Whale Wisdom Retreat 2027

1-8th September 2027 – Bookings now open!

SWIM WITH THE MAJESTIC HUMPBACK WHALES IN HA’APAI, TONGA

A week in Paradise to Awaken, Reset & Transform with the Masters of the Sea 💎

Have you dreamed of swimming in crystal clear waters of the South Pacific with Humpback Whales? Here is your opportunity to join Modern Day Medicine Woman & Sound Healer, Kari Hummingbird and supporting facilitator, Joanne Farrell, on this trip of a lifetime.

You will spend 8 days & 7 nights in tropical paradise, Ha’apai, a short flight from Tongatapu, Tonga. You will go out on 4 day trips to see and swim with the majestic Humpback whales who graciously allow you to observe them in the warm tropical waters. Watch mothers with curious calves, observe the mating rituals and float immersed in the sounds of the male Humpback’s mystical song. We will offer breathwork, sacred sound journeys & other rituals to help you open to & embody the transmissions received while meeting eye to eye with the most advanced Beings on the planet!

If you would like to:

• AWAKEN to higher dimensional frequencies gifted to us by the WHALES
• RESET from the fast pace of life and purify BODY, MIND & SPIRIT on a tropical island paradise
• TRANSFORM into new ways of BEING through ceremony, song & other heart opening activities

Then this retreat is for you….

The Humpback Whales, migrate from Antarctica to the clear, warm and calm waters of Tonga every year to mate, give birth and nurse their young. We will use respectful & responsible whale watching practices, always giving the whales the choice and control over our encounters. Tonga is one of the few places in the world where it is legal to swim with humpback whales.

You will learn “how to swim” with them and every step of the way is guided by expert staff so you feel joyous and comfortable in the water with these gentle giants. 

We will gather together in the late afternoons to share our experiences & journey with the medicine of breath and sacred song.

Sacred songs & mantras open the heart and create space for deep healing, self-expression, and connection. Both practices will help you open to & embody the powerful transmissions gifted to us by the whales.

Breathwork is a powerful process of healing and transformation which supports the clearing away of old energies, patterns, conditioning, negative thoughts & emotions and opens the doors wide for new life and greater consciousness.

There will also be a fire ceremony to anchor in our intentions & other heart filled activities to enhance our group (pod) dynamics and connection to the whales, beautiful land & oceans of Tonga.

Your Facilitators

Kari Hummingbird

Kari is a modern-day medicine woman who is devoted to awakening the Sacred Heart of humanity and guiding others to remember the truth of who they are. She’s an energetic kinesiologist, sound healer & transformational guide and has been on the spiritual path of self-discovery for over 20 years.

Joanne Farrell

Breath is life – it connects the life force within to without, in a symbiotic dance of energy exchange. Conscious breathing can change your flow and life patterns; and can expand your capacity both physically and inter-dimensionally by connecting to the greater quantum field of consciousness. This includes the consciousness that of the animal and plant world, as well as the ancestral and the galactic. Breath is the connecting link to journey to these places. http://www.joanne-farrell.com

The Location – Ha’apai, Tonga

One of the great benefits of meeting the whales in the remote islands of Ha’apai, is that there are only a few operators (as opposed to other parts  of Tonga where the industry is more saturated), giving us more time in the water with the whales. 

Our accommodation includes a combination of rooms & glamping tents that open to a beautiful white sandy beach and a remarkable snorkelling reef.  All accommodation is double occupancy (king bed or 2 twin beds) & it’s possible to upgrade to a single (if available).

Explore the pristine clear waters by going snorkelling, stand-up paddle boarding, swimming or sea kayaking. Enjoy the marine life of the thriving reefs, lay on white sand beaches and in warm water or explore the island by bicycle.  It takes approx 3 hrs to fully walk the beach around the island & you rarely see other people.  

We will be staying with a lovely Tongan family who have lived in Ha’apai for generations & will give us a good taste of their way of life.  On one of the evenings there will be Tongan song & dance. There’s also an option to participate in a kava ceremony which is a traditional ritual that involves drinking kava, a mildly sedative drink, and is practiced in many Pacific Island countries.  It’s often performed to welcome guests or celebrate important occasions & symbolizes respect, gratitude, and friendship.

Currently 3 International Airlines fly to the capital, Nuku’alofa on Tongatapu Island: Air New Zealand, Quantas and Fiji Airways. There are direct flights from Auckland, Sydney and Fiji. As international travel increases, there’s a good chance Virgin Australia will start flights again from Sydney.

You must spend a night before & after your international flights in Tongatapu to ensure smooth connecting flights to Ha’apai – Lulutai Airlines is the domestic airline in Tonga and has a couple flights a day. Kari will help organize these domestic flights for you & also recommend hotels in Tongatapu.

There are also some great tourist activities in Tongatapu that can be arranged such as cultural shows & tours to various sites such as Houma blowholes, Anahulu Cave, Haʻamonga ʻa Maui (Tonga’s stonehedge) etc.

Registration Information

Retreat Fee: $5,222 Aud per person (Double Occupancy – King Bed or 2 twins) Single upgrade possible (if available)

To Register: $1,000 to hold your place

Payment of $2,111 is due March 1st, 2027

Balance of $2,111 is due June 1st, 2027

Or pay in full

**Other payment plans are possible, please reach out & we can try to work something out.

Please contact Kari – karibarron@hotmail.com to receive payment option details.

NOTE: All payments are non-refundable.

*Travel insurance with trip cancellation is essential in case of unforeseen circumstances*

**We will go out with a fully licensed and professional whale swim operator who strives to swim on every trip. However, be aware that whales are wild animals, and you will be observing them in their natural environment. Swimming may or may not be possible depending on the whales’ behaviour, their reaction to us and the weather conditions***

***This is an alcohol-free event – the activities & breathwork are best integrated with the whale experience without the consumption of alcohol. It’s also a great support to reset***

Magical Moments from the past retreats:

A few words from past participants:

“Awh the whales! It was just so beautiful to be in their realm & be accepted and welcomed by them. I’ve experienced a lot of things transforming in my life since then and I’m confident that the whales had a part to play with it. It was so beautiful to hear their songs, to see them so close & feel their power and grace. It was so perfect to come home each day, have time to relax & then go into the breathwork and process what I experienced out there on the water. To feel the power of the breathwork, the songs & music and the way it was held was a special part of the retreat so I’m really grateful for those aspects. Because we’re working with whale medicine, I feel it’s important that we have support and to be held with whatever comes up whether its sun burn or deeper issues that are coming to the surface. It’s a perfect way to do it together as a group.” – Matiu, New Zealand

“It’s a magical once in a lifetime experience to swim right next to a whale and witness their majesty, the way they move gracefully and powerfully in the ocean. To get to float in the ocean up close and watch a baby calf swirl around under its mother’s body and be cradled underneath her, is a great honor. There is a deep wisdom transmission that comes by being in their presence; and to hear their song calls to each other under the water resonates deep within your body. I was awakened to even more depths and transformed by this experience. It was such a great pleasure to be in this whale energy within a retreat setting with like-minded people, staying right on the beach on a quiet island, and able to see the whales pop up and down in the ocean as we had breakfast. It was really great to have daily breathwork and singing circles & ceremonies to set our intentions and anchor our experiences. Doing this in a group made the experience so much more fun and no stress of organizing all the things that make for a great holiday and experience.” – Jo, Australia

“Witnessing the mothers carrying around their calves was one of the highlights for me.  Hopping in the water with that new birth energy filled my heart deeply.  It’s nothing like anything I’ve ever experienced before.   They’re such beautiful creatures with such high frequency.  The breathwork allowed me to surrender and drop into such a peaceful calm place in circle with all the other beautiful souls over the week.  I felt that quite often, the whales were speaking to me, coming in leaving messages and we integrated that thru the breathwork.  The combination of whale frequencies and breathwork was spectacular!  The people and the connections were also great.  I don’t think that would have been possible for us to go to such a deep place without having all of the beautiful energies of the group.  It raised my energy a lot, I absolutely loved it!  The songs & music were also great, they took me to a deep place every time.  Thank you, I’m very grateful!”  – Glen, Australia

“It was the most beautiful experience that I’ve had to date! Under the water, with all the frequencies & codes coming thru while spending time with the most graceful creatures of the sea. It was truly magical! Every day it was such a different experience. You didn’t know what was going to happen next…with the surrender of going into the deep blue sea. That’s the best breathwork I’ve ever experienced. The songs were also super enhancing and really made it for me. From my experience as a retreat leader, it was really nice to come into a group experience and drop into that space. To be out with the whales for most of the time but at the end of each day, be in circle together & connect with everyone was a beautiful experience as well.” – Anita, New Zealand

“Communing with the whales face to face exceeded my expectations. We often went out there and the calf would be in reaching distance, swimming around us, playing with mumma. It was something of wonderment and I’m very grateful, very humbled & it was incredibly aligned! It brought me closer to myself & I felt really clear in every direction. The breathwork with the whales was an incredible combination in relation to frequency, sound & looking inward. The facilitation was fantastic, the group was held in such a safe & immaculate container and that was really important for me. Considering it was just a week, we became close very quickly and it was like a family. Everyone offered something unique and the beauty was evident to me. It was great having that container with all of us together. It made the experience even stronger I feel.” – Meredith, Australia