And Now We Wait

Note: We have had very limited internet access in the Ha’apai Islands so I posted this to our tracking page a few days ago. We have service now so here it is on the main blog.

We are currently anchored off Uoleva Island in the Ha’apau Island, Tonga. We are waiting for a good weather window to make the jump to New Zealand.

The trip will take us a good 9 – 10 days so it’s impossible to know just what the weather will bring but we want to at least get off to a good start. The passage does not have a good reputation among cruisers. It is still spring in New Zealand so the weather is dominated by low pressure systems that come up from the southern ocean and can pack quite a punch. The key is to stay far enough north that when the low hits it will not be as bad as if we were close to New Zealand. Once it passes we’ll make a run for New Zealand and if we time it correctly we’ll get there before the next low arrives. That’s the theory at least.

In the meantime we’re tucked in behind Uoleva. It protects us from the prevailing winds and has a gorgeous sandy beach. I understand that we can walk around the entire island but we haven’t walked it. We walked for a good hour and a half the other day and only covered about a third of the distance. Walking in sand is not the fastest way to get around. I doubt we’ll make the entire loop.

There are a couple of small resorts on the island. One is closed for the season. The other doesn’t have any guests at the moment. It seems strange that places are shutting down now. Most of the resorts rely on tourists from New Zealand or Australia. Of course summer is on its way there so they don’t need a break from the weather I guess. Also, they come to see whales and the whales are migrating south now so there aren’t as many around.