Well blogfans, we're less than six weeks from home now which seems ridiculous given the huge amount of ground to cover in the meantime! That said...a lot of that 'ground' is actually the Pacific Ocean!

We spent a leisurely Saturday morning walking to town where Katie bought a shopping bag with a print of Vava'u and surrounding islands. It's very nice, and importantly large so that we can put some of our vast amounts of belongings into it!

I'd been giving kayaking some thought and after brief discussions with Cooper, this was agreed upon and so once back at the villa, we dumped our new purchase and ventured off. It turned out to be a bit of a non-event though! Firstly, we chose to carry them down a path to a nearby beach from which we'd set off. Sadly we didn't anticipate the length of this path. This was annoying as the house is so close to water, but we'd thought it best to go elsewhere! Never mind, some huffing and puffing later we were at the water's edge with our kayaks.

We got in and drifted out a bit and then realised how strongly the wind was blowing and before I knew what had happened, Cooper had floated off with the wind in the wrong direction! I paddled after her trying to think how we could fight the wind and go upstream. We struggled together into the wind and once level with our starting point it was announced that we would give up on kayaking today!

Remember that long walk down to the beach with the kayaks? Well, now it was a long walk UP with them and neither of us fancied it given our recent struggles. Eventually we did make it back up to the house with both kayaks and we vowed that such excursions would demand further research in the future!

Besides reading our books (Cooper: Bill Bryson's Down Under, Nixon: The Man Who Cycled the World by Mark Beaumont) our Saturday was, from then, uneventful.

On Sunday we rose early to catch the Nixon clan et al on Skype, though this was cut short by Sandy's invitation to join the 'family' day out! A very sweet gesture of our hosts throughout our stay has been that we are invited to join them, at any point, doing anything! So, on their day off from work, we of course jumped at the chance to gatecrash a boat trip returning to Nuku and Mala that we'd found so delightful on our first day in Vava'u.

We were joined by a couple of S & C's friends and loaded up with snorkelling gear and Sandy's new toy, a windsurfer, off we went.

Arriving at Nuku we quickly escaped the heat of the sun and into the warm sea. While Sandy and a 'yachtie' pal of his called Luke got the windsurfing gear sorted, we snorkelled around the little bay and Cooper got chased by a little fish! Soon it was time to try out windsurfing, there was a good steady wind off the beach and we each managed to get stood, albeit shakily on the board. After this we struggled because once the sail was dragged up out of the water, it caught the wind and the sudden jolt of air filling the sail unbalanced us into the crystal clear sea!

The air was beginning to turn a shade of blue as in turn we fell from the board, eventually though, Sandy managed to sail a whole two feet! For a moment it was a majestic change in fortunes, but was brought quite suddenly to a halt when surprised at his own success Sandy unbalanced and landed in the water!

We had a great time playing around and for future reference we are now certain what essentials we would take with us should we ever be stranded on a desert island: mask and snorkel, a good book and a windsurfer!

As with our last day out on the boat, the big finale was fish and chips at Mala Island. We'd been hoping to bump into those Kiwi divers we had been shadowing. But it turned out they'd come for a drink and headed back to their hotel before we'd arrived! What a shame...I was going to ask them to send us some photos they got! Never mind, we spent the afternoon reading and slowly baking in the afternoon sun.

For our last evening on Vava'u we returned to The Giggling Whale for a drink and a chocolate brownie. We said our goodbyes to Nero - possibly our favourite waiter of the whole trip, just an utterly nice guy!

We had a fabulous week on the island of Vava'u. We were made hugely welcome by our hosts, but also by the locals and perhaps most surprisingly by other tourists. Tonga is known collectively as the Friendly Islands and we can see why. For the first time since being in India, we walked down the road with a smile and wave ready for anyone who walked past, and it really does make you feel good. Although I'm sure the almost constant sunshine helps too!

Sandy and Cathy very kindly gave us a lift to the airport (maybe they were just pleased to see the back of us!?!?!) and we waved them off as we awaited our scenic flight back to Tongatapu.

Back in the capital city of Nuku'alofa we checked in to the Heilala once more and strode off into town. A distance we were advised we could easily cover in half an hour. As we walked, we chatted about our last, amazing, week until a police siren broke our train of thought...

Unusual for such a thing to be heard in Tonga and as we looked up we saw a motorbike breaking through the traffic, followed by another police vehicle, this time a 4x4 armoured truck with lights and sirens blazing. It was Cooper who put two and two together and realised it was a motorkade. But for whom???

Among our many conversations with Sandy and Cathy about Tonga in the previous week, the issue of politics came up and Sandy told us that Tonga is the last absolute monarchy, and King George V currently reigns having been crowned last year. Sandy continued that, "as a coronation gift from Queen Elizabeth II, he'd received a brand spanking new Land Rover, top of the range, all the mod cons!" However, as pleasing as this was to King George, he returned the Land Rover, with compliments and asked instead for a London Black Cab. Eager to please, the Windsors shipped one off.

It was a surprise for us when following the armoured police vehicle there was a spotless black cab. It only took a second to remember this story and we looked on as the King of Tonga passed us by in his pride and joy, covered in regal insignia!

After the excitement of spotting royalty had passed, and it took a while, we still hadn't reached town. I glanced at my watch...exactly half an hour to this spot. 'Not too far', we assumed. Another half an hour later, with dust covering our feet and legs up to our knees...we got to the nearest eatery. It didn't look too promising so we trudged on...eventually coming across the Friends Cafe. This is a famous spot in town, and we decided that a taxi back wouldn't be an extravagance!

This morning we undertook the same trip again as we went to get some lunch prior to our flight to Samoa. We think that we've found one place in the whole world where you really wouldn't mind if the taxi drivers sped up a little! The relaxed Tongan lifestyle is great and it translates into literally everything that happens in Tonga.

Our ten days in Tonga have been incredible, it's a reminder of Asia, but it lacks the hussle and bustle. There's practically no crime here apparently and you can see why. We love it! That said, we're eager to get to Samoa. Apia is reportedly beautiful and it's even hotter than Tonga - perfect!

See you there?

Nick and Katie

xxx

P.S. - Just been reminded of something else a little odd about Tonga...they keep playing Christmas songs on the radio! Apparently 'it is always Christmas' here...?!?!