Day 10, to Vavau Part1

Today is Monday,  and I am realising this is fast coming to an end. At the beginning it felt like it would go on forever, but not so. The reason I booked this trip earlier in the year was a combination of things, one being the fact it was going into Vavau,  it is such a beautiful place to sail into. Another was the ship itself, my earlier trip on this ship was outstanding. The third thing was it terminates in Auckland.
 So Vavau was stunning as before. I last visited in  June 2014 but this was different.

 Today is Monday according to the lifts

 First view of Vavau,  early morning. We were picking up the pilot at this point. My window has still not been cleaned. I found out why it gets so bad,  when they raise the tenders from the sea, the sit there dripping outside my window,  so they don't drip on the promenade deck.
I think Royal Caribbean could do better in this regard.

 The view from the tender going on in.

 Another view from the tender

 And another, there are the definite haves here.

 Looking back at the ship

 Another view back to the ship

 More of the unspoilt view here. To a

 During the speeches. As we came off the tender, we were formally welcomed by the minister  for tourism, and then treated to a display of traditional dancing, and there was also a band there, some adults but mainly teenagers.  I wonder if they were from the local school. This did not happen when I came in 2014, there certainly wasn't a welcome like this. This was the first visit by a Royal Car ride an ship, let alone the Radiance of the seas.

 More of the dancing

 This girl was dancing, and a female passenger stuck $10 down her top she stopped immediately dancing and put it in a hat. Vavau is very traditional,  as is all of Tonga, but particularly so here. This is not how things are done.Yes they wanted donations, but not in a way that objectified the dancer.

 The other girls danced next, dressed in fine mats.

The boys danced next, a war dance.

 One of the many churches here. This building would easily hold 1000

 The free Wesleyan church of Tonga

 The large instruction building next door

 The Christian secondary school. They grow vegetable gardens on the grounds

 A street stall selling bananas and taro and kumara

 The ministers house

 The have nots next door

Another view of the derelict house next door. 

 Looking down the street

 The local department store

 A frangipani tree in flower

 Another look at that huge church

 The fire department

 A bread fruit tree

The Tongan flag