Tag Archives: beach walk

Yadua and Yadua Taba

Yadua was one of our stops during our multiple day passage across Fiji.  It was such a lovely island that I decided it needed its own post.  Yadua and Yadua Taba are located in the Bligh Waters situated between Viti Levu and Vanua Levu.  It can be a treacherous  journey getting through the Bligh waters as they seas can zip between these islands which strong currents.  But in the right conditions, Yadua can be idealic.  The smaller yellow mass is Yadua Taba.

We arrived late in the afternoon, dropped the hook and watched the gorgeous sunset behind the boat.  The next day we spent exploring this amazing spot on land and sea.  We are still experiencing the effects of the Super Blue Moon with excecssive high and low tides.  So, we wait until mid-tide to get to shore.  

High tide covers the beach in water and low tide doesn’t allow us to get the dinghy over the coral reef that lines the beach front.

There are 4 beaches in this bay along with a bazillion palm trees, some hills, and beautiful rock cliffs.

Expedition on Shore

We start out by exploring the beautiful sandy beaches inside this bay.  The sand is soft and the beaches are clean.

But we want to see more so we decide to try to climb the hill to see the beaches on the east side.  Of course we don’t find a trail to go up and over….(lower photo).  We utilize tree roots to climb the rock face, then avoid slipping as we walk the ridge before we make a new trail to the other side.  Seriously there has to be an easier way!

But the beaches on the other side are magnificent!

On the way back we see what looks like a “trail” up the hill.  We decide that it can’t be more difficult than the one we came in on so we take it.  And guess what?  It is an actual trail that leads us directly to the other side.  Jimeny Cricket!

Yadua Taba

Yadua Taba is a much smaller island located on the SW corner of Yadua.  It is forbidden to go ashore on this little island and its surrounding reefs are wildlife sancutuary for one of the rarest and most beautiful lizzarsd called the Crested Iguana.

We took the dinghy over to the island with the hopes of seeing them sunning themselves on a log or the beach but they were very shy and hid well from us.

Yadua Taba is special for another reason in that it contains tropical dry forest vegetation, one of the most (if not the most) endangered vegetation types in the world!

We had to continue on with our journey across Fiji as we need to make tracks to Musket Cove.

Our blog posts run 10-12 weeks behind actual live events.  This blog post occured in early October 2023.  In our last blog post we traverse across Fiji.

Kelefesia Limestone Cliffs

We leave Tongatopu after spending a week in the capital city.  On our departure day we have no wind but we do have a 2m long rolly swell. Will be a slow ride to Kelefesia in Haa’pai. It was a gorgeous day with sunny skies, small puffy clouds and many humpback whales.

Did I mention it is whale season in Tonga?  Humpback whales migrate from the Antarctic to the South Pacific Ocean in order to mate and have their babies.   Most of the whales can be seen between June and October so we are perfectly situated to make some new friends.

We hope to have lots more photos of these beautiful humpback whales so stay tuned!

Since we did not have any wind we had to motor the 56nm from Tongatopu to Kelefesia.  But it was a good time to top up the batteries and make some fresh water.

Kelefesia Island

This 32 acre private island is for purchase  It can be yours for a mere $6 million.  Wowza. Well I can tell you first hand that Kelefesia is a spectacular island with beautiful white sandy beaches all around it.

Large limestone cliffs provide shelter between the islands.  A few years ago the center was covered in lush vegetation and forest.  However, the 2022 tsunami destroyed leaving only a few palm trees.  

But the beaches are gorgeous and pristine.  The surrounding waters are crystal clear and inviting.

We only stayed one night in Kelefesia because the swell was pretty bad and made it rolly.  But we did enjoy the walk on the beach and the gorgeous views.

Events from this blog occured in late July.  Our blog posts run 10-12 weeks behind actual live events.   We visit many royal sites in our last blog titled “Royalty Found in Tongatopu.”

Hakatea Bay with Peneque

Hakatea Bay – Daniel’s Bay

Hakatea Bay also known as “Daniel’s Bay” is just around the corner from the main village of Taihoe in Nuku Hiva.  But it might as well be another island as it is so different.  There are about 10-12 people that live in this little piece of paradise.  A small white sandy beach is surrounded by towering mountains that glitter in the sun.  It was so hard to capture on camera, but the trees were truly golden against the deep black crevices of the hillside. 

The top photo is of one side of the bay, the center is the golden hillside and the bottom is the actual palm tree lined beach where the locals live.

Hakatea Bay = Daniel's Bay

Hakatea Bay = Daniel’s Bay

There is no dinghy landing so we had to get creative with “Sweetie.”  The first time we went to shore we dragged her on the beach.  Always a challenge as she is heavy and has a 25hp outboard on the stern which makes it even more difficult.  We had Wayne and a fender which helped.  Basically, we slipped the round fender under the dinghy and rolled it under Sweetie to get her up the sand dune. 

Beauty of Daniel’s Bay

We were blown away by how unique and beautiful this village is. Tropical flowers, plants and trees line the single dirt road from the beach to each house.  Tons and tons of fruit trees are all around, pomplemouse, avocado, mango, lemon, breadfruit, noni and more.

Hike to waterfall in Daniel;s Bay

Hike to waterfall in Daniel;s Bay

There is a freshwater stream that runs along the “town” that enables them to bring their boats in during high tide.  A super small, but efficient church, a cemetery on the hillside and very practical homes.

Daniel's Bay village

Daniel’s Bay village

Each home had a sign indicating the address of the inhabitant.  Either carved in stone or etched in a piece of wood.

Local plot claims

Local plot claims

Waterfall Hike

Daniel’s Bay (Hakatea Bay) is known for the tallest waterfall in French Polynesia.  The locals told us that the falls would be “dry” because it is summertime.  However, it is still a pretty nature walk so we forged ahead.  The trail continued down the main dirt road lined with beautiful and colorful flora and fauna.  At one point, it looked like it was covered in snow from the pods that fell and littered the walkway with white fuzz.

One road in Daniel's Bay

One road in Daniel’s Bay

The road turned into forest and became more of a small path.  Lots of rocks, boulders and ruins could be found here.  You could certainly find remnants of an old village which was fascinating.

Ruins along the path to the waterfall

Ruins along the path to the waterfall

After 1.5 hours we arrived at the “waterfall” or what I like to call a “trickle fall” since there was truly very little water coming down the mountain.  It sure was pretty and we could imagine how breathtaking it was.

Hakatea Bay Waterfall

Hakatea Bay Waterfall

At the bottom of the “falls” is a fresh water pool, but it was stagnant and not too appealing.  However, when you turned your back to the falls you were surrounded by lush greenery and mountains.

Just a couple of posers

Just a couple of posers

Hike to Waterfall in Hakaui was 6 miles, 15,838 steps and up 14 floors.  A good workout.

Lunch Local Style

On the way to the waterfall, we ran into Kua and Tieki who are known for their tasty cuisine.  We told them we would be back for lunch around noon.  Matt and Wayne are part goat and practically ran up and back from the falls.  We finished the hike in just over 3 hours so we had time to kill before lunch.

When we arrived, two other cruisers were seated under the awning and little table was set up in their garden for Matt, Wayne and I.  It so pretty to be in the middle of the fruit trees, flowers and plants.  They grilled lobster for me and goat for the boys.  It was pretty darn tasty and not bad for a total of $40.

Lunch with Teiki and Kua

Lunch with Teiki and Kua

Beach Walk

We needed to walk off our large lunch so we took the dinghy to a neighboring beach.  We found lots of crabs and had fun playing with a rather large one and a stick.  The poor thing must have been traumatized because he hid in my footprint after we left.

Beach walk and crab friends

Beach walk and crab friends

To our great surprise, our neighbors from Ua Pou, Peneque showed up and anchored next to us.  They were the super nice French people who heled us out and never squawked at us for bumping fenders for 3 weeks during the festival.

Hakatea Bay with Peneque

Hakatea Bay with Peneque