travel
tonga ~ odd & end photos
October 1 – November 1, 2013 It’s time to wrap up our visit to the Vava’u Group of Tonga. There are so many more stories and experiences to write about, but it’s time to move on. Therefore, here are some odd-and-end photos taken in Vava’u. return to home page
tonga ~ cave & snorkeling explorations
October 1 – 27, 2013 Photos of some of our Tongan cave explorations and snorkeling expeditions. Swallow’s Cave ~ northwest tip of Kapa Island, Vava’u a crazy & quite talented Chris (s/v Tribe) Mariner’s Cave ~ a hollow in the rocks near the northern tip of Nuapapu Island. The cave can only be accessed from … Continue reading
tonga ~ the nature of it (whales)
October 2, 2013 Immediately following the first sea snake encounter in Swallow’s Cave with s/v Gallivanter, our afternoon became even more incredible and turned into one that we will remember for a lifetime. We were just finishing up snorkeling in Swallow’s Cave when we noticed s/v Sueño making their approach to Neiafu for clearance into … Continue reading
tonga ~ the nature of it (sea snakes)
October 2, 2013 More than once, we snorkeled and explored in Swallow’s Cave on the northwest tip of Kapa Island. For our first trip into the cave, we’d gone with s/v Gallivanter. The caves are so large that you can drive your dinghy straight into them. Upon entering the caves, we learned how the caves … Continue reading
tonga ~ neiafu & tongan culture
September 23 – November 1, 2013 Of the Tongan Vava’u Group, Neiafu is the primary village for provisions and most necessaries, as well as clearing in and out of Tonga. In order to clear in, we were required to dock alongside the main wharf. There were many boats clearing in at the same time, so … Continue reading
suwarrow ~ a true treasure
September 2 – 16, 2013 Suwarrow, also known as Suvarov, is a nature reserve and small coral atoll belonging to the Cook Islands. It is located about 440 miles east-northeast of American Samoa, and there is not another island within 200 miles from Suwarrow. Every year, from April through October, the population of Suwarrow consists … Continue reading
maupiti ~ final french polynesian days
August 23 – 27, 2013 Our final days in French Polynesia were spent in Maupiti. Since we were already fully provisioned, we were free to relax and explore the nearby village and mountain. Before doing any major land exploration though, we were eager to see if we could find more whales first. After our initial … Continue reading
bora bora to maupiti ~ humpback whales
August 22, 2013 Similar to the atolls of the Tuamotus, entrance through Maupiti’s only pass must be timed correctly with respect to weather, swell, and tidal current. This long and narrow pass can be completely inaccessible at certain times of the year, especially if the swell is southerly. If any south or southwest swell is … Continue reading
