A whale of a time

Every year humpback whales migrate from the Southern Ocean to warmer waters around the islands of the South Pacific. For four months, between July and October, they breed and give birth. Tonga is one of the best locations to see them up close in all their glory. In other words, Garry and I couldn’t have chosen a better time to visit the islands of Ha’apai in Tonga.

Yesterday, we ventured out to swim with the whales. Months ago, we booked a half-day tour that promised us the experience of a lifetime. We weren’t disappointed! Over a period of five hours, we swam with the whales on three separate occasions. Each encounter was truly spectacular.

Our first encounter involved a mother and her calf serenely swimming past us in a series of leisurely arcs. The water was crystal clear. I couldn’t believe how close we were to these majestic creatures. The image that opens this post was pulled from a video taken by another guest on the boat. You can watch an extract from the video above. Garry and I were about ten metres to the left of the cameraman. We later, came upon a small pod slapping the water with their fins and flicking their tails into the air. You can see some of this behaviour in the final image above. 

Our second swimming encounter was the day’s highlight. Much to our astonishment we watched a mother and calf playfully engaging with one another underwater. The enormous mother then pivoted onto her tail underwater and slowly pirouetted in front of us. The video footage taken by other tour guests barely does justice to the incredible encounter. Sadly, I had an issue with my mask and missed most of the ballet while trying to fix it.

Our final encounter was almost as memorable. We initially came upon a young whale breaching and flipping in the distance. Our boat approached and quietly followed it and three adults before being given permission to enter the water. Suddenly, without warning, the young calf breached just metres from those already swimming. 

Garry and I were still on the boat as the drama unfolded. However, I can assure you the experience was just as enthralling from our vantage point. Check out the video above, taken by one of the swimmers, plus a brief video extract filmed from the boat. The still images were taken by me.

Garry and I then entered the water in time to witness the mother passing less than ten metres in front of us before returning to the depths. The video above captures this moment. I’m visible initially on right-hand side in yellow flippers. Garry also appears briefly in yellow flippers a little further on.

Without a doubt, today’s whale encounters rank up there with the best of our excursions in Antarctica and the turtle nesting expedition Mum and I enjoyed in South Africa. Enjoy the videos I’ve posted here.

PS. We’ve already booked a second whale swimming tour before we leave Matafonua Lodge. Conditions are forecast to be perfect for this next excursion. Stay tuned for more breathtaking footage.

Tongatapu stopover

Our first few days in Tonga have passed quickly. We departed Sydney on Saturday morning, but thanks to the magic of time changes, didn’t land on Tongatapu until shortly before 5:30pm. The flight took 4.5 hours, and Tonga is currently three hours ahead of Sydney. Our flight’s departure was also delayed an hour by heavy winds that saw the airport restricted to using a single runway.

We’ve spent three nights based at the Seaview Lodge in Nuku'alofa. It was a cosy hotel overlooking the reef and Pacific ocean beyond. Like many of the Pacific Islands, everything shuts down on Sunday, so we pre-booked a lunch buffet at the Katea Retreat, a modest venue on the southern coast of Tongatapu. We enjoyed a relaxing afternoon overlooking the reef and neighbouring Eau Island from a window table. The buffet was a little disappointing. In particular, the traditional umu pork carvery proved woefully stingy.

On Monday we filled our time with a leisurely walking tour of Downtown Nuku'alofa. By the time we were done we’d walked more than 8 km. Our route took us past the immaculate white timber Royal Palace and the Royal Tombs before stopping to view a limited selection of exhibits in the National Museum. Unfortunately, the palace isn’t open to the public so we had to satisfy ourselves with a view through its bolted gates.

The tombs were also off limits. However, we’d unexpectedly timed our holiday well. The tombs have been undergoing extensive restoration and until a week ago had then totally obscured by hoardings as new fencing and footpaths were being constructed around its perimeter. Interestingly, the works have been funded by Chinese Government grant. Just as we’d seen in Samoa last year, the Chinese really are actively pursuing soft power influence throughout the Pacific.

Opposite the Royal Tombs we came across the dramatic, ruined Centennial Church of the Free Church of Tonga. It was built in 1885 to commemorate the arrival of Christianity in Tonga by King George Tupou I. The building is an architectural masterpiece, blending traditional Tongan design and materials with European elements. This includes prominent red conical spires reminiscent of medieval churches, walls clad in local coral stone and traditional Tongan-style thatched roof.

It was badly damaged by Cyclone Gita in 2018. Its roof was torn off, and windows were blown out including its stained glass rose window. The structure is currently undergoing repairs, albeit at a slow pace, as funds allow. Its interior was filled with scaffolding as we passed by.

We walked back to the coast via the Main Street, stopping to check out the National Parliament, the National War Memorial, and the town’s working wharves. Two highlights stood out along the waterfront. The first was a local cemetery filled with billboards memorialising the dead. We since seen similar billboards everywhere we’ve gone in Tonga. 

The second highlight was an unexpected encounter at the War Memorial after lunch. We’d had the elegant white memorial entirely to ourselves that morning. However, by mid afternoon it had been overtaken by uniformed military personnel rehearsing a ceremony for the 80th anniversary of the end of the Second World War scheduled for the following day. This included a somber honour guard silently holding vigil in each of the memorial’s four corners.

On Tuesday we caught a flight to Ha’apai with Lulutai Airlines, Tonga’s domestic airline. I was a little nervous about the flight. Barely six weeks ago, two of the airline’s three planes were grounded for several days after their airworthiness certification was revoked. This included the plane we were scheduled to fly on. However, I needn’t have worried. Our flight passed without incident.

The flight itself was a spectacular. Our route traced a trail of atolls encircled by white sand beaches and aquamarine reefs between Tongatapu and Ha’apai. In the distance we could see the perfectly symmetrical cone of Koa Island, an active volcano, rising 1030 metres from the sea. Incredibly, we could even see the occasional whale breaching in the ocean below.

For the next eight days we’re based at Matafunoa Lodge, a rustic resort on the northern tip of Foa Island. Our fale, as cabins are called in Tongan, sits right on the beach, separated from the surf by a modest row of sandhill shrubs. The accommodation is basic to say the least. It’s really little more than a cabin based campground with slightly shabby shower block. However, with few distractions beyond the iridescent blue sea, we’re bound to unwind a little in the days ahead.