- Fremantle and Perth, Western Australia
- On the road to Margaret River, Western Australia
- Rottnest Island, Western Australia
- Back to Broome, Western Australia
- Lacepede Island, Western Australia
- Talbot Bay, Western Australia
- Montgomery Reef and Freshwater Cove, Western Australia
- Hunter River and Mitchell Falls, Western Australia
- Ashmore Reef, Australia
- Vansittart Bay, Western Australia
- King George River, Western Australia
- Darwin, Northern Territory
- Agats, West Papua, Indonesia
- Kokas, West Papua, Indonesia
- Misool, Yapap Lagoon, Indonesia
- Yenwaupnor, Gam Island, Indonesia
- Mansinam Island, West Papua, Indonesia
- Cenderawasih Bay, Indonesia
- Cenderwasih Bay, Indonesia Supplemental
- Vanimo, Papua New Guinea
- Garove Island, Papua New Guinea
- Duke of York Island and Rabaul, Papua New Guinea — and the trip takes a turn for the worse
- Ghizo Island, Solomon Islands and my health situation is still uncertain
- Honiara, Guadalcanal, Solomon Islands; a 72-hour pause in our trip; and a triumphant return!
- Dravuni Island, Kadavu, Fiji
- Vulaga, Fiji
- Pangai and Nukupule Island, Ha’Apai Group, Tonga
- Vavau, Tonga
- Apia, Upolo, Samoa
- Aitutaki, Cook Islands
- Raiatea, Society Islands, French Polynesia
- Maroe Bay, Huahine Iti, French Polynesia
- Bora Bora, French Polynesia and end of trip
Today we made our first stop in Tonga in Ha’apai and are experiencing a transition from Melanesia to Polynesia although, as we learned, the connections between Fiji, Tonga, and Samoa have existed for a long time and have continued to get stronger. One of the first things you notice as you come into Polynesia is color — lots of it. While the Melanesians tend to wear more muted colors, the Polynesians love it and wear it proudly. Other things are a continuation of what we have seen to date (e.g., kava, fiber weaving, tapa cloth decorating), they put their own spin on things. In the morning, we went ashore in Pangai and were greeted by high school students, craftspeople, and the high school band. As I have noted in the past, I’m always waiting for unique cultural rhythms, etc. This time we were greeted by the band playing “Gangnam Style.” Yikes! Having said that, the dances tend to be more slow and deliberate in their moves — at least for the girls/women; the guys are guys and are more or less goofing and playing off of each other. The other thing I noticed was that one of the girls was oiled up on all visible external body parts. On inquiring why that might be, turns out that it is an outward sign that the girl is a virgin. I’m still trying to work my way through what the connection is… The crafts there were really amazing, especially the woven ta’ovala, a mat that is wrapped around the waist and secured by a kata (traditional rope). The quality of these is generally associated with the size and tightness of the weave and they can be adorned in many ways, including the kiekie, a decorative belt worn by women. Anyway, we had a short tour of the town focusing on birthplaces, gravesites, and battle sites of early Tongan kings and warriors. The one unusual thing was the “Mystery Cross,” a location where in 1975 a mysterious light came from the sky outlining the symbol of a cross which bleached the grass in that location. It was seen by the king and some of his subjects and to this day they see this as a symbolic icon for Christianity in Tonga. I guess I don’t have a strong opinion on this, but I wonder if kava was somehow involved.
After leaving Pangai, Ha’Apai, we made a stop at Nukupule Island for an afternoon at the beach and a little swimming and snorkeling. The people from Ha’Apai were excited that we were going to visit the island and thought it might be the first non-Tongan group to visit there in many years. It’s actually only 6 acres in size and is surrounded by its own reef system with a series of deep channels to access its own natural lagoon. It really did have a Gilligan’s Island vibe to it and it was very relaxing — except for the noddy, a medium sized seabird with black plumage and a white cap, who kept buzzing people. It turns out we were getting a little close to her nest. The water was noticeably cooler here (around 75 F), but the coral and a wide variety of fish made it much more tolerable. A great start to our time in Tonga.
I am a traveler and sometimes clay sculptor, following a long career working in consulting. My work allowed me to travel the world extensively and I was hooked. Today, I travel with my wife/best friend to explore new places, meet new people, and learn new things.
