We made it to Tonga after a brief layover in beautiful Niue. The Pacific Ocean has dealt us many different situations and we are glad to be hiding out in Tonga for a while. Niue was a quick stopover and was very welcoming. We were among the first visitors to the island since the beginning of Covid.

Vava’u Island Group in the Kingdom of Tonga is where the World Arc fleet has been welcomed by the Tongan people. These are remote islands in the northern part of Tonga and also were shutoff to outside visitors for 3 years. Tonga did not experience its first case of Covid until the eruption of the Hunga-Tonga-Hunga-Ha’apai volcano in January 2022. It was the largest volcanic eruption recorded since the eruption of Krakatoa in 1883. It also set many other records releasing the most water vapor into the atmosphere, the highest volcanic plume and the fastest atmospheric waves. Following this eruption and the tsunami the rescue and relief efforts brought covid to the Tongan shores. The Tongan people suffered severely from covid and their economy also suffered great damage.  Sixteen months on from these disasters we have been welcomed with great joy and enthusiasm to these beautiful islands.

We will be departing from Tonga and heading to the Lau Island Group in Fiji next week, 300 miles away. The World ARC has made arrangements to fly in the customs/immigration and health authorities to check us in and allow us to cruise in the Lau Islands. We are anxious to get to Fiji and practice our Fijian language skills “bula” and discover more South Pacific Islands.