Tonga’s Blue Lagoon: A Stunner!

Steve of Armagh mans the dinghy, two kayaks in tow, for our trip

from Hunga Lagoon to Blue Lagoon.  Vava’u, Tonga.

At high tide – and only high tide – even my kayak scraped too much at mid-tide to be viable – Hunga offers a passage to the even more stunning adjacent Blue Lagoon. Blue Lagoon also reputedly offers some good snorkeling.

We haven’t experienced much sunshine since we arrived in Vava’u, and were itching for some good snorkeling.  Wanting to take advantage of the high pressure front that gave us clear, sunny skies, Steve & Patty of Armagh and I blithely blundered through the Hunga Lagoon to Blue Lagoon via dinghy at high tide.

Blue Lagoon’s entrance from Hunga Lagoon.  Looks peaceful

and is – until you leave the wind shadow shelter from

Hunga Lagoon, heading dead into Blue Lagoon’s 20+ knot winds.

Unfortunately, that same high pressure front also brought 20+ mile an hour winds.  Reefy Blue Lagoon’s wicked wind waves soaked us as much as if we’d snorkeled anyway. 

Still, we were already inside the lagoon. It seemed worthwhile to make the best of it, even if the water looked too violent for snorkeling that day.  Blue Lagoon’s stunning beach and the resort with colorful buildings and a substantial dock looked intriguing.

Our kayaks, beached downshore from Blue Lagoon’s resort.    

Patty and I paddled ashore on our kayaks whilst Steve patiently waited aboard Armagh’s dinghy, anchored just offshore.  The unwelcoming committee in the form of viciously barking approaching dogs prompted us to beach our kayaks a ways from the resort and carry our paddles, just in case and head in the opposite direction.

Patty, exploring the nicest beach I’ve seen this cruising season,

carrying her kayak paddle in case Blue Lagoon’s

unfriendly resort dogs appear.

Unlike the rocky, coral-strewn beaches we’ve most encountered of late, Blue Lagoon’s beach sand was so soft where the shore and water met, sand sucked greedily at our ankles, sinking them. 

In my opinion, in Tonga’s Vava’u island group, Blue Lagoon deserves its reputation as a “don’t miss” destination for its scenic beauty, even if you don’t get a chance to snorkel there. 

Who knows?  Maybe you’ll even be lucky enough to arrive in a multi-day stretch of weather so settled, you can even anchor there.  We were happy, given the conditions, to get a glorious glimpse of Blue Lagoon, while our sailboats hunkered in Hunga Lagoon, an oasis of calm.  Even without Brooke Shields.

Myriad of blues, Blue Lagoon’s water lives up to its name beautifully.

Location Location

This post was finalized and posted in Neiafu, TONGA (S18.39.443 W173.58.965) and was inspired at our recent stay in Hunga Lagoon  (S18.42.066 W174.07.551),Tonga’s Vava’u island group, where we’re currently cruising.

Cruising Progress by the Numbers

As of our start, December 7th 2014, from Jacksonville FL NAS, USA until our current (October 15, 2015) travels around the Neiafu, Tonga are -- 10 months, we’ve spent about a third of our time --125 days -- sailing and covered ~8,750 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.