Ha'apai - Part 1

On July 5th, I took an early morning flight to the island of Lifuka in the Ha'apai group. I had been pretty excited about this trip since before I even arrived in Tonga, after reading in a National Geographic article (The Two Worlds of Tonga from Nov07) that I would be flying in a DC-3.

Unfortunately, about two months ago, they stopped flying the DC-3. Probably a blessing in disguise; on my way to the airport, the taxi driver told me about a flight from Vava'u to Tongatapu where, in the air, the door on a DC-3 just ripped off and flew into the ocean! The plane dropped off the passengers in Ha'apai (about midway on the trip), continued to Tongatapu and got a new door installed, then came back for the passengers and finished the trip. But I was still a little disappointed. These planes were huge in the 1930s, so where else in the world could I ride in one instead of looking at it in a museum? Instead, I flew in some other prop plane. Which was still slightly disconcerting - after the bags are weighed, the passengers have to step on the scale, while the attendant does some math to make sure the weight on the plane is properly distributed. What if someone decides to switch seats?

The view to the left and right was pretty spectacular - endless blue ocean, with the occasional island (there are over 160 in Tonga, including one that disappears and reappears throughout Tongan history, a story for another entry).

The flight was about forty five minutes, though it seemed more like ten. Ha'apai's airport was surprisingly spectacular, paid for by one of the usual suspects - China, Japan, Australia, or New Zealand. I waited and chatted with a local who worked at the airport's weather station while the only taxi driver made trips back and forth with passengers.

I stayed at Billy's Place, in itself nothing fantastic - a central house where Billy (surprise) lives, and four cabin/fales for the guests. It's on the beach, and is about a five minute ride ("mountain" bikes provided) from the capital town of Pangai. Other guests came and went (typically Australian, New Zealand, and German), but I settled in for a week. More to come about Pangai, the beach, and a message in a bottle...