Anchoring for 4 Nights at Minerva Reef!
Minerva Reefs are the stuff legends are made of. They inspire intrigue with tales of shipwrecks and territorial disputes. And they draw the adventurous to into their watery midst with crystal clear water, abundant marine life and safe anchorage.
According to Wikipedia, The Minerva Reefs (Tongan: Ongo Teleki) are a group of two submerged atolls located in the Pacific Ocean between Fiji, Niue and Tonga. The islands are the subject of a territorial dispute between Fiji and Tonga, and in addition were briefly claimed by American Libertarians as the centre of a micronation, the Republic of Minerva.
The reefs were named after the whaleship Minerva, wrecked on what became known as South Minerva after setting out from Sydney in 1829. Many other ships would follow, for example Strathcona, which was sailing north soon after completion in Auckland in 1914. In both cases most of the crew saved themselves in whaleboats or rafts and reached the Lau Islands in Fiji.[1]
Come check it out with us!
North Minerva Reef
23.68952° S, 178.95421° W
MINERVA DIARIES
3 days in paradise
11 June 2022
So we made it to Minerva reef!!!!
After a long day of trying to sail to the enterance we gave up as the wind kept shifting so we be lined for the enterence in the dark…
The Entrance
Entering in the dark was a bizarre experience as there are no markers or land to reference so I just relied on the GPS and Google Earth overlay.
There was a boat at anchor in the bay with their nav lights on which created some confusion as we thought they were leading lights…as it turned out, it was our friend’s boat ‘Binary Star’ with Kenny on board….trouble!
After talking Iemanja through the reef, it was bubbles time and a quick catch up with our buddy boat crew and a wonderful quiet sleep.
Paradise Found!
We woke early the next morning to realize the paradise we are in. Absolutely amazing to be anchored in the middle of the ocean!
First thing after a steak and egg breakfast, we got our snorkel gear ready and headed of to get Kenny. At BS, we met the crew from Gemma 2 who gave us an enormous crayfish. So we hopped into the water and my god it blew me away how incredibly clear the water is. The visibility just melts away into the blue.
A Blue Playground
The diversity of fish and colours were something from an Attenbourgh doco… OH and my first ever snorkeling with sharks which was a bit nerve wracking but soon realized they were just having a look at us then carried on with their sharky business.
That evening there were drinks and dinner on Binary Star (now forever known as Winery Star) which turned into a bit of a party as all the other boats around came too.
Lighting Up The Barbie
This morning we set up the BBQ on the transom and cooked up the crayfish, steaks and some mahi mahi. While Tom recovered from the night before, the rest of us went for a snorkel.
We’ve been told to go for a walk on the reef at low tide as there are crayfish to just pick up in the rock pools. We are also going to go the outer side of the reef for a snorkel so a feast of crays for all!!!
It looks like we are going to stay here until Tuesday morning so we have a broad reach all the way to SavuSavu, Fiji. It will be nice to sail with no motor!!!
Amy is making a beer bread to go with our baked camenbert for nibbles with Iemanja tonight.
Love to all from us intrepid adventurers!!!!
12 June 2022
So another lovely day at Minerva… Other than high tide as we are totally open to the ocean which allows a swell through the bay for a couple of hours, which disturbs our slumber in the night.
Attack!!!!
This morning we got up to sunshine streaming in so… into the day!!!! Whilst I set about blowing up my paddle board and kite, Amy cooked poached eggs on toast. I then went out to try this wing boarding out. It’s not easy! Luckily Derek from Iemanja was there to rescue me in the dingy so we had a play.
At low tide the atoll is exposed so we went out onto the reef for another adventure. On the walk from the dingy in ankle deep water, we had a small white tip shark follow us for a while. So cool!
Mind-blowing Fish Life
We put on mask and snorkel and lay in the water about a foot deep. It’s hard to explain but we were gobsmacked by what we saw. There were hundreds of fish in barely any water. It was so alive with all different kinds of fish!
Crayfish Hunt On
We flopped over to a pool in the reef which was like an aquarium and hooray straight away crayfish antenna! Well we managed to scare them off pretty quickly!!!!
Then to another pool where the Iemanja crew caught up and it was crayfish hunt on!!! They were everywhere but not that easy to catch or spear.
The fish life was incredible not to mention the 2 turtles we found chilling out plus parrot fish about a meter long and an irridescent blue colour.
Well, we all got into the cray hunt. Amy really smelled blood and was just hauling them out of the ocean flicking them up behind her as she prowled
the pools. Derek did really well too although a little over zealous as the cuts on his head proved!
Amazing time!
Back to Kaihanu where we cooked up 5 of the 10 crays and some tuna for a wonderful lunch, great company and passage planning for the next few days into SavuSavu.
We went over to the French catamaran across from us to deliver a cray and had a cup of tea with them. Now we are settleing into a nice quiet evening to recover from the excitment as we will be preparing to set sail again.
Amy is going to have trouble leaving this amazing aqua playground, but, as I say, on to the next adventure. I secretly will be sad to say goodbye though to this place. We will definitely be back here in our lifetime. It really is mind blowing.
Love from us to here discovering the world we could not imagine!
13 June 2022
Hello again friends and family,
We are rolling around this evening serenaded by an almost full moon and having been graced by another stunning sunset. There is a butterflied chicken in the oven by his truly and I’m slaving away over a hot keyboard.
Tomorrow, first thing, we set sail for Fiji.
To say Minerva Reef has been magical is an understatment. Both of us have shed tears. Neither of us want to leave but distant shores beckon and the wind has filled in.
Drowned Drone
We spent our final day at Minerva Reef in great company but it started out with a bit of a drama. There was no wind, so the first thing we did was ignite the new drone in hopes of some epic footage for everyone. Well, within seconds, some sort of error occurred, the drone lost it’s mind and plummeted into the ocean. I dove in to save it but it sunk. Ten minutes later, I was in my dive gear and rescued it from the sea floor. Yes, it was beyond fooked and worth rescuing for parts.
Playing With The Locals
On a positive note, we were greeted this morning, as we have been in past days, by two schools of resident cuttlefish who seemed to have called Kai home. Already wet, with my gear nearby, I was straight into the water…slowly…to enjoy some perving time with them. One school was three bubby ones and the other was a variety of sizes. It was fascinating watching them change their colours and come near me and then float away, always in formation.
And soon we were off to explore the reef again with Iemanja minus the children and plus their crew, Steve, who had the goal of walking the reef to the lighthouse…a fair hike at around 15km or so!! We had decided to not take any more crayfish today so we left the catch bag in the dinghy. Um, who were we kidding! Walking to the reef from the dinghy we happened across bright purple carpet coral and I nearly stepped on a turtle. I yelped! Pretty sure the turtle yelped too 😛
More Crays!!!
With our scout Steve, sussing out the rock pools, we magically ended up crayfish hunting…couldn’t help ourselves, really. It was great! The pools today were only large enough for one person at a time and chocker full of crayfish. Derek, the resident krazy kiwi, went all in. All you could see were legs floundering around in the air with kicks of determination. Hilarious! And out he would come, triumphant, wielding a cray. Funny as!!! He was addicted. We stopped him after the fifth and final cray for the day which was so large that we had to fold the tail around for it to fit in a 20L bucket.
Exploring the Outer Reef
So with a nice feed in tow, we dipped into a pool that exited to the open ocean. To say that it was mindblowing would be an understatement. There were sea cucumbers and schools of tropical fish including some large parrotfish and a large angelfish. Stunning. I was beckoned to explore the outer reef…try to stop me!
The coral formations and topography was mind blowing. The variety of coral, ranges of colours and types, was stunning. There were a few reef sharks cruising around including some baby ones. It is hard to describe, but this was snorkeling like I haven’t had since a trip to the Bahamas with my family in the 80s! It brought tears to my eyes to see a healthy reef ecosystem…the variety of fish, the colours, the coral, not a million kina (urchins) everywhere. I’m still wrapping my head around it. I can’t wait to share Derek’s footage with you (since my GoPro is on the fritz). Yeah…having some technology issues. Need internet 😛
Bits and Pieces – Minerva Wreckage
On the way back, we stopped to snorkel around the some wreckage where we saw the cutest baby fish that I’ve even seen! It was black with two white spots and hanging out with the clown fish in an anemone. It was probably max 10mm across and the cutest little creature I’ve seen in ages. Sooooo adorable!!! I was a puddle.
The Far Side
Then on to pick up Steve from the other side of the atoll. Great to see the different ecology over there. Not so much reef and wildlife but terraces, which, with the rising tide, made a mini waterfall over the side into the lagoon.
Coral sand and clear water made for a stunning scene. Soon I was back at Kai and it was time to pack all of the toys away and get into ship mode again. We are now settling into a wonderful evening together with a beautiful butterflied chicken dinner under a nearly full moon awaiting the next part of our journey.
Minerva Reef will leave a special place in our hearts!
Wishing you all had a wonderful weekend.
Sending love and hugs from the middle of nowhere.
Amy and Tom
