Something Unbelievable

Neiafu Harbour: Sapphire is way down the other end

Two traditional Ocean going Polynesian Canoes. I'm going to a talk about them tomorrow night.

I went for a walk and came across these guys building a little house, and had a nice chat to them

These kids were from the place next door. the house was for their grandma

I just wanted to capture the sky

AND NOW, the IMPORTANT BIT:

Today I experienced something that no matter how much longer I live, I would be surprised if it could be exceeded in terms of wonderment and breathtaking, awe inspiring ....words fail me. I cannot describe it and you will never know what it felt like until you too get to Vava'u and go swimming and snorkelling in the ocean with Humpback whales. There were eight of us who sped out on a twin engined aluminium dive boat threading its way through the myriad passges between utterly gorgeous little bush clad islets with bright white sandy beaches, through a narrow passage in a reef and into a vast reef fringed arm of the ocean, every eye scanning the horison for a tell tale "Blow" We came across a group of three - a mother, a calf and a "companion" whale thought to be a large male, 50 or more feet long, and taking it in turns in groups of four we slipped off the back into the clear ocean and scanning ahead and down into the depths eventually encountered these wondrous creatures as they surfaced for ten or fiften minutes, and disappeared in the deep then reappeared time and again, so we all were eventually exhausted after about three hours with this dynamic trio. We could have touched them they were so close at times, and their massive bulk and the frisky curiosity of the calf were mesmerising and beautiful. I am just not going to try and decribe the feeling - its impossible. You must do this. You absolutely must.



I took these with my cheap little underwater camera : Janet sent me the Charger when I was in Niue : Thanks janet



This is the Calf.