Swimming at Niuatoputapu

Hello All,
After getting checked in yesterday we went to shore to look around. This is a very small place and after the tsunamis last September it got a little smaller. The 3 main villages that are on the main road and are about a mile apart got wiped out. They are rebuilding but it devastated the Island and most were homeless. According to the health inspector, that we had to pay a visit to yesterday for our check in, the Island went from 900 souls to 700. Most went to the other Tonga Islands looking for work or just wanted to get out after there property got destroyed. It is still a very unique place and the folks here love to cater to the sailboats. We found a guy that sells a few groceries, a lady that makes bread and along the way we found a fresh water spring to cool off in the heat of the day.
This morning I spent 2 hours rebuilding the carburetor on the out board. The salt water corroded some parts and I had to get it all cleaned up to work right. After all that fun was over we took the dingy out to the pass where we entered and went snorkeling. Outside the breakers the water was clear to 100 feet and we saw some nice coral and a lot of fish. The closer we drifted in the more cloudy the water became, so we came back inside and looked around in the shallow water. The Tsunamis did a lot of damage to the coral as well. All and all it was a good day and we got to do some exploring in the water for a change.
When we returned I jumped back in the water to clean the bottom of the boat. It had been a while so it was pretty dirty with sea growth. I only got half of it done so I will finish the rest tomorrow. It is a lot of work and not much fun either. I am not sure what else we are doing tomorrow, but I am sure we will think of something. I will talk to you later.

PEACE