Camping Tongan Style

We have finally done it and got our first of hopefully many camping trips in. With two weeks of prep's - finding out who owns the Is and who we need to see about staying on it, then a nervous week of watching the weather we were off. We headed out to Malinoa Is on the out skirts of our reef system. We had some friends along to add to the experience. Rachael our self confessed whale spotting bad luck charm was no longer, as on the way into the Is a pod of whales came in right near the boat. After a short play it was onto the Is with access restricted to high tides only. We lugged the gear ashore, I thought I said one night but as you can see below, we could have stayed a week and I'm sure if we didn't all work it could have been the case.

The crew, luggage, boat and a magical back drop.

Jodie and Annie relaxing in luxury.

Anyone want to go home? Not! We set up under the shade of the coconut trees.

Mr Tommy Tippee made a relaxed weekend of it, rag hat and all.

Sports for the day consisted of football with the kids, collecting shells, catch and release fishing, canoeing, snorkeling, swimming, jumping off the sand ledge and collecting drift wood for our fire (we were responsible and took heaps ourselves).

Lyndon with a trumpet fish on fly.

Dyl with his Tusk fish from the canoe on a Popper.

Em launching into her long jumps in another attempt to fly. Think she wants to be a pilot.

The afternoon was spent on the windward side of the island with beers watching the kids swim and generally enjoying island life.

The view from our tents at sunset.

Would you expect Dyl to be doing anything else?

Washing up time with Red wine.

One of our visitors during the night. These sea snake come up to shed their skin between the branches.

We set up a bon-fire down on the sand point to kick back around and eat marshmallows but sadly they melted during the heat of the day! It also doubled up as a good way to clean up the rubbish left on the island by fisherman and tides. We even had an emu parade the next morning to collect all the plastics/glass, which we took home.

Lyndon slept in the boat and this was his view at sunrise, but he still woke up to the kids yelling out for the canoe.

Breakfast Ozzy style.

The next morning we woke to another set of whales off the island this time they were so close that Dyl and Lyndon canoed out for a close up look. See the bomby in the foreground and the huge black thing at the back is mum & bub whale just floating by.

The coral and snorkeling was magical but the shots never do the colours any justice.

Canoe rides anyone?

The island clean and the boat loaded we moved out to the edge of the reef just after high tide for our last snorkel and swim . That done it was a sleepy journey home for all of the kids bar one, until we hit whales again as they said good-bye and we hope, please come again with a fin wave.