Tonga - Eua Island

To get to Eua, 40 Kms away from TongaTapu the ferry seemed the best/cheapest option. OMG what a ride! Both girls were sea-sick as hell and I was scared to death... Benoit chose the wise option and slept (or tried to sleep) through the entire ordeal. But it was all worth it. On our first day, a Sunday, we went to the local church at Ohonua to listen to the powerful choir sing and to watch all the locals in their best "Sunday clothes", a mix of traditional and colourful contemporary...

We walked back to our very basic accomodation at The Hideaway through beautiful landscapes, surrounded by monarch butterflies and gorgeous king fisher birds.

After church we took an "un-guided" tour into Eua National Park; not a good idea as we got lost and didn't see much except for a huge Banyan tree and overgrown paths... The girls were brave little soldiers; well done.

Our second day was the inevitable 4WD touyr of the Island with Henry, our friendly Tongan guide. I managed a quick walk to the beach 10 minutes away at Tufuvai village, before the tour.

The tour was perfect and we were super lucky to spot a turtle and to see wild horses at the Southern tip of the island (Liangahu o a Maui) and also a beautiful Tala bird very close up... not to mention fregates and black gannets.

On the way, Henry explain all about tapa cloth making and we were able to see locals preaparing huge pieces for a newly built church at Honuma (in the North).

To end the day, a very safe snorkel in a large rock pool at Ha aluma Beach.

Our last morning at Eua is spent at the Tufuvai beach, playing in the water and the rock pools, collecting shells and building a hutt.

The girls had a busy afternoon with a traditional weaving "class" for Kim and an hour of horse riding for Lilou (on a "horse with no name", a in the song).

And... just in case you wondered; NO we didn't take the ferry back but a little plane that smoothly and safely landed us back in Nuku Alofa in 10 minutes...