‘Eua!

I loved the small island of ‘Eua! Much less touristy than Vava’u, Eua was culturally and topographically more interesting to me than Vava’u. Other than the unescapable exotic churches and Chinese stores, ‘Eua had many high hills, beautiful volcanic and coral rock formations, deep and elaborate caves, fresh-water lakes, stunning cliffs in many colors, deep jungle and even a river! It is the only island in Tonga to have a river and the only one with a bridge! The island is not volcanic, but was shaped by the rubbing of the Tonga plate against the Pacific plate, which pushed ʻEua up and leaving the 7km-deep Tonga Trench a short distance towards the east. One of my favorite bike rides (yes, you can rent a bike and in fact, you really should rent a bike!) was to the cliffs from whence you can watch the the light blue of the coral coast turn dark blue at the line just off the coast.

I stayed in a small hostel run by a sweet Mormon family. She ran the reception and the kitchen and he drove a boat to watch whales. The place was very close to the village peer where the whale-watching boat was parked. And the whales were conveniently right there: it never took us more than 10 minutes motoring before we would be in the water with the whales. Unlike the heavy-plankton covered water around Vava’u, the ocean around Eua was clear. Look how good my little gopro videos of whales turned out:

My days were spent watching and swimming with whales, biking around the magnificent island and, likely my favorite, hanging with the local ladies. One interaction in particular will always stay in my memory: I was biking back from a very long ride looking pretty grimy when I passed by a well-adorned cemetery. Much like the cemeteries on many islands around the South Pacific, Eua’s graves are raised platforms with sarcophagi, each prominently featuring a picture of the diseased and often covered in real or plastic flowers. This cemetery, as again the custom seems to be on many South Pacific islands, was just above the water with a perpetual Pacific view. Across the road from it on this Sunday were two huge tents filled with holiday-best-clad villagers. Loud music was blasting. Ladies were dancing. Kids were joyfully running around. And the smell of some very fine cooking filled the air. I stood there clutching my bike handlings and checking out the festivities when a gorgeous woman in a lovely red dress asked me if I would please come in and be her guest. I thanked her but said that I was just passing by. In my crappy shorts and my sweaty shirt, I could not possibly attend any social function. But the lady insisted explaining that it is the Day to Honor the Dead. She pointed at a beautiful sarcophagus in the middle of the cemetery across. Through the mountain of fresh flowers, one could see a photo of a very young girl. “That is my daughter.” Please come in I am giving offerings for her soul. I went in, warmly greeted by the folks sitting around long tables. Several women, my new friend among them, were passing plates loaded with fried and bbq’ed fish of every size, whole and half roasted chickens, porkchops, salads, veggy dishes, cakes, cookies, chocolates… Endless loads of food were gracefully accepted by the attending crowds. They would eat some and pack away most into the prepared bags – for later. I had a few bites of some yummy yams and taro when a couple of little girls came and sat next to me barraging me with questions. A couple of ladies were insisting I come dance with them. More food was being heaped my way… Amazing! I had a very nice chat with my hostess. After the death of her daughter, she moved her family to Tongatapu but they took a ferry over to Eua on regular basis to visit the gravesite. She had another daughter and a son. Husband never came up but I am sure she had one of those too…