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Niafu, Tonga restaurant reviews
We spent almost two months in Tonga, during which time we made a tour of the restaurants of Niafu, the main town in Vava'u. From north to south: Crowsnest - Open for breakfast and lunch. Best value for breakfast (T$12 including coffee). Great baked goods. Try the cinnamon muffins. Chinese restaurant - Great Chinese food. […]
Our boat's experience with New Zealand Customs
We arrived in Opua, New Zealand yesterday (November 22, 2010). Upon arrival we tied to the customs dock, which fits about 15 boats in style. At eight am four customs officers arrived on the docks and started to clear the boats. New Zealand reserves the right to force arriving boats to haul to have their […]
Wind Power
We had always intended to have a wind-powered generator on Scream, but we only recently were able to install one. We bought our aero4gen at Trotac when we were back in Canada, because we wanted to have a little more power to be able to use our various toys, especially our computers. We also wanted […]
Water water everywhere...
Living on the sea, water is the one constant in our lives. The oceans are so vast, it is almost impossible to describe day after day of seeing nothing but water in all directions. At times it feels as if the whole universe is made of water. But, of course the need for water, fresh […]
Nuiatoputapu
Nuiatoputapu is the island with the best anchorage in northern Tonga. The anchorage is protected by a reef. The reef entrance is the narrowest that we have seen in the south Pacific, but it is well marked with a range, three greens, and two reds. None of these are lit, so a nighttime entrance is […]
Samoa
Scream spent 10 days in Samoa. Luckily, our visit co-incided with the 19th annual Teuila Festival. The Teuila Festival is composed of cultural and sporting competitions. We watched Choirs, Dance troops, Fire dancers, Cricket, Rugby, and Rowing. We stayed on the marina docks for our whole visit to Samoa. In addition to the festival events […]
Suwarrow
Scream spent 12 glorious days at Suwarrow in the Cook Islands. Suwarrow (once spelled Suvarov) is an atoll occupied entirely by a national park. The nearest settlement is over 200km away, and the park has only two seasonal staff and two buildings. Suwarrow is completely inaccessible except by private vessels. The two rangers are dropped […]
Remaining 2010 Ports of Call
We have really enjoyed our time in French Polynesia. Unfortunately cyclone season is coming and we have a lot of tourism left to do, so we're having to adjust the schedule. They say that cruising plans are written in the sand at low tide, but here is what we think we are doing: Suvarov Suvarov […]
Tahiti Yacht Agents
We on Scream are not in the habit of using agents to enter and exit countries. Prior to our arrival in Polynesia we cleared ourselves into and out of every country except one, where we used two different agents both of whom were jerks that ripped us off. We don't like agents, but we decided […]
French Polynesia
We've spent over two months in French Polynesia so far, and are loving it here. Many places really do seem to have the elements of the tropical island paradises we imagine when thinking about the South Pacific. We first arrived in Hiva Oa, in the Marquesas. The Marquesas are high, mountainous islands, with beautiful skylines. […]