Malo e lelei Vava'u - Hello Vava'u!
The Vava’u Island group in the Kingdom of Tonga is a spectacular tropical paradise in the Pacific Ocean. For the last couple of weeks, it’s played host to the World ARC rally boats, who have been exploring the various anchorages across the 40 islands.
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Some islands are ringed by white sand beaches, while others have tropical forests, sea level caves, and dramatic limestone cliffs with breathtaking vistas. Highlights of the trip to Vava’u have included:
Ene'io Botanical Gardens and Beac
The beautiful Ene'io Botanical Gardens have been lovingly cultivated by Haniteli who, along with partner Lucy, has given it over 50 years of conservation and natural growth, with the aim of creating the 22-acres into their personal ‘Garden of Eden’.
Everyone enjoyed the Tour Guided by Lucy. After a sumptuous lunch, the tour culminated with the local schoolchildren showcasing some of their traditional dances.
World Cruising Club is very happy to be a longtime supporter of the Ene'io Botanical Garden, and it was pure enjoyment to wonder along the World ARC way
Prizegiving Party
Mango Restaurant & Bar in Vava’u was the venue for a superb prizegiving party. A local DJ was playing Musik, and the arriving sailors were greeted with either a rum punch or a shell of Tongan Cava.
For Leg 5, from Bora Bora to Tonga - which included a 72-hour stop in Niue - the awards were a mixture of fun placings and prizes, giving everybody the chance to win, even though the troublesome weather forecast and ever-changing outlooks made decisions on where to go and which course to steer very difficult.
