Celebrating Jeff’s Birthday island style

Trip Start Aug 21, 2011

Trip End Aug 21, 2012

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Where I stayed

Matafonua Lodge Ha'apai
Read my review - 5/5 stars

Flag of Tonga Ha'apai, Tonga
Monday, September 12, 2011

We woke up to another amazing day of weather. It was a perfect day to celebrate Jeff's 41^st birthday. We had some tasty pancakes at the lodge and then saw a few whales offshore at the sandy beach, before deciding to take out a couple of kayaks for the day. We got geared up and then pushed out to the sandy point on the north side of Foa island. Once again, the conditions were perfect which made for crystal clear water and visibility. It was like kayaking in an aquarium! We could see the fish and the coral heads perfectly without even leaving our boats.

We paddled clockwise around the island located in front of our resort on the North side which is owned by the king (the same one we swam to and walked around yesterday). We took our time and kayaked very slowly around, admiring the colorful fish and coral that we could see so clearly below the surface. We stopped briefly on the island for a swim and rest before kayaking around the entire island. We watched some local fisherman walking around some of the reefs nearby, and then we continued as East as we could go far beyond the fale we were staying in. We were trying to go around the corner to where there was supposed to be yet another white sand beach, but we had to turn around when the water became too shallow.

We went back to the snorkeling spot we went to the day before. It was still incredible. Even three times didn’t seem like enough time to explore all of the coral and fish that were so abundant there. Jennifer snorkeled a little bit, and then we paddled back to the lodge for lunch. After some tasty burgers and fries, we took the kayaks out to the western side of the island to check out some more reefs. The wind had picked up a bit at this point, so we returned the kayaks in the late afternoon.

Relaxing on the beach

Sunset hour

Another great sunset

We finished out the day by relaxing on the sheltered western beach and watched the sunset. It was another incredible day of celebrating Jeff’s birthday, but the best was yet to come. For dinner we had a great meal of island fish which consisted of fresh snapper, papaya, coconut, and chili sauce and mashed potatoes. Then, the owners brought out a specially made cheesecake that Jennifer had ordered when we first arrived. They even wrote Happy Birthday Jeff on the plate in yummy chocolate and everyone sang "Happy Birthday!" It was a truly wonderful and memorable birthday!