Week 10 in Tonga;
10.11.-16.11.2014
The Form 6 and F7 exams started this morning.
The QSC hall was one of the exam’s rooms for Tongatapu; Liahona, Tupou College,
Tonga High and QSC were having their exams also here at QSC hall. I took some
pictures and Latu, our deputy principal handed out the exam admission slips.
Around 20 students were not in the official list but the chief examiner let
them in while fixing the problem. At least they sat the exam.
All the lower classes finished their exams and they are mostly doing singing practice preparing the song for the price giving ceremony on the 26th. In the evening, before our touch rugby, we dug
some holes ready for the tree planting on Thursday. We supposed to have one
tree per class and I wanted to have the place ready before Thursday.
Naitoko and Simi
Naitoko and Ikani
Samu and Kava
Tuesday 11th
of November
Today we recorded the “Upee ‘o
Halaivalumata’aho Junior”. Princess Halaevalu Mata’aho is the daughter of the
Crown Prince, Tupouto’a and Princess Sinaitakala whom we visited last week. In the morning we practiced
few times before we went to the Tonga Broadcasting Commission to record the
song. There were students, the string band and few teachers and of course
me. There were only 3 base singers, Fiefia, Mesui and I. The teachers were busy with other things, therefore I was welcomed since there was no one else, good for me! It was filmed also and it supposed to air next Saturday on Tongan TV. After the session, I cycled
home and when I arrived the song came on the radio. Not so bad!
I got a message that Meli from the Environment
Department called. I cycled to his office and it was about the payment for the
trees. Someone from the Agriculture Dept which has the trees for tomorrow was
concerned who would pay for them? There was nothing serious though, I already
talked to his boss, Tevita Faka’osi about it. Tevita left the country but he
informed someone else about the arrangement. We could take the trees and they
would send the bill to Meli at the Environment Dept.
Wednesday 12th
of November
Mona
Mona and I went to pick up the trees from the
Agricultural Department in Tokomololo. I had to explain again to the guys at
the nursery about the payment arrangement. No one told them that we were coming
even I called yesterday and informed the office that we would come today. I
guessed they just forgot to inform the other guys J. We supposed to have 70 flower
plants but when I collected the list, some of the teachers wanted to have fruit
trees also which were more expensive. We made a new list taking into
consideration that we had only $140 pa’anga to spend.
We went to see my relative, Tevita Toafa and
his family who also lived in Tokomololo, few hundred meters away from the
nursery. It was really nice and I talked to my cousin Taniela also. I din’t
remember when was the last time I was there but it was good to see those
guys.
Thursday 13th
of November
There was a signing practice and then we had
our tree planting activity. Trees were given to class captains and the classes
were asked to look after their own tree. It went quite well, the kids seemed to
enjoy the event and were happy to plan their own tree.
Manase called, the boat from Eua brought some
“huli’I hopa” for the teachers’ plantation. Could someone come and pick them up
from the boat which arrived at 7:30 pm.
Around 6:00, Simi, I and our rugby team took the truck and drove to the
harbor to get the stuff. Manase brought “kava” and “kape” from Eua. He had a food container to be sent to Hawaii and our team was happy to help unloading the stuff. Manase has supplied the teachers with needed stuff for their plantation. In the evening, Manase and Hango came to our kava party at “Kai’angakai”.
Friday 14th
of November
I woke up and went to the bank. Last night I
forgot the pin number for my visa electronic. Luckly, the machine did not take
the card. I was the first one queuing at the door. The bank opened at 9:00 am
and I managed to get some money for the trip. I was afraid; it was not possible
to withdraw money without the pin number but I came out from the ANZ bank with
few “pa’anga”.
When I arrived at the wharf, there was time
before the boat leave at 11:00. I bought 2 tickets for me and Manase then I went to
Mele’s café just opposite the harbour to have coffee. Last week, I bought some
food at the café. I had a conversation with Mele and found out that she lived
in North Shore near to my sister's house. This morning, she told me that she
would leave this evening since her father died this morning. I promised to call
when I am in Auckland and I asked for her surname and it was Filo.
The boat “Onemato” was late leaving. There was
lot of stuff to be loaded. I did not see Manase and I was worried that he could
miss the boat. There were lots of stuff to be arranged concerning the food
container and it possible he could not make it.
Around 11.40 he called me for a coffee. I realised that the “Onemato”
might even wait for him if he was late…
The trip was really good. The weather was
lovely and I was anticipating seeing Eua. It was going home somehow. The last
time I visited Eua was in 1985 for few days. Except Manase, I knew no one on
the boat. When we arrived in “Faua” habour at ‘Ohonua, the capital of Eua, I
had met good number of the passengers. Manase introduced me to relatives were
in the boat. Most of them never head of me but of course they knew my
parents.
Neta, Manase’s wife was waiting for us. We
stopped few times on the way for me to take pictures and they pointed out the
villages as we bounding all the way to Petani. Most of Eua’s inhabitants were
originally from Niua Foo’u in the Northen part of Tonga. In the 1930s/40s,
there was a big volcanic eruption in Niua Fo’ou and the government moved the
Niuans to ‘Eua. The Niuans named their villages in Eua after their own village
in Niua.
I stepped out the car when we arrived to
Manase’s house and the “Ha’atu’a” primary school which I attended in the 70s
and the “Hofangahau” college (HS) were just in front of me. This place was even
smaller than Nuku’alofa. Somehow I remembered walking a long way to school from
our home and they were all within few hundred meters. The houses are different
but the landscape still more of less the same. It was surreal, I was a visitor
yet I felt at home. I felt somehow safe to be there as if I knew everyone who was
staring at my direction when I walked by. Yet, those faces were all strangers...
Soane, was an old gentlemen who lives with Manase and Neta. He is quite active and in good shape despite his age which was around 90 year old. We started to talk and he mentioned that he originally from Ma'ufanga and his surname was Filo. He was Mele Filo's uncle. I was so sorry to tell him that his brother died in Auckland this morning and I was the bearer of the sad news. His nephew called in the evening to inform him about his brother but he already knew about it...
My niece, Whitney, Manase’s youngest daughter
and I went for a walk in the evening. I told her some of my childhood stories
about the places as we passed by familiar grounds. Some homes were emptied and
she answered my questions about those souls which already moved on to the other
site and only the skeleton of their houses stood as reminders they were here.
We walked to the edge of Petani and to the airport fence. I remembered running with the other kids to the airport whenever we heard the airplane. Sometimes we missed the
landing and we stood there until it took off again. It was the first time we saw an airplane.
Whitney!
We went to kava party in the evening. We went
to Sapa’ate first and we were there for a short time and Tevita Lavemaau (Ti)
called Manase that he would want to go to Ha’atu’a. Ti was from Petani and a
close relative of ours. Ti was one of the candidates for the Parliament
election at the end of November. Manase has been with him in his campaign. We
left the kava at Sapa’ate and drove back to Ha’atua. Ti and his entourage were waiting outside. I was introduced and
we went in. Something different in this place, surprised there was no smoking
inside, the hall was smoke free and smokers went outside to smoke. I could not
believe it, amazing someone had not only the brain but also the courage to
enforce the non-smoking sign on the wall... 
Ti & Nasio
We won the second prize and it was a “pola”.
Food was distributed to other groups which did not win anything and the feast
started. After a while, Ti and his men left. Manase and I continued with the Mata’aho group
before retiring home around 4:00 am. Of course there was food waiting for us at
home and in no time we enjoyed our own feast there. You really need to look
after your diet when drinking kava. Kava is not for the weak hearts.
Saturday 15th November
In the morning, we went to Manase’s plantation.
There were kava, taro, yams, sugarcane, papayas etc. I went and picked some
papaya while Manase and Saia were collecting some bananas and talos. I found
some sugarcane and helped myself to it. There were many papaya started to ripe
on the trees. It was fun to just get the papaya myself. When was the last time
that was happened? At least more than 25 years ago...
Manase's kava plantation!
Manase!
After lunch, I went to see our farming land
which was about 50 meters from Manase’s house. Soane volunteered to
come with me. The place was over grown, there
was a forest there. I found the stream which used to run through our land.
There was a puddle with few cows standing near it. I walked around trying to
locate the oak trees were in the middle but I could not find them. Later, I was
told that the oaks trees were cut down some time ago…
Soane, the Gentlemen
Sunday 16th November
My parents' home
My parents' home
My cousin, Tangikina and family!
My cousin, Soni and family!
I went to see some of my relatives. My cousin
Tangikina, son of father’s young brother was a pastor at the “Tongan Church” in
Pangai. From there, I went to see Soni and his family. Soni was my cousin from
my mother’s site. I went to see aunt Lama, my father’s sister. I was hurry back
and got ready for the church morning service. We went to
Petani and in the afternoon we went to Mata’aho where my father from. After the service we continued at the hall
with kava. It was really nice to chat with my relatives. As in small villages,
I was related to everyone, if it was not my father then it was my mother’s
connection or even both…
Members of Mata'aho congregation!
Mata'aho youth choir
Members of Petani congregation!
Mata'aho
My 10th
week was over, see you next week!
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