The Apia marina dinghy meets you in the bay and escorts the yachts into their marina berth, they have been known to direct sailors to share a berth with a bommie , yes a bommie one of the large coral heads that can put holes in a glassfibre hull. The game starts when the [...]

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Tonga is the oldest and last remaining Polynesian monarchy. It is divided into four parts, volcanic Niuas in the north, Vava’u group, Ha’api group low coral and high volcanoes, and Tongatapu in the south with the capital Nuku’alofa. We start with the Niuas, arriving at Niuatoputapu just after the tsunami, there are three [...]

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Next morning, sun up and so to the ninety metres of chain yes ninety metres, its deep here. We have stronger winds on our trip towards Bora Bora, 25 to 30 knots but its not far as long as you go straight there. We had to divert as our fishing line was out [...]

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Huahine ticked, next two islands Raiatea and Tahaa are both behind the same reef. We start at the south east end and work our way north and around Tahaa. Our first trip ashore was to visit the most important Polynesian traditional temple area Marea Taputapuatea, this is where all their long sea voyage [...]

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From Moorea it was an overnight passage to Huahine, we anchor on the east side inside the reef. Huahine is a lovely place people are very friendly, giving us lots of bananas, coconuts, papaya and even lending us their dogs for our walks.

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A quick hop and we were at Moorea, as the guide book says, with mountains leaping almost vertically out of the clear lagoon, lush vegetation, restaurants dripping with fresh fish etc etc this is the island paradise. It certainly is very beautiful, and a wonderful place to have Kirsty’s birthday BBQ in the company [...]

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Tahiti iti, the small south east part of Tahiti, has quiet deserted anchorages. The passes through the reef into the lagoons are straight forward as the French authorities have spent a lot of money putting lit buoys to mark the channels. Our first anchorage was in Cooks Bay which we had to ourselves. [...]

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The Tuamotus are the largest group of coral atolls in the world. (Atoll – a low-lying ring –shaped coral reef enclosing a lagoon). There are seventy eight in the group, thirty one have passes. We arrive at one Fakarava, love it so much we spend all our time there! Entering one [...]

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We leave Tahuata early for the sixty five miles up to Ua Pou it has a spectacularly serrated skyline, countless spires and towers, often shrouded in clouds. The sail was with the wind on the beam and the seas were flatish. Arriving at the Bay De Hakahau, the parking was tight especially as [...]

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Land Again you certainly can’t miss the Marquesas, (well I guess you could but with GPS it would be difficult!) the islands rise up from the sea to great heights.
Ah what a wonderful sight, land, green rising up towards the sky. Our longest passage completed (or so I’m told its our longest passage) and [...]

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