Blue Banana Studios Tongatapu

... landing in paradise! Beautiful!!! Originally I didn't have a window seat but I did a little eye lash flashing with a local Tongan man who offered to swap seats with me so i could see the islands and it was totally worth the effort, ha! We touched down around 8:30am and it was already 29C outside! HOT HOT HOT!! BUT ..... VERY humid!! We had a couple of hours to spare so we jumped a taxi into Nukualofa!! The ...

... making some of the hike seem like Macc Forest, but with parrots! We aren't sure how the kiwi's will react to our super muddy boots on our return to Auckland, but... Each time there was a rotation of guests at the guesthouse, we were firm in our belief that the new arrivals would be a playboy photoshoot team on location. Needless to say we were repeatedly disappointed. Back at the guesthouse the geologists had left to be replaced by a ...

... waiting for 2 hours as I was too busy getting 'bumrushed' by 100 american maritime students. When in another cab with a bunch of said americans, we stopped at a bakery to get some snacks and asked the completely spherical driver if he'd like anything: 'Meat pie', 'Sorry what was that?', 'MEAT PIE'. Ok got it. Much as I was enjoying these taxi rides, as I'm staying in an ageing-hippy surf resort (not that there's any surf) at one tip of the ...

... easy listening classics, followed by shout outs, speeches by brides to be and retiring heads of the Immigration Service, a rendition of 'Pokare kare ana' by the head of the TLA, 'Happy birthday' sung in English and Tongan then lots and lots of dancing. The usually conservative Tongans showed their appreciation by sticking banknotes onto the oiled bodies of the entertainers, or tucking them into waistbands or cleavage. The food was great, and I had a ...

Excited by glimpses of blue sky, we got a taxi into Nuku'alofa, to explore the capital and pick up a rental car. We passed the Royal Tombs and the Church of St Anthony of Padua, which reminded me of a Bournemouth theatre. We wandered along the waterfront to the little fish market, and explored the larger market in the town centre, which held a mixture of clothes, fresh fruit and tapa cloth. It suprised me how many people wore the ...

... et c'est parti pour une balade a cheval avec le sac de 20kg sur le dos, a cru, a traverser la mer... super douloureux et inoubliable !! Apres 3km de marche au milieu des noix de coco, charges comme il faut (ben oui les chevaux doivent re-traverser avant la maree, et la guesthouse n'est pas tout pres), nous arrivons enfin au "Captain Cook hideway", un vrai coin de paradis. Au programme de la journee, explication a 2 balles du proprio, apero et politique Tongaise, 'umu (plat ...

Torstai meni sadetta pidellessa. Notkuimme koko paivan ruotsalaisen Annelin ja Lontoosta kotoisin olevan Nickin kanssa Nuku'alofan kahviloissa. Kaikista saaennusteista huolimatta perjantaiaamu valkeni aurinkoisena ja saimme yhden paivan ajan nauttia Tongasta sellaisena paratiisina, milta se nayttaa postikorttien kuvissa. Oli onni, etta olimme juuri saman paivana ajatelleet vaihtaa akaisen Tonin luota saaren luoteiskulmassa sijaitsevaan Ha'atafu Beach Resortiin ...

... Christchurch, NZ) into the night. After a great evening, they asked us if we would like to join them at church for the Sunday service so we could experience first hand, an integral part of Fijian and Tongan social life. Saturday, 24th November We made our way down to the Friends Cafe, our local watering hole, for a breakfast of eggs benedict washed down with a mug of coffee. We decided to pop across to the Women's Association, where we were informed there ...

... casting it's brilliant glow over the water. It is so radiant that you are able to see every detail around, and a quick dip in the ocean soon turns into a night of frolicing in the waves while the moon shines her happy face down upon you. Surreal! After our merrymaking we drove back to Neiafu. Time for a hot shower and bed up at Hilltop Hotel. Vava'u, Tonga

A last "hello" from Tonga before departure. After a light dinner at the Waterfront Hotel we head to the aiport to catch our flight back to the states. We stop off in Apia Samoa on the way back to Los Angeles. As we are there in transit for a relatively short period of time, it is considered a direct flight.