There were about 15 cruising boats in the harbour at Niuatoputapu while we were there, a pretty rare occurance. Locals Sia and Nico are about our age and have become the unofficial island ambassadors to the cruisers – they have one of the only VHF radios on the island and are very friendly, hardworking, and speak perfect English. They hosted a couple of fabulous Tongan meals while we were there, opening up their modest home to about 30 cruisers. Here they are on Sunday, after the Catholic church ceremony which was attended en masse by cruisers. The mass was held in Tongan so of course we understood nothing, but the singing was pretty amazing. Also wonderful to see were people’s pandanus clothing accessories – the men wearing a ta’ovala and the women the kiekie, a waistband of decoratively woven strips – each one unique.
Wearing these pandanus overskirts shows that one is ‘dressed up.' Teachers wear them at school, government officials often wear them, and teenaged boys wear them as part of their school uniforms. We saw one woman wearing a similar mat that reached from her ankles to her armpits, which is apparently a sign of mourning – and given the temperatures there, a very impressive feat of devotion.