Category Archives: Tonga & Minerva Reef

Telekitonga: 3-mile Beach

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It is a special treat to visit an uninhabited island as lovely as Telekitonga.  This island is one of the eastern barrier islands in the Haa’pai island group.  It is located about 65nm from Tongatopu.

We had a short 12nm sail from Kelefesia to Telekitonga.  With very light winds we decided to put up Big Bertha to get us there.  We were not in a hurry and thought it would be nice to enjoy a lazy sail day.  It was hard to keep the sail full as we only had 3-4kts of wind, but we made the best of it.

Telekitonga

Telekitonga has a long 2.5 mile beach around the island that can be walked during low tide.  In the center grows a lush, thick forest.

Telekitonga

Telekitonga

We have been running island to island to try to find a protected anchorage where there is no swell.  The swell is coming in from the south and even though we are protected from southerly winds the waves are wrapping around the island creating pretty uncomfortable waves in our anchorage.

So, we decided to go to shore to explore the beautiful beach of Telekitonga. As you walk around the island you encounter all types of ground cover.  Not much sand but a lot of coral which makes it hard to walk barefoot.  A quarter of the island was covered in limestone and another quarter covered in coral rocks.

This little island was hit hard by the tsunami.  You can see the damaged trees and bush trying desperately to come back to its former glory.

We found loads of lobster shells and floats.  Well over 3 dozen of each were strewn about the island.  We also found a treasure marked by a giant “X” and the world’s largest light bulb.

Super nice change to walk around such a large island exploring what the sea brought to us.

Events from this blog post occured during the end of July.  Our blog posts run 10-12 weeks behind actual live events.  Did you miss your opportunity to buy your very own private island in Tonga, see our last blog post on Kelefesia?

Kelefesia Limestone Cliffs

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We leave Tongatopu after spending a week in the capital city.  On our departure day we have no wind but we do have a 2m long rolly swell. Will be a slow ride to Kelefesia in Haa’pai. It was a gorgeous day with sunny skies, small puffy clouds and many humpback whales.

Did I mention it is whale season in Tonga?  Humpback whales migrate from the Antarctic to the South Pacific Ocean in order to mate and have their babies.   Most of the whales can be seen between June and October so we are perfectly situated to make some new friends.

We hope to have lots more photos of these beautiful humpback whales so stay tuned!

Since we did not have any wind we had to motor the 56nm from Tongatopu to Kelefesia.  But it was a good time to top up the batteries and make some fresh water.

Kelefesia Island

This 32 acre private island is for purchase  It can be yours for a mere $6 million.  Wowza. Well I can tell you first hand that Kelefesia is a spectacular island with beautiful white sandy beaches all around it.

Large limestone cliffs provide shelter between the islands.  A few years ago the center was covered in lush vegetation and forest.  However, the 2022 tsunami destroyed leaving only a few palm trees.  

But the beaches are gorgeous and pristine.  The surrounding waters are crystal clear and inviting.

We only stayed one night in Kelefesia because the swell was pretty bad and made it rolly.  But we did enjoy the walk on the beach and the gorgeous views.

Events from this blog occured in late July.  Our blog posts run 10-12 weeks behind actual live events.   We visit many royal sites in our last blog titled “Royalty Found in Tongatopu.”

Royalty Found on Tongatopu

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We arrived in the southern island of Tongatopu as our point of entry into the Kingdom.  After our formalities were handled, we began our exploration.  The city center is a short walk from the docks.  Along the way there were a dozen street vendors selling fresh fruits and vegetables including melons, bell peppers, cabbage, carrots, bananas, and more.  We decided to wait to make our purchases until after we visited the main produce open air market.

The Royal Palace

The wooden Palace, which was built in 1867, is the official residence of the King of Tonga. The palace is not open to the public so all we could get were photos from the fence. No guards were present and frankly it looked like a large, well-maintained hotel.

The Royal Tombs

Only Kings and Queens of Tonga can buried in the Royal Tombs which are also closed to the public.  But they are located in the heart of the capital city.

Royalty at its Best

The King’s birthday was early July so many places of business had “happy birthday your majesty” signs up.  There were also lots and lots of purple banners, fabric, ribbons, and bows draped over the front lawns of homes and businesses.  This was beacuse the King’s cousin passed away.

Across the streets are many large signs showing their love of the king.

The photos used as the cover photo is a picture of the Royal Palace in the “country”  The princess was rumored to be staying there a few days after we visited.

Tonga Time

Next to the Internarional Dateline Hotel is the famous Tonga Clock where time means nothing.  Because in Tonga, time can be anything you want it to be.

Churches

There are so many churches in the city center.  It seems like every block had a church but I am sure that is not the case.  I was drawn to the very large gothic looking churches. The stone church below was destroyed a few years ago by a massive storm.  Now it sits slowly deteriorating and it is so very sad.

Ha’amonga Trilithon – Stonehenge of the South Pacific

The Ha’amonga Trilithon is a mysterious 11th-century stone arch that is made up of three large slabs that are about 5m tall and 6m long.  TEach coral limestone slab weighs approximately 30 to 40 tons. Because of its clear resemblance, it has been nicknamed the “Stonehenge of the Pacific.”

The name means “Maui’s Burden” in the local language, and as the stones are too heavy for humans to handle, it is believed that the god Maui himself brought them from ‘Uvea (Wallis Island) and constructed the monument. They now reside in a small roadside nature reserve. 

Archaeologists, on the other hand, generally seem to believe that the Ha‘amonga was built by an early 13th-century king as the gateway to his royal palace, Heketā. Otherwise, it has been suggested, it might have been used for astrological purposes. These theories are unconfirmed, however, and the origin of the huge trilithon remains a mystery. 

Our guide tells us that this was a gateway to a very ruthless king’s home.  Once you cross through the gateway you see three paths.  When the sun rises on the far right path it is going to be a very long day.  If the sun shines on the middle path it will be a normal day and the far left path will be a very short day.

The large boulder on the upper right corner was the resting place for the king.  He sat at near the bottom and it is rumored his head touched the indent toward the top (making him close to 4 meters tall).  The middle image is the old burial site that was never used for this king.

A few local artists were selling their crafts at the stonehenge.  Too bad we coud not buy anything.

Captain Cook’s Landing Place in Alaki

The last place we visited was the landing place for Captain Cook.  It sure is a prety bay.  You can see why Captain Cook returned here several times.

We had a great time exploring Tongatopu with our driver Olini who also helped us get gasoline. It was a short 3-hour tour, but we sure did pack a lot of stops and sites into that time.

Our blog posts run 10-12 weeks behind actual live events.  This blog post occured toward the end of July 2023. Check out our last blog where I highlight the Kingdom of Tonga.