by GWTAdmin | Nov 25, 2015 | local food, neiafu tonga vava'u, Polynesian churches, polynesian culture, Polynesian locals
Young auntie? Cousin? This little girl helda baby for the majority of the service servicein the Neiafu Wesleyan church in Tonga.Children wriggle. Mobile phones buzz inappropriately. Phone cams record. Microphones cue. The girls wear their very... by GWTAdmin | Sep 21, 2015 | adventures ashore, New Potato TONGA, Niuatoputapu, Polynesian locals
Lollygirl, striking a pose in Niuatoputapu TONGA.“Lollies?” she inquired, her head cocked, coquettishly. She radiated the innocence you’d expect from an adorable and hopeful 8-year-old girl on a relatively isolated South Pacific Island, used to visiting yachties... by GWTAdmin | Sep 19, 2015 | adventures ashore, New Potato TONGA, Niuatoputapu, Polynesian locals, road trip, sailing South Pacific, TONGA
Niuatoputapu TONGA dock dinghy mass;a sure sign of a cruiser invasion. Shortly after we dropped anchor following our all-night passage to Niuatoputapu (pronounced new-ya toe-poo tah-poo or, more linguistically challenged cruisers refer to it as “New... by GWTAdmin | Aug 19, 2015 | cruiser life, cruising provisioning, French Polynesia, local food, Polynesian locals, produce stands, recipe
“Oh no we can’t sell you half of these,” the Bora Boraproprietor insisted. As a result, I bought nothing.One oddity common among most Polynesians – they don’t like to bargain. In my case, the issue is usually not about price, but quantity. Much... by GWTAdmin | Aug 17, 2015 | adventures ashore, heiva, maupiti french polynesia, Polynesian locals, sailing destinations, sailing South Pacific
Granted, these and bicycles are more commonthan cars and trucks on Maupiti.“There are no cars on Maupiti,” my relatively recent LonelyPlanet guidebook claims. It’s incorrect unless trucks, the 4-wheelers of choice, don’t count as cars. It is true that... by GWTAdmin | Aug 15, 2015 | pape'ete tahiti french polynesia, Polynesian locals, sailing destinations, sailing South Pacific, topless Polynesians
Forget the fantasy. In real life French Polynesian women’s attireis rated PG — even Polynesian dancers. Traditional dancecostumes are quite beautiful. Image pilfered from www.gigsalad.com. Conjure up an image of Polynesian paradise and what do you...