Tonga is accessible again, but is it really safe?

This time, our foreign correspondent interviews Ad and Jolanda from the sailboat song of the wind. They have just arrived in Tonga, an archipelago in the Pacific Ocean. It took a while due to a 2.5 year lockdown – due to Covid and a volcanic eruption – but Tonga (a beloved island for sailors) is accessible again. And song of the wind is the very first Dutch yacht that is welcome. After sending a fire of questions, it is suddenly radio silence.

tsunami warning

The reason will be answered automatically a few days later via an online news. On Friday, November 11, 2022, an earthquake with a magnitude of 7.3 occurred, reported the American geophysical institute, US Geological Survey (USGS). An official tsunami warning was declared after the earthquake.

On the run

“Since our anchorage, we have heard the alarm on the side. Very weird! say Ad and Jolanda of their winner. “So we immediately dropped anchor and quickly into open water about 300 meters. There we spent the night on the foresail”. With the take bag ready and all the hatches well battened, they wait. “You don’t know what awaits you, something like January has been?” Jolanda informs us after this night.

no internet

The internet was also regularly shut down to save power on the islands. “It only makes the situation more dangerous,” the Dutch couple say. As world sailors, they themselves have a satellite phone on board to which the home front always sends the latest news. The warnings were removed after 1.5 hours. “Fortunately, we didn’t notice the earthquake itself, but it was an adrenaline-pumping event.”

Disaster after disaster

At the start of this year, Tonga was completely cut off from the world because of the submarine volcanic eruption near Tonga. Many houses have been destroyed, some islands have been evacuated, three victims have fallen and tourism has not benefited for nearly three years. “They suffered a lot and are still suffering,” Jolanda noted shortly after arriving in Tonga. “Many need to be renovated and many are still closed, like the famous Marinere cruiser cafe here in Pangai.”

At the last moment

song of the wind is the fifth sailboat to arrive in Tonga from Bora Bora. “Because we were trying to schedule some yard work for the essential maintenance of the boat, we were whispered that the sea borders would open on October 1.” Only a few days before this date, it became final and the couple was able to adjust their course. “Tonga was on our wish list because it’s a better starting point for New Zealand than, say, Fiji.”

friendly islands

Tonga is known as the “friendly islands” and the couple quickly realizes this. “People are really happy to see us. The children in particular stare at us with their mouths open, because they have not yet consciously experienced the tourists”. They are welcomed, photographed or helped spontaneously by everyone. “When we walked to the gas station with three cans of diesel, someone just offered a round trip to the dinghy.”

Privileged

To one of the initial questions about how well Tonga is meeting expectations, they answer the following. “We didn’t have any particular expectations of him, but it surprised us.” They found the encounters with the friendly locals particularly special. For example, after attending a church service, they are invited to eat with the whole church community. “In a large open space, long tables were filled with food, enough for everyone. We feel privileged to be here in Tonga as one of the first after so many years. It gives our visit an extra dimension.”

Ad and Jolanda’s journey can be followed on instagram. For the most up-to-date information on accessibility and developments in Tonga, please see midisite.com.

Text: Greetje Tops

Key words: Foreign correspondent, Tonga, departures Last modification: November 16, 2022