A bit of a sleep in this morning after the last couple of flat out days was lovely. After a delicious brekky of poached eggs, bacon, baked beans and fried tomato we went to shore. We headed to Hikutavake and snorkelled in the reef pool. We saw some bright blue coral, lots of fish and even swam with a couple of sea snakes.
After a rinse off and another wardrobe change next to the car, we drove to the Washaway cafe. On the way we stopped at an uga crossing and the airport to get a picture. The Washaway cafe at Avatele beach served yummy food and drinks which we all sampled, in a relaxed atmosphere with stunning views.
Anyone for a coconut?
There is heaps of buildings all over the island in similar (and worse) condition than this one - in 2004 Niue suffered a direct hit from cyclone Heta (category 5, the highest rating). The wind (up to 300kph!) and waves were throwing rocks over the 25 metre cliffs which destroyed hundreds of homes, wiped out their only hospital and left hundreds homeless. When you see firsthand the height of the cliffs it is pretty scary to imagine.
Somewhere in the middle of all this exploring, G fitted in a couple of dives with Stewart and Eleanor. They got to dive around some beautiful chasms in crystal clear water, amazing visibility - even dove underwater through a tunnel and surfaced into a cave fully enclosed in the cliff!
G making new friends..
We returned to the boat after checking the weather - all the forecast models had altered and it now appeared we would be in for a rough day or so. We um’d and ar’d if we should leave but decided to stick it out. The following morning we were on a lee shore with the reef about 20 metres away, so were reliant on our mooring ball to keep us out of danger. Fortunately the Niue Yacht Club services them every year and takes good care of them so we were reasonably confident.
It isn’t a good time to attempt landing at the reef when the swell comes around from the West (as you can see from one of Keith's earlier photos below). Keith dropped some baguettes out to the wharf in the morning and G, H & J dinghied in to meet him at the wharf. It took some fast moves with the dinghy and a great catch from the boys - Yum! warm (and dry) baguette for breakfast!
A constant watch was needed, running the engines when the wind picked up, as there would be little time to act if the mooring failed. We decided to move to a mooring a little further from the reef in 25 knots of wind, it was a bit tricky, but the crew did an amazing job picking up the ball (G is still recovering). The afternoon saw 3-4 metre waves and a rocky ride. E vomited first, then J a few hours later. We decided to do anchor watch for the night and P had the 2000-2400hrs shift. The wind decreased to 20 knots or under and by midnight it had dropped to 10-15 knots and was slowly moving back to the south east. We both went to bed after checking our mooring lines and kept our anchor watch alarm nearby. What a fun 24 hours, NOT! Though it was nice just hanging out and chatting for the day. P has since realised bad weather on passage or at anchor is like childbirth, not fun at the time, but forgotten quickly afterwards. Though on a boat instead of a new baby to help you forget, there is another spectacular anchorage!
After a rough 24 hrs, the wind had changed direction and we could go to shore again. Yesterday the kids and P went ashore and spent time at cafe uga doing internet jobs. We ended up staying in Alofi - another curry for dinner - before returning to the boats. Today Keith picked Louise and P up and drove them to the supermarket and bond store for provisions. For those kindred spirits who like a tipple this was the cheapest liquor we've ever bought. We also settled our yacht club debt before dropping our tax free alcohol and fresh food back to the boat.
Very special thanks to Keith from NYC - he constantly went out of his way to take care of us, we felt very spoilt!
Delivery time!
We dropped our mooring lines a day later and watched as Niue disappeared behind us. Next stop Tonga!