We left Bora Bora and French Polynesia on August 16 and decided to head southwest toward Rarotonga the main island in the Cook Island chain. Can't say we were sorry to put French Polynesia on our stern because we were running out of money. The expense of staying there sort of takes the fun out of it. Don't get me wrong it is a great place to visit beautiful islands and people but maybe being there 3 months is a bit much. Sure glad we couldn't extend our visa now we can say; "been there done that".
We had a great sail to Rarotonga. Calm seas and light winds. Would have liked more wind but those were the cards dealt on this leg. This was a good time for us to unwind and relax from the hustle bustle of Bora Bora. The other good thing is that when we are away from land we aren't spending any money.
We arrived in Avatiu, Rarotonga the capital of The Cook Islands rested and ready to see a new land fall. Our first adventure here was getting situated in the harbor. It was required that you drop your anchor toward the middle of the bay, and then back the boat about 200 ft. up to this very large concrete sea wall and tie your stern lines to the wall keeping the boat at least 15 ft. from the wall so you don't crash into it when the weather gets rough. Thank goodness we had some of our cruising
friends there to help because it is a daunting task for 2 people. I do have to say Barbara did a great job setting the anchor and helping us tie up. She is really becoming quite the sailor. After getting the boat safely in place it was off to town. This is the first place we had been since leaving San Diego where the people speak English. So great to be able to communicate in English again. However, the biggest reward was the American dollar was now worth something. On the Cook Islands they
have their own money, only good in the Cook Islands, and the New Zealand dollar. One NZ dollar was 70 cents in US money so everything we bought there was at a 30% discount, yea! Just as a comparison the French Franc in French Polynesia cost $1.36 US. So, not only did the dollar go further but the cost of items was cheaper. We were really excited about being there. The people were great and acted like they were happy we were there, and it was a lush green tropical island. We stayed a week and
I think all but 1 day it rained. Can't complain we still had a great time. Rented a moped and circumnavigated the island, about 2 hours, went to their big open air market on Saturday and generally had a good time. After a week though it was time to move on. The weather calmed down enough for us to leave port and head off to our next port on the Island of Niue.
A big gold star if you know where Niue is on the map. Unless you have a detailed atlas there is a good chance it's not on your map. In fact we were considering bypassing this island and heading directly for Tonga. We changed our mind and decided it would be a good break in the passage to stop and spend a few days seeing a new place. We ended up staying 8 days. The people on the island, 1200, took us under their wing and treated us like royalty. When we first came ashore to check in with customs
the people from the yacht club picked us up and made sure everything was taken care of during check in and then they drove us around and showed us the island. The yacht club is a house in town with a big front porch and all the cruisers seemed to hang out there. They had a kitchen and if you wanted anything like a soft drink, beer, wine, or anything else you just helped yourself and then paid up when it was time to go, and all on a honor system. Another kind of different thing on this island was
that when you needed to get around on the island you just hitch hiked. The locals always stopped and picked you up and took you where you needed to go. We really enjoyed our stay here. We spent a day hiking along the coast line, did bingo with the locals at one of the local bars, I think everyone on the island attended, and hung out at the yacht club and caught up on the internet, which was free. We could have stayed longer but the weather and ocean was giving us a break so we thought we better
take advantage and move on to Tonga.
The passage to Tonga is just 240 miles and can really be a piece a cake or very rough. We caught it on a rough couple of days. The seas seemed to come at us from all directions and the winds were not strong enough to drive the boat through them. It was therefore our pleasure to enjoy a very rough 2 days at sea. Not life threatening just very uncomfortable. We didn't get much sleep but the passage was made a little more doable because we had an extra crew on board with us. Ryan, from Parker,
Co., was crewing on another boat and needed help getting to Tonga after his services were no longer required on his other boat. We agreed to get him to Tonga so he could pick up another boat and head to New Zealand. After his departure Barbara and I are much happier when it is just the 2 of us.
We got to Vava'u Tonga, the northern group of islands, in one piece and have enjoyed this place probably the best of all the places we have visited so far. The main city of Neiafu is centrally located on the island and from this spot you can go to about 40 different anchorages all within about an hour's time. If you want peace and quiet and the place to yourself there are plenty of spots or you can anchor with some of your sailing friends in other anchorages. When you come into the harbor at
Neiafu there are plenty of restaurants and stores to go to. What is really special is all our cruising friends we have met over the past 8 months are all here and it is great to get together with everyone and talk about all our experiences this year. Tonga and especially these islands are where the Humpback whales migrate to every winter to have their calves and mate. So, from July to October the waters are full of whales. Tonga is also one of only 2 places in the world where you can swim with
the whales. Barbara and I took one of the whale tours and had the good fortune to be able to get up close and personal to the whales. What an experience to be next to these giant creatures in their marine environment. That has got to be the highlight of our year.
It is now time to start heading south. Tomorrow, Monday, we start the last leg of our journey for 2008 and start working our way 1,000 miles south to New Zealand. We are again excited about a new land fall and new experiences. It will also be a good stopping place to come home and see family and friends.
This log report finds Destiny and crew all well and in working order. We have so many memories and so many more to make. With that this is Destiny back to 1-6.
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