We had high hopes for Tonga, having changed our original plans of sailing to Samoa after hearing so many good things about the place. We visited the Vava'u group o
f islands and geologically it was truly stunning.
Unfortunately, Nieafu–the main town–is overrun by cruising yachts. There were more than 60 boats in the small bay when we were there. It was impossible to keep the radio on, there was so much chatter that
subtle indifference. Perhaps just not the overflowing friendliness we'd experienced to date. Combine that with the fact that the pyou literally had to wait your turn to hail someone. This was the first place we'd visited where we didn't feel particularly welcomed by the locals, both in the town and in the villages. No one was ever rude, but there was a vibe oflace had been really hyped up by a lot of different people we talked to and we were a bit deflated on the place. On the other hand, there were definitely so
me potent highlights. Sophie and I swam with humpback whales (a first for both of us), we free dived into a submerged cave that opened into a sealed cavern, and best of all, Annabelle had her 4th birthday with a big party on
Océalys with tons of kids, face painting, balloons, a big cake, and some great presents from her friends on other boats (including a necklace with a big black pearl from the Tuamotus). It was the best kid's birthday party I'd ever been to.
We had high hopes for Tonga, having changed our original plans of sailing to Samoa after hearing so many good things about the place. We visited the Vava'u group o
f islands and geologically it was truly stunning.
Unfortunately, Nieafu–the main town–is overrun by cruising yachts. There were more than 60 boats in the small bay when we were there. It was impossible to keep the radio on, there was so much chatter that 
subtle indifference. Perhaps just not the overflowing friendliness we'd experienced to date. Combine that with the fact that the pyou literally had to wait your turn to hail someone. This was the first place we'd visited where we didn't feel particularly welcomed by the locals, both in the town and in the villages. No one was ever rude, but there was a vibe oflace had been really hyped up by a lot of different people we talked to and we were a bit deflated on the place. On the other hand, there were definitely so
me potent highlights. Sophie and I swam with humpback whales (a first for both of us), we free dived into a submerged cave that opened into a sealed cavern, and best of all, Annabelle had her 4th birthday with a big party on 
Océalys with tons of kids, face painting, balloons, a big cake, and some great presents from her friends on other boats (including a necklace with a big black pearl from the Tuamotus). It was the best kid's birthday party I'd ever been to.
