While in Moorea we dinghied with friends to swim with the sharks and hand feed the stingrays.
The sharks were small black tipped reef sharks and said to be harmless. Anyway, they didn`t bite us!
The nearby resort at Oponuhu Bay
Then on to Uturoa on Raiatea where we managed to have a sail repaired and a new thermostat fitted to the freezer. No more managing the temp by hand.
Uturoa from on high. JT alongside near the basin right foreground.
The views of the fringing reefs were wonderful
Bora Bora in the backgrouns
Yachts anchored on the reef
We sailed to nearby Tahaa
Anchored on the reef near some wonderful snorkelling amongst a "coral garden"
We sailed a short distance to Bora Bora, our point of departure for places west.
Downtown, the locals maintianed a so called authentic look for thr tourists
We spent some time exploring around the anchorages inside the reef.
Black pearls are popular around here and we visited a pearl farm. Tres expensive.
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From Bora Bora we sailed NW 700 nm to the atoll of Suwarrow, one of the northern Cook Isalnds, in the middle of nowhere, but quite attractive and far enough from the weather systems passing west from NZ
The ranger`s "house"
Suwarrow
Then another 700 nm to Neiafu, Vava`u, Tonga.
A great landlocked harbour. Lots of Aust & NZ flags in tne anchorage.
A true South Pacific town; shabby, colourful and lots of fun.
Unfortunately, strong winds have confined us to Neiafu and will prevent us seeing much more of the area before we must move on to Fiji during the next weather window.
