Ha’apai is a sailor’s paradise for as long as the trade winds hold. And unfortunately, there is a northerly blow headed our way. Which means we’re going to need to move along, even if we don’t want to.
And we don’t! We’ve only scratched the surface of a few islands and considering there are 62 here, that isn’t saying much. But, we have yet to win an argument with mother nature and we’ve learned better than to even try.
Luckily, we’ve made a couple of friends who are keen to show us around before we set off into the horizon. So, not only do we have a lovely day of exploring remote islands and reefs, but we also get a full tour of their off-grid, self-built island homestead!
Glen and Karen started a little eco-resort on Uoleva island six years ago called Fanifo Lofa (it means kitesurf in Tongan). I bet you can’t guess what sport Glen is into?
In non-covid times, when borders are open, kite surfers from all over the world flock to their eco-resort to kite, eat, sleep and repeat. But, like the rest of Tonga and most of the South Pacific, they haven’t had a guest since 2019.
We met them as we dropped off Dior (from Nomuka Island) for her first kiteboarding lesson. We were the first new faces, and of course, the first sailboat they’ve seen since 2019. Can you imagine?!?
They were so excited to see us sail into the anchorage it didn’t take long to get a dinner invitation. And while I didn’t film our dinner together, I should have. Karen is a whiz in the kitchen! It was a heavenly green leafy-filled meal! And considering finding fresh greens in Tonga has been a real challenge for us, her meals were to die for. She even shared a few of their “good as gold” tomatoes, which had our grins stretching ear-to-ear (it’d been over 4 months since we’d had a fresh tomato).
Sometimes, I think unexpected weather is mother nature’s way of ensuring we don’t get our fill of a place. She allows us one delectable bite and then pushes us along. Just a taste to ensure we’ll be itching to come back. Maybe next time we’ll have enough time to book some kiteboarding lessons.
