu was a bit run down, not very attractive, and the sea front wasn't anything special.  Our hotel was cheap but the windowless room was a bit grim.  We went to sleep that night somewhat disallusioned and wondering if our expectations had been too high.

The next morning we set off on a tour of the main Island.  Our friendly driver picked us up in his ramshackled car, slowly chugging around the entire Island.  By the end of the day we were nicely shattered. We'd seen dramatic coastal scenery, thousands of blow holes, natural archways, several beautiful beaches, the spots where Captain Cook and Abel Tasman had first  landed, the Tongan equivalent of Stone-Henge and some amazing caves with rivers and deep pools you could swim in.  We'd also been treated to coconuts from the roadside and the Tongan equivalent of McDonalds (fish and yams in coconut sauce).  We even stopped by the local school to check on our drivers kids.  What a great day?  Our hopes were lifted.  Tonga was on the up.  After a lovely evening meal we hit the sack, optimistic and ready for our 5am start.  Next stop- The Island group of Vava'u. 

So one of the things about Tonga I loved is the relaxed pace of life out here.  When I say relaxed I mean horizontal.  Tongans will happily tell you about Tongan time, and I don't think the word for rush exists in the Tongan vocabulary.  We started to realise this at the airport when boarding was delayed because the cafe had opened late and everyone (including myself) hadn't yet been served their coffees.  Kind of nice really.  It was almost like having a private jet, rocking up late coffee in hand.  I'd love to think what Easyjets Stelios whould make of it.

45 minutes of spotting little desert islands from the plane later we arrived in Vava'u.  It didn't disappoint.  Imagine a Bounty advert and you're pretty much there.  Palm trees, plantations, white sand beaches, crystal turquoise water, coral, yachts, coconuts, and friendly chilled out locals.  Vava'u is a group of 61 islands shaped kind of like a giant Jellyfish.  The main city Neiafu was to be our home for a few days.  It's harbour, called the Port of Refuge, is considered to be one of the safest ports in the South Pacific, and is a stop for most trans-pacific yachts. 

We were staying in a ramshackled villa which we were sharing with 2 Japanese Students.  We were on a hill, 5 minutes walk from the harbour and had views to both the North and South coast of the Island.  The owner of the Villa "Toto" came to greet us and then happily spent several hours telling us all about the culture, the Islands, the history, and the local gossip.  It turns out he was illegitimately related to the King of Tonga.  They were friends and Toto was also looking after the Kings property on Vava'u.  He was such a friendly chap and we shared stories/ideas every day of our stay. 

Appently the Kingdom of Tonga is know as The Friendly Islands. Captain Cook named them this when he first visited and a local tribe threw a feast for him. Unknown to Captain Cook the tribe were actually planning to kill and murder Cook and his crew but the plan was aborted after a dispute amoungst the tribe. We realised during our time with Toto and in this community that despite the irony the name couldn't be more appropriate. The Tongan people are so friendly. We met smiles, and inquisitiveness wherever we went. Nothing was too much trouble. 

After a slow stroll around town, buying some fresh fruit off the market and a lovely waterfront meal we had another early night ready for what we hoped would be the main attraction.  The chance to Swim with Humpback Whales.

The next 2 days are a bit of a blur for me now, but I have to say it was 2 of the best days of my life.  The first day we followed several different groups of whales none of which settled down.  If the whales don't settle, the guides won't let you swim with them.  During our first day our whales were somewhat energetic and boysterous.  Appart from one brief swim we didn't really get to swim with them but we did get one hell of a show.  Splashing around.  Breaching, tail slapping and flipper waving.  Incredible and all soo close to our boat.  It was amazing!

 

After an exhausting morning we stopped for lunch on the Island where they filmed treasure Island.  It was easy to see why the location scouts were drawn there.  If ever I need a happy place to think about this is where I'll go.  Crystal water, white sand, palm trees, plenty of colourful sea life to spot.  In short- Paradise.

Day 2 came around and we set off even earlier, somewhat anxious.  Day 2 was our final day and our only chance to swim with the whales.  Luckily the whales put us out of our misery within the first hour when we came across a mother with calf and her male escort.  They were calm, almost still and after 20 minutes our guide gave us the go ahead and in we went. 

The next few hours saw our 2 groups of 4 rotate in and out of the water as we swam along with the whales while they dived, swam, floated, and  inverted.  It was incredible.  Our guide seemed able to see them underwater at great depths and would keep in the best spots.  Several times the whales came from underneath us and surfaced right in front of us.  The male would usually surface between us and the mother/calf and at times was scarily close to us.  It's quite unnerving seeing something that big swimming upwards from underneath you.  I don't think the whales felt threatened by us in any way but I'm pretty sure the male escort was keeping an big beautiful intelligent eye on us.  It felt like he was staring right at me at times.

The guides operate under regulations which dictate they can only be in the water with a certain group of whales for a limited period of time so after a while we said goodbye.  Our last memory was of the Mother and Calf disappearing off into the Blue.  Afterwards, back on the boat, we had time to reflect, and I have to confess to finding the whole experience quite moving.  To conclude our perfect day we spent lunch on another paradise beach followed by an afternoon of snorkelling in some amazing caves before waving goodbye to the whales and heading for the port.  What an incredible day?

For the next few days we relocated to the outskirts of the Islands to a great little place called Luckys Beach house where we stayed in a traditional "Fale" (Wood and Palm leaf house).  It was in a small village, right on the beach with nothing to do but chill out, snorkel reefs, kayak around the nearby uninhabited Islands, and listen to the daily church services.  It was paradise, and sitting in my hammock watching the pigs fishing, the local kids playing with sea weed, the choir singing, and yachts slowly gliding past our beach, I contemplated staying there forever.  (I'm still considering going back!)

 

On the Sunday we attended a church service.  (We aren't the most religious of people, but when in Tonga...)  This was the second occassion in Tonga where I was almost moved to tears.  The choir was just out of this world.  So powerful.  It was such a high standard.  The whole community turned out in the Sunday best.  The service also had an element of fire and brimstone with readings from the Tongan Vicar, aswell as a baptism and a remembrance reading from a tearful young lady who we suspect had lost someone recently.  All the way through the service we had curious children smiling at us and laughing if we smiled back. 

 

Eventually our time on Vava'u came to an end and we boarded our ferry back to the main Island before getting our flight home.  The ferry was an adventure in itself.  18 hours of Island, whale, flying fish and dolphin spotting, although for the last 3 of those hours I was desperately holding onto my lunch.

 

Tonga- You were amazing.  You are my happy place and in my thoughts daily.  See you again one day.