There to Here – Across the Pacific – Tonga

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There to Here – Across the Pacific – Tonga

The Kingdom of Tonga is like no other place in the South Pacific. The “Friendly Islands” as Captain Cook called them, became a constitutional monarchy in 1875 and is the only remaining monarchy in the Pacific. There is a strong sense of pride in heritage, family and culture. There are no McDonalds nor Burger Kings and they seem not to have suffered from this lack of world-renowned commercial fast foods. When we arrived from Niue and tied up to the Q-dock in Neiafu waiting for the officials to check us in, we could sense a palpable difference. This was authentic South Pacific.

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There to Here - Across the Pacific - Part 2

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There to Here - Across the Pacific - Part 2

Believe it or not, though crossing the South Pacific seems idyllic, it has its good days and its bad. The weather can be unpredictable with local squalls, big wind bursts and heavy downpours. Our ~600nm sail from Bora Bora to Penrhyn, the northernmost of the Cook Islands, was bumpy, but fast.

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