South Pacific days 7 and 8

          Day 7 was spent on the open water, this time with a marine biologist, and while we sighted many whales, they were not interested in interacting.  Instead, they performed for us, with breaching, slapping the ocean with pectoral fins and tails, and generally just frolicking in the water.  Charlie was able to have a short swim with a mother and calf, but the rest of the time the whales would move away when we entered the water.  It was a great day, in any event, and we learned a lot about the whales.  One of the surprising facts was the information that the calf consumes up to 100 gallons of milk each day to feed its rapid growth and creation of blubber in preparation for the trip south to Antarctica.

Whale breaching day 7

Whale playing

Whale tails

Whale heading down

          We should also tell you about the local entertainment.

Native Dancers

          One night a week the local village sends a contingent up to perform for the guests here, and it is quite a show.  One of the adults describes the meaning and history of each dance, followed by a demonstration by the local youth.  It’s an interesting way to educate the visitors and at the same time raise a little money for the local school.  We brought a small bagful of school supplies to donate to the cause, for which the people were very appreciative.

Tricia dancing with the natives

          We spent the following day relaxing, snorkeling on the reef out front, bicycling down the island, and doing a bush walk in the afternoon.

Sandy Beach Resort from the water

          This is our last day in the Kingdom of Tonga; tomorrow we have three flights to get us to one of the out islands of Fiji.  It’s a tight schedule, so wish us good luck.

Charlie and Tricia

© 2015