Niuatoputapu

Hi everyone,

Weather has dictated we only spend a few days here in Niuatoputapu.  Next week the weather turns against us so we will be leaving tomorrow.  Yesterday we spent a full day exploring.  The local people are extremely friendly and helpful.

Tafahi Island from Niuatoputapu

Yesterday morning the supply ship arrived at about 0700.  It only visits monthly and stays for a day.  We headed ashore to walk to the fresh-water pool at the western end of the island.  We walked a loop which took us along the shore then back around the three villages.

The anchorage is very safe with a good sandy bottom of 6-12m depth.  It does suffer from chop due to fetch if there's any N in the wind.  No swell.  The wharf has a raw coral dinghy dock and care is needed to avoid puncture damage.

Monthly supply ship arrival

Zen Again with Walkabout and Olmari to right

Wharf dinghy dock

Wharf

The island was impacted by the 2009 tsunami with 9 people killed locally and many more on other Tongan and Samoan islands.  Since then there's been a lot of investment including a new hospital and moving many dwellings to higher locations.  You can read about it here.

The island is neat and tidy.  Perhaps not quite as tidy as Samoa due to drink cans along the roadsides.  But you're more likely to be offered a lift while walking around.  Church is very important here with several on an island of only about 700 people.

Tidy & colourful cemetary

Catholic church

The fresh water pool is nice to visit.  It's at the mouth of a river, apparently downstream of a water treatment plant.  Beyond the pool the river mouth is popular with the local pigs.  Pigs are everywhere here but we also saw sheep, goats, cows and horses.  There's a lot of agriculture with coconuts, bananas, taro, cassava, breadfruit and more.

Lots of banyan trees

Fresh water pool

Pigs downstream of the pool

We did about 12,000 steps on the walk.  It was hot but thankfully there was a breeze.  Back in the anchorage the chop kicked up by the wind led to abandoning a plan for a dinghy sundowner on the Motu adjacent to the anchorage.

Sunset

Today I walked to the Customs office to do our 'domestic clear-out', allowing us to move between island groups.  That was a single form and free.  From there I walked to the bakery which has excellent locally-baked bread.  There are several small stores with very basic supplies only.  Best to leave that for the locals since the supplies come so infrequently.  Likewise we kept our rubbish aboard.

Excellent bakery - the hut under the trees

So we're ready to depart tomorrow for Neiafu in the Vava'u island group.  That's a 170nm passage south.  Winds are expected to be 10-15 knots from the ESE.  Vava'u will be very different with a much larger population and far more cruising boats already there.

Zen again at Niuatoputapu

Trust all's well where you are!