Tall Ship Soren Larsen adventure - Emil Gruber reports

Austrian Voyage Crew Emil Gruber flew out to New Zealand to join Soren Larsen for the entire 5 month 2003 Pacific season.

Here is his third instalment - through the Kingdom of Tonga and westwards to the southern islands of Fiji.

Heilala week in Tonga, the birthday of the king and what a luck we are here right on time. Big military thing first, parades outside the kings palace on a special decorated field: The Tongan army, the US marines, a troup of French soldiers, straight military music and the old king on a special car (we called it “The Heilalamobile”), handwaving to his people. This was the official side. A fleet with a bunch of local bodybuilders in their truck, performing Arnold Schwarzenegger poses, Japanese dancers behind their masks jumping like madmen all over the street and children, decorated with all kind of flowers and leaves like in a fairytale all accompanied with loud earpiercing music: this was the amusing side of this event. We had fun not only at daylight, in the evening in the “Waterfront”, one of the famous bars along the mainroad we got a good look about the dancing abilities of all different kind of soldiers and this is for sure: they rocknrolled better than they marched.

Then there was another call to the Tongan north, some rain was following us merciless, but the weather-proved sailor was smiling, feeling water was our passion. In Neiafu again at last, another unique experience was waiting for me. I was invited to a burial. I was the only white papalagi among 300 Tongans to attend. Sitting in between the choir in front of the house, where the late man was mourned and watching all the guests brining gifts like flowers, tapas, pandanus mats or woven textiles to the family was very intense for me.

Next day our passage to Fiji was on the schedule. Good old lady was showing us her power again. Quick married to the tradewinds we were a full day earlier than expected in Levuka on the island of Ovalau. Here all the 19th century houses have always been looking like buildings in a kind of sea-western town. We soon found our saloon after passing a burned out lodge:
The Royal Hotel. We cleaned our salty throats with Fiji Bitter, the delicious local beer and did the most important thing in life: relaxing. A short notice in the information folder of the hotel sounded interesting:
This lodge on our way earlier was burned down by villagers of Lovoni in the interior of the island two years ago. The reason: assumed satanic rites and a tunnel through the center of the earth to Scotland. I am a little irritated about the fact, that nobody in the UK ever mentioned, that there is another connection to Fiji besides flying or swimming, we decided to get a look to this village immediately.

Next day was mud-day, because the path to the village in the mountains was deep and slippery because the rainy season was very long this year. We reached the village finally, guided by a local. The result ? Great meal in a hut, friendly people everywhere, no thrill seeking and no tunnel.

After this expedition we headed south, new islands were awaiting us, we enjoyed hospitality on so many different places, the people presented themselves as open hearted and in Lalati, Beqa Island, we danced in the chiefs house side by side with the locals. Great fun and for the first time I could place some Austrian yodelling to the South Seas. I hope this will not change the musical tradition of Fiji. We had a short coconut rugby match at Storm Island. This was the rehearsal for the big event on the same evening:
Mudby, a special kind of rugby, where the main aim of every player of each team is to become encrusted by mud as quick as possible. The first historic result of this game ?

The trip ended in the eastern part of Viti Levu, in Lautoka. The town is the busiest place since Auckland, the big sugar factory dominates the surroundings. You only have to hold your cup of coffee for a minute in the direction of the wind and you have a sweet one. A lot of shops with everything on offer are on this place. A nice item for the end (of the world) ? A mat for wiping the shoes with the inscription: ‘Don’t leave earth without Jesus’. We never will.

best wishes
bula

Emil

See Noreen's journal of this voyage here

And their combined picture galleries here

Read more of Emil's account's of a Voyage Crew's tall ship adventure.
Auckland Kermadecs Tonga voyage	here
Kingdom of Tonga	here
Tonga to Fiji	here
Fiji to Vanuatu	here
Vanuatu Northbound	here
Vanuatu Banks	here
Vanuatu South- New Caledonia	here