Tongatapu

We sure have a knack for showing up in countries on special occasions! When we arrived in Nuku'alofa, the capital of Tonga, celebrations were underway for the 90th birthday of  Halaevalu  Mata'aho, the Queen Mother.

Brass band in uniform dress on the far right; Queen Mother is in the carriage

On Saturday morning a parade passed in front of our boat--led by the quintessential Tongan brass band, and followed by trucks full of people carrying the Queen Mother's other 10 children and their families, many of them now living in other nations. I didn't capture all 10, but here are some samples:

The family of Mary Tonga;
with the name, color and castle,
we figured they live here

We didn't catch the name,
but this group came all the way from England

Annie Ruby's family, from Fiji

No flag on Minnie Louisa's truck,
so they may be local?

We'd planned to attend the Centenary Church on Sunday anyway, but this service had an unexpected bonus: with special tributes to the Q.M., the entire royal family was in attendance--King and Queen, princes and princesses. No, they did not look like a fairy tale, and we certainly aren't royalty geeks, but it was fun to have that rare opportunity!

For us the best part was still the Tongan church music, which is symphonic in nature. Its rich harmonies, dramatic dynamics, glorious singing and powerful instrumental accompaniment, not found elsewhere in the South Pacific, are truly transcendent.

Women in traditional dress after the service--checking their cell phones!
(Wifi is nearly nonexistent, but cell towers for personal phones are ubiquitous.)

Further afield on the main island of Tongatapu is the Ha'amonga 'a Maui (Burden of Maui) trilithon, a massive stone structure from about A.D. 1200. Whether it was an astronomical calendar or a gateway to the old royal compound is in dispute, but either way it is impressive indeed.

We also visited the Paepae 'o Tele'a (Platform of Tele'a), terraced tombs for royalty that date from the 1600's. These are considered the most imposing ancient tombs in the South Pacific and are a major archaeological site.

Back in Nuku'alofa, we did some dances with the bureaucracy to get visa extensions and then stocked up on produce before heading out to explore the many small islands north of Tongatapu. Some scenes from being out and about:

In rural areas, free range pigs forage for clams at low tide

Tongans don't wear bathing suits and go into the water fully dressed;
these women are checking their fish nets

Streets are often lined with clothes and bags of produce for sale

We don't buy much besides food, but we did purchase a beautiful design from this artist,
on tapa cloth made from bark

A typical Tongan cemetery:
vaults are above ground, covered with coral mounds and plastic flowers
(evidently kept "fresh", since they never look faded)
often adorned with large tapestries or other tributes

The Royal Palace, built in 1867

References to royalty are everywhere

Tongan juxtaposition: a billboard honoring the Queen Mother,
 placed on a derelict building

Bags of colorful fish for sale along the wharf in the early morning