Uoleva Island (Hapa'ai group) - South Pacific Island 18

Our next island adventure took us to the Island of Uoleva, just South of Lifuka Island in the Hapa'ai group. Imagine an island enfringed with prestine white sand beaches, clear azure waters and inhabited by only a handfull of people. This island, with no cars, roads, shops nor electricity was just that. The only sounds you could hear was that of the sea lapping up against the shores and the sound of coconuts falling from the trees. (Oh, perhaps add to that the roosters at 5am and the pigs squeeling from time to time!). In addition, for the week we were there, we were the only tourists on the island, having the above all to ourselves!

We stayed at the Captain Cook Hideaway resort, where our beach hut was literally on the beach, just a few feet from the waters edge! All our food was prepared by the resort and was pretty much an all-you-can-eat feast for both breakfast and dinner! Lunch was by means of me climbing the coconut trees and tearing open coconuts with my bare hands! (ok, so perhaps I did use a pen-knife and yeah it did take a couple of hours to get into, but it tasted good all the same!)

During our weeks' stay on the island we once ventured off the beach to walk across the island. That was just too much physical exertion and not really worth the effort. Needless to say, the rest of the week was spent recovering, doing nothing but lazing on the beach with the odd bit of swimming and snorkelling!

Our beach hut, inside & out

Left: Toilets (right) and shower (left)!; Right: View from our beach hut!

Two amazing sunsets (one on the left is actually of an active volcano smoking!)

The beach!!

Left: Louise waiting for a coconut to fall!; Middle: Me with the lunch! Right: Our favourite spot for lazing on the beach!

Lifuka (Hapa'ai group) - South Pacific Island 17

After finally getting our back-sides in gear we purchased our plane tickets en-route for the Hapa'ai group in Tonga - said to be the best for beaches (that was good enough for us!). We flew into the island of Lifuka where apparently in 1777 or somewhere around that time, Captain Cook named the islands the "Friendly Islands". Little did he know that the Tongans were treating him to a feast whilst actually trying to plan to kill and rob him. With that little bit of history (learnt from our trusty Lonely Planet) we made sure that no-one was out to rob, or kill us, while treating us to a good feast!

Lifuka itself was quite a small island and we stayed in the main town, Pangai. Upon arrival we instantly took back what we said about Nuku'alofa being a ghost town since the main town of Pangai consists of about 4 shops and a bank. Nothing else! Also, the island has even more stray pigs than Tongatapu! Mix with that stray dogs, cats, horses and goats and you've got a pretty good impression of the place! We only stayed here en-route to our planned destination, Uoleva Island.
Left: Tongan sunset; Right: Sunset over the local volcano (lets hope it doesn't erupt!)









Left: An 80 pound flight got us no more than a paper aeroplane! Right: Me in the main town of Pangai during rush-hour!









Where your taxes are going (enlarge photo and check out the small print on the sign!)

Pangaimotu - South Pacific Island 16

Ok, so we only spent the day here but we're claiming it as another island visited! Not much to say about it since it wasn't the best island in the Pacific, but hey, here's a couple of pics anyway.

Left: View of the island from the boat; Right: Me posing in front off-shore shipwreck

Tongatapu - South Pacific Island 15

When we originally decided to add Tonga to our list of countries we knew we were visiting a place where we really didn't know what to expect. We knew things would be different out here, but what we certainly didn't expect was to find out that half the capital had been burnt down at the end of last year in some political riots! Most businesses were burnt to a crisp, leaving the place a bit like of a ghost town!









Having said that, what remained really was pretty good. The market, banks and some shops were still around, or had been relocated to the remaining buildings. We soon found though that the pacific way of life was certainly evident. To book one flight and accommodation took a whole two days! People don't usually bother to answer their phones, especially on the remote outer islands and, when they do, they usually just rattle on in Tongan to you! Great!

That said, we did manage to book a flight to a place called Uoleva Island in the Hapa'ai group in Tonga. It's said to be one of the worlds most amazing islands...or at least that's what we're told! We have heard that one before many times so we'll hold judgement on that! Also, it's one of the few places in the world that you can snorkel with hump-back whales! Unfortunately the damn things haven't arrived yet, but we're hoping that while we're there they'll show up!

During the week we hired a car to check out the other parts of Tongatapu island. Other than doing the usual tourist things, taking snaps of anything that looks worthy of a snap we took a visit to one of the biggest caves on the island. We took the advice and took a torch, but really you need a bit more than that since it was so big inside. It was also so so eerie, not being able to see much and just hearing bats flying around! One even flew into the wall just next to my head!

On our tour of the island we found that driving out here wasn't a case of avoiding other cars and pedestrians, it was a case of avoiding the wild pigs! Seriously, there's probably more wild pigs on the island than humans!
Left: The King's Royal Palace; Right: A local Tongan house









Left: Our local cornershop!; Right: Another local supermarket!









Left: Cave entrance through a small hole; Right: View inside with camera flash on (couldn't see any of it without flash - not even with a torch!)









Last night we decided to do the cultural thing and go to an island night Tongan style, complete with a Tongan feast. There was loads of food and at the end of the table was an entire pig on a skewer that they'd cooked earlier in the day! It didn't look that good with it's head still in tact, but tasted pretty good!! Also at the island night we found that because it was their opening night, they'd invited the Princesses of Tonga to join us for dinner! It was pretty mad really having dinner just a few tables down from Royalty!

Left: Some Tongan dancing; Right: Sneaky shot of the Tongan Princesses, taken shortly before armed guards escorted us off the premises (just kidding!)









Left: Pig by day; Right: Pig by night!!! (yum yum!)

9th June 2007 to some time in the future!