The landing place at Raoul Island. Look for the yellow rope hanging down the rock face.
Raoul Island, Kermadecs, Pacific Ocean.
We arrived in the night on the tail end of a storm, to this chunk of land 1000 km from anywhere. We hove to till morning and went on in to check out the access. Initially it was too rough to land and we thought we might not get on to the island. We contacted the DOC staff there who suggested anchoring in the lee of the island and waiting. After a good breakfast and a swim we again motored around to the landing.
Landing consisted of motoring in the dinghy up to a dark, forbidding volcanic bit of rock with a rope hanging down it, waiting for a gap between swells and surging into the rock face. The passengers then leapt onto the rock, hauling themselves up the rope. Meanwhile the rock threatened to chew up the side of the dinghy. All very exciting, not that we needed any more excitement.
On arrival I lay on the ground and absorbed its solidness. It is the most solid piece of ground I have ever experienced. And it was warm and dry; we’d been cold and wet for weeks on and off. The DOC hospitality was fabulous. Mike met us and drove us back to their base. The land was so lush and green, abounding with parakeets, tuis and pukekos. We were given a cup of tea, a guided tour of the weather station, orchard, verge gardens and even a small brewery. They gave us a bag of Raoul Island oranges, another story in itself, and fresh salad stuff from their garden. We had Raoul Island salads for the next two days. We saw the crater and headed back to the boat.
Raoul to Tonga. 6 days. 1000km.
Back to see at sunset. We started the journey with David hanging over the stern retrieving a critical bolt on the windvane. And then back into the fray. We got caught up in a storm with winds up to 65 knots (64 is hurricane force), and crashing seas. Once again we hove to. Thank goodness Navire is such a seaworthy boat.
We motored through our last day, timing our arrival at Piha passage, the entrance through the reef to Tongatapu, for dawn to have the sun behind us so we could see the coral. We navigated the coral rimmed passage into Nukualofa, arriving very tired but happy.
Nukualofa
Our challenges weren’t quite over yet. We had to moor Mediterranean style which requires a tricky combination of anchoring, backing and stern lines, combined with sleep deprived brains and a cross wind. Customs, immigration etc was a very leisurely process, nothing like an airport, my passport was stamped on the front of an old car.
We then headed to “town” and had our first alcohol in two weeks, a cold beer at Friends Cafe. I revelled in the market place buying fresh crunchy stuff. After a cold shower, our fist in two weeks, we headed across the bay to a classic Pacific island, sandy beaches, palm trees and a beachside bar.
Pangaimotu
So here we are anchored with a bunch of other yachts, all recovering from the journey and doing the inevitable, perpetual boat fixing, before we head north to meet our friend Richard from Wellington who is coming to cruise in Vavau for two weeks.
Piet leaves us today. He has been a spectacularly good crew member and now dear friend. He never really lost his cool in all the tough times; he was innovative and clever at fixing things. He was honest and relentlessly cheerful. In the roughest conditions he’d be saying now on this watch I’m going to wear this outfit. He is an excellent navigator and a pleasure to feed. A HUGE thank you to you Piet..
Communication. Phone calls are expensive to make and receive, so don’t call us except for emergencies. Texts are free to receive so send us lots but don’t be offended if we don’t reply. We get excited whenever the phone makes its text beeps. We should be able to get to email once a week or so PLEASE send us emails and texts. It’s so good to hear news from home.
We arrived in the night on the tail end of a storm, to this chunk of land 1000 km from anywhere. We hove to till morning and went on in to check out the access. Initially it was too rough to land and we thought we might not get on to the island. We contacted the DOC staff there who suggested anchoring in the lee of the island and waiting. After a good breakfast and a swim we again motored around to the landing.
Landing consisted of motoring in the dinghy up to a dark, forbidding volcanic bit of rock with a rope hanging down it, waiting for a gap between swells and surging into the rock face. The passengers then leapt onto the rock, hauling themselves up the rope. Meanwhile the rock threatened to chew up the side of the dinghy. All very exciting, not that we needed any more excitement.
On arrival I lay on the ground and absorbed its solidness. It is the most solid piece of ground I have ever experienced. And it was warm and dry; we’d been cold and wet for weeks on and off. The DOC hospitality was fabulous. Mike met us and drove us back to their base. The land was so lush and green, abounding with parakeets, tuis and pukekos. We were given a cup of tea, a guided tour of the weather station, orchard, verge gardens and even a small brewery. They gave us a bag of Raoul Island oranges, another story in itself, and fresh salad stuff from their garden. We had Raoul Island salads for the next two days. We saw the crater and headed back to the boat.
Raoul to Tonga. 6 days. 1000km.
Back to see at sunset. We started the journey with David hanging over the stern retrieving a critical bolt on the windvane. And then back into the fray. We got caught up in a storm with winds up to 65 knots (64 is hurricane force), and crashing seas. Once again we hove to. Thank goodness Navire is such a seaworthy boat.
We motored through our last day, timing our arrival at Piha passage, the entrance through the reef to Tongatapu, for dawn to have the sun behind us so we could see the coral. We navigated the coral rimmed passage into Nukualofa, arriving very tired but happy.
Nukualofa
Our challenges weren’t quite over yet. We had to moor Mediterranean style which requires a tricky combination of anchoring, backing and stern lines, combined with sleep deprived brains and a cross wind. Customs, immigration etc was a very leisurely process, nothing like an airport, my passport was stamped on the front of an old car.
We then headed to “town” and had our first alcohol in two weeks, a cold beer at Friends Cafe. I revelled in the market place buying fresh crunchy stuff. After a cold shower, our fist in two weeks, we headed across the bay to a classic Pacific island, sandy beaches, palm trees and a beachside bar.
Pangaimotu
So here we are anchored with a bunch of other yachts, all recovering from the journey and doing the inevitable, perpetual boat fixing, before we head north to meet our friend Richard from Wellington who is coming to cruise in Vavau for two weeks.
Piet leaves us today. He has been a spectacularly good crew member and now dear friend. He never really lost his cool in all the tough times; he was innovative and clever at fixing things. He was honest and relentlessly cheerful. In the roughest conditions he’d be saying now on this watch I’m going to wear this outfit. He is an excellent navigator and a pleasure to feed. A HUGE thank you to you Piet..
Communication. Phone calls are expensive to make and receive, so don’t call us except for emergencies. Texts are free to receive so send us lots but don’t be offended if we don’t reply. We get excited whenever the phone makes its text beeps. We should be able to get to email once a week or so PLEASE send us emails and texts. It’s so good to hear news from home.
You will be experts on Vavau by the time we get there. We will be staying at Mystic Sands for two nights, so check it out. We bought the Sailing Guide to Tonga book you suggested.Would love to hear more about your days around Vavau so keep posting as often as you can.
ReplyDeleteCheers
Liz & Ron
Easyrider