We anchored off Port
Maurelle, Kapa Island Tonga along with another 15 or so boats. The sun was not shining, but I was
still itching to get off the boat and explore, and Wayne was more interested in
getting some boat work done with me out of the way.
Generally, I’m pretty
comfortable taking off on my own kayaking and hiking. Knowing I don’t possess any health care coverage encourages
me to minimize my risks when it comes to staying within safe bounds.
With no particular plan in
mind, I beached my kayak and tied it off.
Then I pulled my t-shirt and sarong out of my dry bag, and put them on,
making sure my sarong covered my knees, out of respect to the local
conservative dress customs. I set off down a muddy road, figuring roads are
easy to follow and lead somewhere.
![]() |
This cemetery on a bluff marked my
turnaround point
for my solo walk on Tonga’s Kapa island.
|
Eventually I saw a bay on
the opposite side of the island from our anchorage with a dock, so wandered
over to get a better view.
Noticing a nearby knoll with a cemetery, I ambled up for the view;
seemed like a good time to turn around and return back to the boat.
Leaving the village, again,
I was stopped and asked where I was going. It felt a little weird. Tongans are renowned for their friendliness, and most of my
interactions with locals have been good.
I felt that even though I was walking down a road, perhaps it was
considered intrusive.
Finally, as I neared the
anchorage, a fellow who appeared to be in his mid twenties stepped onto the
road, a machete in his hand.
Machetes are commonly used in the Polynesians, as much of their food
comes from subsistence farming, whacking down papayas, cracking open coconuts,
etc. As with everyone else I came
across, I said hello.
![]() |
This dock was just below the cemetery
on a bluff
on Tonga’s Kapa island.
|
“I like your skin,” he
said. I laughed, saying, “Different
is always interesting. I find
Polynesian skin beautiful,” picking up my walking pace more.
Then it got a little
weirder.
“Can I touch it?” he
asked.
Now, for those of you
unfamiliar with the Tongan culture, touching, even hand-holding with members of
the opposite sex in public is strongly discouraged. and At this stage, I was studiously
avoiding eye contact, walking quickly.
“No. That would make me
uncomfortable,” I replied emphatically, walking faster, still.
He repeated the question,
adding a “pretty lady” and I repeated my refusal. Shortly thereafter, I saw the anchorage beach, and practically
dashed out to it, making sure I was in clear view of all the anchored boats.
He did not follow me.
Perhaps he meant no harm. But given what I know about Tongan
cultural norms, I can’t deny he creeped me out.
From now on, on Tongan
out-islands less accustomed to Palangis (foreigners) walking about, I will not
walk alone. My stranger-danger
radar’s served me will in my solo travels, but I prefer not to test it
unnecessarily, and told Wayne as much, explaining that kind of creepiness was not
something I encountered in French Polynesia.
“He’s just one creep,” Wayne
said, as he sometimes believes I over-react on prospective gender-related
concerns. “You could have
experienced that anywhere.”
Still, for the next month or
so, I am more likely to err on the side of caution when considering solo walks
in less traveled areas. I will continue to strive to behave in the same respectfully
friendly fashion as most of the Tongans I meet, while not ignoring my usual
stranger-danger radar, should it trigger again.
This post written in Port
Maurelle, Kingdom of TONGA (S18.42.024 W174.01.801), and posted on Nieafu, Tonga (oops -- don't have my lat/long with me here ashore at Tropicana cafe today -- will current lat/long update later).
Communication Access
There was no wifi in Port Maurelle, so posts were written awaiting arrival for
sporadic wifi access in Neiafu, of the Vava’u islands of Tonga.
Tonga wifi access is slow,
so most posts will be set up to post when we’re in Tonga’s more populated
areas. Once we get to New Zealand
in November, we expect much better wifi and will catch up on some recent
cruising experiences and, eventually, some short video clips.
Cruising Progress by the Numbers
As of our start, December 7th 2014, from Jacksonville FL NAS, USA until our current
(September 26, 2015) travels around the Neiafu, Tonga are -- ~9
months, we’ve spent about a third of our time --120 days -- sailing
and covered 8,724 nautical miles.
The prior 2 years combined, we
sailed 3762 miles. By
the time we arrive in New Zealand in November, less than a year from when
we set out, we expect we’ll sail over 10,000 miles this year. That’s a lot of miles for a boat with a
hull speed of 7 knots; we usually sail far slower than that.
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