Category: Travel

Haapai Tonga

Without a doubt, our favorite part of Tonga was Haapai. We only had a week to spend in this beautiful island group but we enjoyed every minute. Once we found our anchorage, we loved it so much we didn’t move. If you ever visit the Kingdom of Tonga, don’t miss Haapai.

About Haapai Tonga

Ha’apai is pronounced “Ha a pie.” Located south of Vavau, the Haapai island group includes 51 islands plus atolls and coral reefs. We spent our week there in one perfect anchorage, and also walked to the main island a couple of times.

Sailboat anchored in beautifful waters in Tonga
Sava alone in her anchorage in Haapai

After weeks waiting in Vavau for a starting engine, Haapai was just what we needed! Less populated and quieter, we found it beautiful and relaxing.

We anchored by Foa island, home to two resorts and several beautiful beaches. Just south of Foa and across a bridge is Haapai’s main island of Lifuka and the port town of Pangai.

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Pigs of Tonga

Most people go to Tonga to swim with whales or just enjoy the beach. For us, a highlight of Tonga was the pigs and piglets. I took many photos of the pigs of Tonga, mostly in Vavau, so here is a short post compiling those images.

I like to document the different animals we see on our travels. The pigs of Tonga are nowhere near as dramatic or diverse as the animals of Panama or Colombia, but I never got bored of stopping to watch and photograph them.

Where to see Pigs in Tonga

We spent a lot of time in Vavau, and more than a week in Haapai, and saw pigs everywhere. Many live outside of town and spend their days wallowing in mud and eating whatever they can find in the grass and roads. Some of the pigs who live more remotely even venture into the sea, like the swimming pigs of Bahamas, only these pigs catch fish!

These pigs are well fed.

Pig, Tonga
A big pig in Tonga.
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Five Nights in Niue

Discovering a truly special place is one of my favorite aspects of this nomadic seafaring life. We recently sailed from French Polynesia to the compact island nation of Niue, spent five nights in Niue and loved every minute of our short visit there!

About Niue

I hadn’t even heard of Niue a few months ago, and that’s not surprising. Most of its visitors and many of its residents hail from New Zealand. However small, Niue is an impressive country. It left its mark on us!

Niue, which means “Behold the Coconut,” is pronounced Nyoo-Ay.

Niue is a ruggedly beautiful country in the South Pacific Ocean. Itis defined by dramatic high cliffs, which we could see as we approached by boat. This explains why Niue is also known as the Rock of Polynesia.

Looking at Niue from the water.
Looking at Niue from the water. High rugged cliffs, caves, and no beaches

For sailors, Niue has one safe bay on the western side of the island near the town of Alofi. The bay is very deep almost right next to shore (the cliffs), so Niue’s yacht club installed moorings for boats to tie to for their stay. We were one of the first boats there after several years of Covid lockdowns, so it was exciting for us and the people of Niue!

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