We have had an amazing four months cruising Polynesia. Today we say Mauruuru and cast off from Bora Bora for a 1300nm voyage to Tonga.

We returned from Malta and re-joined Sunday Island in Morea and re-united with my Sister Gina, her husband Fraser and son Fred. My Mum had also joined us for a few weeks onboard. After Gina, Fraser and Fred departed enjoyed a beautiful down wind sail with Mum through the day to Raiatea where we sailed through the Atol up to the northern island of Tahaa and anchored off the coral gardens.

The next morning we dived on some reef and explored the local area. Mum and I took the tender across to Tapamu bay to do a shop. However the only shop in the area did not have any fresh food, and only took cash, so we settled with Rose wine and cheese (Tre’s Francais) and visited the local Rum and distillery and craft beer brewery. We enjoyed mums last night at anchor, and followed up with a spectacular snorkel through the coral gardens the next morning. Whilst the coral was bleached, stressed and not looking good, the fish life was phenominal. I saw the a 1m long puffer fish and Max and I discovered Bobbit out of its hole…. Anybody who has watched David Attenborough Blue Plannet will know the scary Bobbit! Mum was stoked with her last snorkel in FP and her week with family. We motored sailed our way down to Caranage Anchorage in Raiatea where I took mum to the airport in the tender.

The next couple of days we spend doing maintenance, school and shopping, before returning to the Coral Gardens to settle in for a week. A focus on kids school, work and admin was required so we decided to stay put for a week of snorkelling amongst the corals and fish, school, work, and study.

The wind turned to the North West which is quite unusual for this latitude in the pacific and we decided to make good use of it to sail south and check out some waterfalls in Raiatea. We anchored in a nice bay and explored the surrounding area. Unfortunately the waterfalls could not be accessed without a guide because it was on private land. The guide charged $200 each, so our budged declined the adventure. We headed up to an island just inside the Raiatea pass and spent a couple of days snorkelling around the island. I went for a dive to search for a Catalina sea plane and also dived the pass.

Some big winds were forecasted from the SE so we sailed back to Tapamu bay, visiting a few pearl farms along the way and enjoying some very good tours while we weathered the strong winds. We remain in Tapamu bay watching the weather for our ten day passage to Tonga, however the pacific weather and ITCZ are very unstable so we need to patience as the weather systems keep being pushed up from NZ resulting in Westerly winds every few days.

Around the corner from Tapamu bay Mobular rays (Manta rays) come to feed every morning, so we have been enjoying some great snorkling with these Manta rays in the morning before school and study. With any luck the weather will settle in the next week allowing us to sail to Tonga.

We remained in Fakarava looking for a good weather window to sail to the 2 day voyage to Tahiti. The weather in the ITCZ was very unsettled and finally we picked the best weather window we could see in the next week and sailed from the Tuamotus’s on in the late afternoon on 18th May for the 260nm passage to Tahiti. We were making great speed with the Yankee, staysail and Missen main with a TWA of 130* but a very bumpy open seaway. Em and the kits were feeling unwell sailing the bumpy ocean after the past 6 weeks cruising around tropical islands and atolls. To make the passage even more enjoyable the winds were squally with electrical storms – the only thing missing to complete the Ocean sailing 101 handbook was the cold – at least it was still 26*C through the night, so no t-shirt required!

We arrived into Venus point Tahiti shortly before midnight on the 19th May. We had made excellent speed from Fakarava and ti was great to anchor in the evening, celebrate with an arrival beer (or two) and sleep until morning in this sheltered anchorage where James Cook and Astronomer Charles Green and Joseph Banks made his historical observation of Venus on 3rd June 1769.

In the morning we sailed along the coast inside the reef and found a buoy at Tahiti Yacht club where we waited for my Gina, Fraser and Freddie to join for a two week adventure and to look after Sunday Island while we travelled to Malta for a wedding. Gina arrived bringing a bunch of much needed spare parts for the Spectra Ventura watermaker that had faulty Nickle Bronze high pressure fittings that had broken down and destroyed the membrane. Spectra had agreed to replace the fittings but they still had not been supplied, so Gina went ahead and ordered the new fittings and replacement membrane to Tahiti with her. Ginas first couple of days onboard we spent getting familiar with the boat, shopping for food, and re-building the watermaker. We then sailed down towards the Airport anchorage where we found a buoy off marina Tahina and could safely leave Sunday Island while we caught the bus into town to explore the markets, and on another day caught a bus down to Teahupoo to check out the World Surf League surfing on the famous Teahupoo break.

On 26th May we left Sunday Island with her temp crew and jumped on the plane to CDG Paris, and then onto Malta. After three days of travel we arrived In Malta and enjoyed five days with family to celebrate the wedding of Ben and Sophie – Emilie’s Brother and new sister!

On the 4th June we returned to Papette. Our flight connection resulted in a day layover at CDG, so to occupy ourselves we visited the Asterix fun park – tiring ourselves out with roller-coaster rides!

We landed in Papette on the 6th June and caught a fast ferry to Morea where we were reunited with Sunday Island, crewed by Gina, Fraser and Freddie, and new crewmember my Mother Lyn Slightly exhausted we did a quick shop, lost my flip flop, then Sailed rournd to Opunchu Bay to anchor just inside the pass.

We alternated between anchoring in the pass and Opunchu Bay enjoying lots of snorkling with sharks and Rays. It was fun to watch Max and Freddie gaining an obsession for fishing as they fished from 6am 6pm for days on end, only stopping for lunch and a snorkel. While we were anchored in Opunchu bay we enjoyed a very fun night at the yacht club where my mum Lyn was called on stage to dance with the local men.

At Opunchu Morea we explored the local area including the coral museum and rivers filled with eels that enjoyed mayo and tuna from a can

On 9th of June Gina, Fraser and Freddie departed to fly home to Sunday Island. Mum remained onboard for another week as we sailed towards Raiatea.

Sunday Island arrived in the Raroia Touamotos on the 20th April 2024. Entry into the Atols is via a channel called a Pass. Generally Atols have only one or two passes. Water flows in and out of the passes as the tide rises and falls, but the atols are always filling up with water from the constant waves breaking over the surrounding coral reef, so there is generally more water flowing out of a pass than into a pass. It can be challenging calculating the tidal flow in and out of a pass, and a bright navigator created an excel spreadsheet called the guestamator to assist in the calculations. The guestamator for Raroia was a few hours off and consequently we entered the pass with four knots of outflowing current and some rather large standing waves. With our old perkins engine almost a full revs, and Sunday Island only making 0.5kts over ground, our entry was very exciting and we wereh joined by the largest dolphin I have ever seen!

We anchored off the Kon-Tiki anchorage and visited the site and spending five days snorking, wing foiling and exploring the beachs. Issy and Max became avid shell collectors and after every trip to the beach they enjoyed sorting through their shells, keeping only the best for their collection. We also used the opportunity of sitting in a remote anchorage “with nothing to do” to get some maintenance done… I re build the autopilot motor, worked on the ever problematic freezer, and started to diagnose why our watermaker was performing poorly. We also gave the boat a full top to bottome clean inside and out, oiled the interior and began servicing winches – They say cruising is boat maintenance in beautiful locations, and we were living the dream!

We sailed out of Raroia pass in the evening of the 25th for an overnight sail to Makimo Atol in company with out Tasmanian friends onboard Diomedea. It was a stormy night with thunder, lightening an squalls typical of the ITCZ, arriving outside the eastern pass at 3am, I hove to Sunday Island and we lay peacefully 1nm off the pass until daylight. At 0530 the sun rose above the horizon, we re checked the tide and flow thought the pass was acceptable (Emilie did not enjoy the excitement of Raroia as much as me) and made quite a peaceful entry, then anchored off the quaint little town of Pouhva, launched the dinghy and motored in to find a bakery and some fresh crossaunts. We found a great bakery and also a general store that had more provisions than we were expecting, so took the opportunity to buy some provisions, some fresh salad, and a Machete for chopping coconuts.

Back onboard Sunday Island raised anchor, hoisted the mainsail, unfurled the genoa and enjoyed a wonderful sail through the Atol to anchor in the NE of the atoll off Runaruku (43*31S, 143 49*W). Due to the coral bommies we developed a system of floating our chain using our fenders to keep the chain above the coral. Before we anchor I go ahead in the tender and search for a clear location free of bommies, then drop a small weight with a buoy as a datum, then return to Sunday Island and we manoeuvre to drop the anchor on the buoy to ensure we anchor in a clear area and don’t damage the coral or our chain. Makimo was excellent for diving, snorking and wing foiling. We met up with some German friends onboard SY Diamond Sea and enjoyed some great snorkling in the pass.

29th April we enjoyed Emilies birthday at Makimo Atol. Issy and Max made a birthday cake decorated as an atol, and we envited a few friends over to enjoy the cake before heading to the beach for a few drinks of rum and fresh coconut that I cut open with our new Machete. What a way to spend a 40th birthday in a tropical atoll on your own yacht with a loving family and new friends.

On 30th April we sailed across Makimo atoll, and shot out the pass with an outgoing tide and sailed 40nm to Tahanea. We arrived early morning and hove to off the island waiting for sunrise and the tide anchoring just inside the pass outside Teuakri in the morning. More fantastic snorkling, diving, and wing foiling. As a family we did a drift Snorkle through the northern pass with an incoming tide was amazing, with many species of coral, fish, sharks and rays. The sea floor was like a carpet of coral.. amazing.

On 7th May we sailed through Tahanea pass for an overnight sail to Fakarava in company with Diomedea. Though the sail to the south pass was a shorter distance, the unknown pass looked hazardous on the chart and we would have needed to wait until the morning slack water to make our approach anyway, so given we were spending the night at sea anyway, we decided to sail to the larger Northern pass. We arrived outside the northern pass in the morning and hove to waiting for sunrise and slack water in the pass. The wind was light and we were rolling about somewhat, leaving our staysail backed and the mainsail up for stability. The constant flopping was enough to cause our old mainsail to tare above the third reef – a job for the sailmakers when we arrive in Tahiti!

Getting more confident with the passes, tides and their timings now we sailed through the north pass with our missen and yankee, then sailed across the atoll to the town of Rotoava village. We anchored, packed up and cleaned the boat then headed into town for a look, and decided to treat ourselves to an early lunch of beers and burgers. At the beach side bar we watched the 2.5m lemon sharks, and 1.5m black tips cruise along the shoreline. We checked out the two shops and service station, and then the Pearl farm shop. That was the island shopping tour complete. We bought some really nice Kachi pearls that we hope to make into jewellery one day in the future.

On the 9th May we sailed south along the eastern edge of the atoll towards Hirifa which is a popular anchorage with its own kite school with a small bar and restaurant that opens on request. We caught up with a few old friends and made some new ones in this beautiful anchorage, and enjoyed some magic kite surfing and foiling.

The south pass was an hour sail away from Hirifa and we sailed down and anchored there for a few days. The anchorage was full of bomies and not very peaceful but the diving through the pass was phenomenal. I hooked up with a few friends and we dived the south pass a few times together and I also enjoyed a couple of dives with a local dive master through the middle of the pass in 5kts of current which was full of sharks and invigorating. After a few great days of diving the tide times because incompatible with daylight ours for future dives, so we sailed back up to Hirifa for some more kite surfing and wing foiling. We remained in Hirifa for ten days until the 18th May, when we departed Fakarava, shooting out through the southern pass into a choppy sea to sail towards Tahiti.

On the morning of 18th April 2024 Sunday Island sailed from Ua Po Marquases in light winds towards the Tuamotus atols. We set the full main and hoisted the code 0, and sailed South with the wind slightly aft of the beam. As we sailed a pod of six Rough Toothed Dolphins played on our bow.

Issy and Max have become expert dolphin and bird scientists, and often refer to Mark Carwardine’s “field guide to Whales, Dolphins and Porpoises”, and Peter Harrison’s “Seabirds” to identify the different species. We also have a number of Fish identification books onboard. The kids observe an animal, making notes on its size, shape, colours, identifying features, and pod size, find a picture of the animal they have just observed then refer to the index to find more information about the species. I am amazed how proficient they are at their identification process. Nobody says “Lets Google it” on Sunday Island!

Over the first day we lost a number of Lures to Tuna and Marlin. I have begun making lures because we can not find ready made ones in the Marquases. The initial hooks I used were a bit flimsy, and would surprisingly loose their barb when we hooked a big fish, allowing the fish to swim away. After a few modifications to the hooks, we began reeling in a few Albacore tuna. Emilie and I are becoming expert Tuna cleaners, and we have a great system when the line go’s Zing…. everybody has a job to do. I pull in the Genoa or Code O. Emilie trims the mainsail, pulls out buckets and the gaff, Issy gets down the deck cushions, and Max puts in the wash boards (A large Mahi found its way into our bedroom a few weeks ago when we did not have the washboards in). Once preparations are complete, and we have slowed the boat down I begin to real in the pray. Once alongside Emilie takes the rod, I get the gaff and we lift the fish into the cockpit, kill it, then hang it over the side to bleed. Normally by this stage the cockpit looks like a blood bath. Once the fish is bleed, I begin to clean the fish. Normally the kids are interested in what Is contained inside the fish’s stomach, so we normally do a bit of science during the cleaning. I gut and portion the fish, then Emilie does the “fine tuning” and puts it in the freezer.

Weather became quite squally over night, so we put a reef in, dropped the mizzen and furled the genoa before we experienced the 28kt gusty winds with distant storms lighting the night sky with lightening and thunder. Over the next two days we enjoyed some nice but sqully sailing during the day, but reefed down over the squally unsettled night.

On Sunday 21st April we were approaching the Atol of Raroia. Most atols only have one or two “Passes” allowing the majority of water to flow out, and vessels to sail in or out. Water enters the Atol via the pass, and by breaking waves over the surrounding reef. Consequently, up to 8kts of current can be found in the pass can be found during peak tides, and it takes experience and calculations to ensure a yacht can safety enter the pass at the correct time with minimal current. We calculated the pass would be “slack” at 0630, so we slowed the boat down over the last night to time our arrival to the pass.

I was on watch at 4am sailing towards the pass when our electronic autopilot tripped then failed. Luckily we did not have far to go, and I hand steered until we were in the vicinity of the pass, then hove to until sunrise. I am thankful that the autopilot failed so close to land, as if it had failed during one of our longer passages, we would revert to the Aires wind vane steering, or hand steering for lighter winds.

At sunrise we made our approach to the pass. There was lots of white water, but our calculations looked correct. We went through the pass with the engine almost at full power, and only making 1.5kts. It was like being inside a washing machine. We were joined by two Huge bottle nosed dolphins. Finally after 1.5 hours we got through the Whitewater and entered Raroia atoll and made our way to the Kon-Tiki anchorage where Thor Heyerdahl and his crew found landfall after 101 days on a balsa raft drifting from South America to prove his theory about Polynesian Migration – a great book if you haven’t read it! I thought how much my uncle David Hildred who drifted across the Atlantic in a Plastic raft, would love to see this tiny island amongst others in the atoll of Raroia.

Raroia is absolute paradise. Picture your stereo-typical tropical island and we were surrounded by these. We laughed when Emilie took a photo of the kids and I said, “you should take the photo from here to get the island with coconut trees in the background” but then looked around, and there were surrounded by countless other coconut clad islands. We visited the Kon Tiki monument, enjoyed some fantastic snorkelling, and enjoyed wingfoiling around the atoll. Even the kids had a go at using the wing while standing on the Sup paddle board. We enjoyed a BBQ on the beach, and I prepared and cracked a coconut to drink for morning tea. We took the 10nm tender along the atoll’s rhim to have a look at the pearl farms, and found endless beauty. True paradise.

Sunday Island sailed from the beautiful Bay of Virgins on the 5th of April with full sail, reaching back towards Resolution bay on Tahuata island where we anchored in the evening and caught up with some friends who were also in the bay for the night. The next morning we had Mana Rays swimming under the boat, and we headed into the beach for a quick play before sailing up towards Hana Mo Noa in the north of Tahuata. When we sailed into Hna Mo Noa it was another beautiful bay, however it was too exposed to the swell and sea for a good anchorage, so we decided to continue overnight towards Niku Hiva, arriving in Taiohae bay at 0315 on the 8th April, and celebrating the passage with a couple of rums.

After a few hours sleep we were up and in the dinghy heading to the markets. There is an awesome Artesian market in Taiohae bay, and great vegetable market, and we found some good shops well supplied with food at a reasonable price. We decided not to stick about in the bay too long, because it was quite full of other yachts. Instead we sailed down to Danials bay. WOW WOW WOW! We thought bay of virgins was stunning! Danials bay is surrounded on all four sides with hills or cliff face, making it a perfect hurricane anchorage. There is fresh water from a small river, and excellent holding in mud.. You could stay there for years…. infact we met a Frenchman who had done just that, sailed from France two years ago and never left!

Not only was the bay and surrounding valley stunning, but three are Manta rays, and sharks swimming around under the boat, and apparently in calm weather excellent snorkelling…. now, how about finding that banana patch and living remotely?

The next morning we decided to do the 2 hour hike to the waterfall…. whoever said 2 hours must have jogged the track, and definalty didn’t stop to smell the roses, but there was so much to see, the three hour walk to the waterfall was not a struggle. We found Tiki’s, an old broken Toyota Hilux (I thought that was impossible), ceremonial pits where they kept the human sacrifices, ruions of old villages made of stone, amazing trees, birds, rivers, waterfalls… wow wow wow! As we made our way up the valley it started to rain, an broken sign said watch for falling rocks, and we looked up anxiously at the towering cliffs above. We made it to the waterfall, but because of the precarious overhanging cliffs we did not stay there long, but returned down stream for a swim in the river.

We completed our return to the small village (3 houses) at 1400. Emilie had pre organised lunch at a locals home/restaurant and we enjoyed some superbly cooked banana, breadfruit and tuna so tender it melted in your mouth. Completely stuffed with amazing food, and exhausted from our hike, we returned to the beach for a play before heading back to Sunday island and snorkling with Manta rays while being surrounded by some of the most amazing scenery I have ever witnessed.

A few days later we sailed back to Taiohae bay in time to get some fresh provisions from arriving supply ship. We also managed to tie stern to the fuel dock to top up our Diesel tanks, before sailing to Hakahaa bay – otherwise known as Typee Bay – where Herman Melville, a runaway sailor, found his home in the valley of canables.

By this stage we have been completely spoilt by beautiful bay after beautiful bay. Hakahaa was stunning, but everybody onboard was exhausted and not inspired to go ashore. So I went on a solo mission to find another massive waterfall. 6 hours later, after many wrong turns, being attacked by Midgies, mosquito’s, and chased by wild boars, walking mostly in bare feet because the mud was so thick, I aborted my waterfall mission when it was well insight, but impossible to get the last 200m up the river! I returned to the village and decided to walk down the southern bank of the river, finding myself on the wrong side of the river mouth, and having to swim to the tender. When I finally returned to Sunday Island alive, but bitten and scratched. I was glad Em and the kids had not joined me on that mission!

The following day we had a beautiful sail up to Anaho Bay where we stayed for a few days before sailing down to the island of Ua Po and anchoring in Hakanah Bay next to the town.

For the past month we had been hoping to cross paths with the famous supply / cruise ship the Aranui 5. The ship has a cargo deck forward, and luxuary passenger accommodation aft, and it re-supplies the Marquases and Touamoto islands every month. What a very cool way to see these stunning islands! When the Aranui comes to town they often have a bit of a party involving traditional music, dancing and a feast. For a$20 for adults and $10 kids, we were able to join the passengers for the feast and celebrations. It was very impressive to watch the dancing, and by the end of the Haka Emilie and I were speechless!

After the feast the local outrigger club allowed us to test out their out rigger canoes, and we had a great time whizzing about the bay, and trying to surf the long swell. I was impressed at the outrigger performance and stability.

Ua Po was our last stop in the Marquases islands. I wish we had more time. I could have cruised around the Marquases for another 6 months, and could quite possibly one day return and never leave! What a place, what beautiful people, we will return, but please don’t change!

We sailed into the bay of Virgins on the island of Fatu Hiva on the 31st March 2024. If we thought that Hiva Oa and Tahuata were beautiful, then Bay of Virgins left us speechless with it beauty. The bay of Hanavave (bay of Virgins) is a deep bay with steep cliffs either side, dropping steeply to a brief coral shelf, and the bay itself. The bay is at the base of an incredible Valley, that conjour up thoughts of Typee and Polynesian dreams.

The Bay of Hanavave was named by early seafarers as the bay of Penises, but re named Bay of Virgins by the missionarys. We went ashore for a brief walk on arrival and had not reached the end of the first street before the locals were offering us fruit. Please take it, or it will rot on the ground!

The following morning we hiked up the valley to find a waterfall. About half way up the valley we had takten a few wrong turns that are all part of the adventure, then it started to pour with rain. Supprisingly the rain did not hinder our spirits but cooled us down enough to continue walking up the valley in 30+ degree heat. On our way to the waterfall, following a brazed trail through the jungle a breadfruit fell from a tree, narrowly missing Issy, and splatting on the ground! We finally made it to the waterfall at about 11am. Reportedly this waterfall is the third highest waterfall in the world, but we obviously could not see the top. We enjoyed a quick swim and began our return treck through the jungle.

On our return walking back through the village we were offered even more fruit and asked to visit one of the local artesians Henri who is famous for his stone and wood carvings which were absolutely stunning. We learnt that the locals are famous for putting on a Ki Ki (Hungi in New Zealand) and enquired who was the best Chief, and pointed in the direction of Simon up the hill. That evening we asked a few of the other cruisers if they would be keen join us for a Ki Ki with Simon.

The next day I hiked up to Simons house to book in the Ki Ki and give him a hand gathering coconuts and digging out the Ki Ki Pit. I also sat with Simon and watched him work on his own carvings. Later in the day we returned to Henri’s house and purchased some local carvings. Max donated some of his old shoes to Henri’s grandson, and in return was given a beautiful stone necklace. I would have liked to buy some local Tapa – a traditional cloth made from tree bark, but unfortunately our budget did not allow any more treasures. That night we walked up the hill with our new cruising friends and ate a Ki Ki banquet of pig, chicken, fish, and breadfruit.

Snorkling around the bay of Virgins was absolutely stunning. There was a deep drop off to 10m in the bay, and 60m at the enterance of the bay, with coral growing on the drop off, and hundreds of species of fish. Hanavave is the type of place that tempts one to give up normal life, buy a banana patch from the locals, and live in the wild.



Sunday Island arrived in Hiva Oa Marquesas Friday 22 March 2024 after sailing 3126nm from Santa Cruz Galapagos. In total 19 days average speed 7.1kts.

We arrived with a freezer full of tuna, but ready for some more variety in food so headed into town for a bite to eat and to clear customs.

On Saturday we hired a pickup truck and toured this stunningly beautiful island where there are a number of ancient historical sites.

Yesterday Em and the kids got a day pass in a local resort (where the kids could eat as much as they wished… and did), while I had some solo time onboard downloading satellite pictures for navigating the Tuamotus.

Today we had a school day, while I did some maintenance trouble shooting our AIS and a few fuel runs.

The kids have hooked up with some other boat kids and have them onboard for a play date.

Tomorrow we will continue our exploration of the island and visit the museum.

Day 18, and only 130nm to go! We have had a great days sailing, with some unexpected nice 12kt breeze from the SW, perfect for the code 0.

Tomorrow we should be in Hiva Oa