Tonga, the last kingdom in the Southern Hemisphere and
the only Pacific country that hasn't been ruled by a foreign power.
We've just missed being here for the coronation of the new king George
the fifth
There are three main island groups and we have come to the northern most
one which is Vava'U |
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Grass skirts are all the rage here, even for the
teenagers, but they are very different from the ones on previous islands
in Polynesia
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They are more like grass rugs and are worn by the men
as well
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| Like Niue, the islands are old coral, raised by tectonic
action. |
Unlike Niue, there are hundreds of islands and often
with fine caves. This one is big enough to get a small boat into.
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Looking up and out
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Looking through and out
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Waiting for dinner
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Feeding frenzy
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Inside the market
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Taro roots. We've tried this a few times: as purple
ice cream, as a vegetable and as a pudding. Don't really like it in any
form but it is the staple crop of the islands
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Members of the brass band that we could hear
practicing every day.
Brass bands feature large in Tonga and are wheeled out for every
occasion |
One last thing we did before leaving was to pick up a
hitch-hiker. This is Hélène
being delivered to Alga by Bernado |
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It has been very wet for days now so in
the next break we are leaving in the hope of being through the
convergence zone by the time we get to
FIJI |
