SVMagenta Ship's Log

Swimming With The Humpback Whales

Humpback whales leave their winter feeding grounds in Antarctica and migrate in June to mate and raise their calves in the warmer waters around Tonga. There are lots of whales and their calves here at the present time. We went out with a local guide, and another couple from New Zealand, and saw a number of Humpback whales during the day. The highlight was a mother and it's calf that stayed put in one area for over an hour and a half while we snorkeled around them and watched their interaction. During that time the mother stayed down about 30 feet, rising twice to the surface to breathe. The calf was far more active – it would feed with the mother, come up to breathe, and swim over to check us out as we snorkeled on the surface. He was very curious, with his big eye right on us as he went by. Often he got so close we could almost have touched him. The guide estimated him to be about seven weeks old, and that he would typically gain about 100lb of body weight per day. The opportunity to observe the feeding, nuzzling, and audible communication between the mother and calf was a very special experience to us.

 

Regatta Vava'u and Festival

Tonga is a logical place for cruising boats from all over the world to stop on their way through the South Pacific to New Zealand and Australia. With over 100 boats here during the peak month of September, the Port of Neiafu in Central Tonga has organized a week-long celebration called Regatta Vava'u and Festival. Here's a summary of the activities and events:

• 3 sailboat races (we placed 3^rd in one of them and won a beautiful carved trophy)

• A fun and games day called Tridecagonathlon (sack race, egg relay, 3-legged race, dodge-ball, etc., with the finale being a pie-eating contest. The guy who won actually ate 6 pies in five minutes, with his hands behind his back!)

• 6-hour pub-crawl with costumes

• Dancing in the Moonlight party with a great light show

• Information sessions on New Zealand marinas

• Several other food and games events.

 

The local shops and restaurants donated lots of prizes, and the whole week was fun and a great way to meet the people on the other cruising boats.

 

Rugby World Cup

Rugby is a huge sport in some countries of the world, with the premier event being the Rugby World Cup held once every four years. It is being held this month and next (September and October) in Auckland, New Zealand. There are 20 countries represented, with the strongest being New Zealand, Australia, South Africa, and England. Canada and the United States have teams entered, and Tonga, with it's small population of about 150,000 people, fields a very competitive team. This place goes nuts over rugby, as it is really the only sport where they compete on an international level. Every day that Tonga had a game scheduled there were red and white flags and parades and parties everywhere. It was neat watching the games on the big screen TV's, as some of the players were from the local village, and had friends and relatives in the audience. When Canada played Tonga, and Canada won, we actually felt bad for the local people. (A very Canadian thing). And the local people weren't very happy with us either.

We were lucky to borrow a copy of 'Rugby for Dummies' , and it was all more fun when we understood how the game is played.

Tongan Feast

One Sunday morning we signed up for a Tongan feast, and Veronica and Dinis (s/v Vida Nova), Steve (s/v Heat Wave) and ourselves were picked up by our host. When we arrived at his residence we were just in time to see the opening of the underground oven. The oven is about 2x2x2 meters and at the bottom is a layer of hot stones. Breadfruit, yams, sweet potato and green papaya were packed in two layers above the stones. The chicken and beef taro dishes were covered in foil and put on a separate layer on top of the vegetables. The last layer was the fish. The oven was closed with corrugated tin to act as the oven door. Lots of banana and coconut leaves and sand were placed on top of the oven door to insulate the oven. It remained covered for about 3 to 4 hours for the food to be cooked. They had a pig roasted on its own spit, although sometimes the pig is cooked in the oven as well. The food was delicious and we enjoyed the company of our friends at lunch.

On our way back through the village, we came across a group of men at the local fire hall sitting around a table with some guitars and singing They were drinking kava and having a grand old time. They invited us to join them, so we did. The kava is served by a woman traditionally. By the time we arrived the kava had taken effect on everyone there and everything was in a kind of slow motion. Dinis and Larry had a great time joining the drinking and before long they were starting to feel the numbness.

We had to get going as we were invited to listen to the choir contest Sunday evening in the local Catholic Church. We were all seated in the back of the church as the whole church was filled with the choir contestants. They had 10 groups and the singing was beautiful. The Tongan people have great voices and it was a pleasure listening to the singing. Everyone was wearing their tradition dress.

What a great day.

 

Exploring Tonga Culture - Neiafu, Vava'u

The Kingdom of Tonga is the only island group in the South Pacific that is not directly affiliated with a larger First-world country. As such it has many unique customs (dress, religion, family unit, etc.), but the downside is that Tonga is a relatively poor country. The largest source of income in Tonga is support payments from Tongan relatives who have located in another country (usually Australia, New Zealand, and the United States). Tourism is second, with agricultural exports third. It's interesting the largest market for the exports (taro root, fruit, and even kava root) is the Tongan population living in other countries.

Tongan dress is very unique for both men and women, as we have shown in an associated photo album. Religion and the family are extremely important influences on the life here, and Tongan people are generally quite happy and laid-back.

Pigs are everywhere here. Families are very proud of how many pigs they own, and it seems to have more status than the cars they drive or even the houses they live in. They roam around the villages freely, and somehow everyone knows whose is whose. They are important as gifts, and especially as the main course when a special occasion feast comes along.