Tofua, Kingdom of Tonga
With over 170 islands in this Pacific kingdom, we were never going to run out of options, no matter what the weather. Which is a good thing, since the rain that keeps these islands lush and verdant made an appearance today. Strong winds accompanied the pelting rain, but with an exploring spirit, we set out by Zodiac to investigate the western cliffs of Tofua. This uninhabited volcanic island was the scene of an important footnote in history: close to this island Captain William Bligh and 18 of his loyal sailors were cast adrift in a small boat as Fletcher Christian and others sailed away in the HMAS Bounty. Bligh and his men tried to get provisions on Tofua but were attacked by the Tongans that then inhabited the island. The Englishmen retreated with the loss of one man and without the freshwater crucial for their survival on their ensuing 3500 mile journey to Indonesia.
Although Tofua last erupted in 1960, a steam plume still puffs away from the summit serving as a constant reminder that the volcano is not a spent force. We motored along the western shore, admiring the basalt cliffs, streaked here and there with iron-rich rocks or with ash and conglomerate. Sea caves (a feature of many volcanic islands) studded the shoreline and we poked our boats into a few of the larger ones as we worked our way down the coast. The cliffs rose vertically from the sea to a height of about 20 m (66 feet), and were capped by Casuarinas trees, whose droopy, pine-like leaves hung out in a splash of green, signalling the beginning of the densely vegetated slopes that run up to the crater rim. Brown boobies perched on the rocks in several places, the whitewashed rocks informing us of their long-term use of the same stations. Several boatloads then rounded off the excursion by spotting a few green sea turtles as they briefly surfaced to take a breath. Even with the rain, it was an excellent introduction to Wild Tonga.
With over 170 islands in this Pacific kingdom, we were never going to run out of options, no matter what the weather. Which is a good thing, since the rain that keeps these islands lush and verdant made an appearance today. Strong winds accompanied the pelting rain, but with an exploring spirit, we set out by Zodiac to investigate the western cliffs of Tofua. This uninhabited volcanic island was the scene of an important footnote in history: close to this island Captain William Bligh and 18 of his loyal sailors were cast adrift in a small boat as Fletcher Christian and others sailed away in the HMAS Bounty. Bligh and his men tried to get provisions on Tofua but were attacked by the Tongans that then inhabited the island. The Englishmen retreated with the loss of one man and without the freshwater crucial for their survival on their ensuing 3500 mile journey to Indonesia.
Although Tofua last erupted in 1960, a steam plume still puffs away from the summit serving as a constant reminder that the volcano is not a spent force. We motored along the western shore, admiring the basalt cliffs, streaked here and there with iron-rich rocks or with ash and conglomerate. Sea caves (a feature of many volcanic islands) studded the shoreline and we poked our boats into a few of the larger ones as we worked our way down the coast. The cliffs rose vertically from the sea to a height of about 20 m (66 feet), and were capped by Casuarinas trees, whose droopy, pine-like leaves hung out in a splash of green, signalling the beginning of the densely vegetated slopes that run up to the crater rim. Brown boobies perched on the rocks in several places, the whitewashed rocks informing us of their long-term use of the same stations. Several boatloads then rounded off the excursion by spotting a few green sea turtles as they briefly surfaced to take a breath. Even with the rain, it was an excellent introduction to Wild Tonga.
