On This Day . . .

Our second day in Tonga, we decided to tour the rest of this small island of Tongatapu. We first went to Royal Palace, where the King holds receptions. As we traveled along the roads of the island we found the people to be very friendly.We also noticed the many cemeteries that were adorned with quilts instead of headstones. We were informed that the people who couldn’t afford headstones decorated the graves with quilts and replaced when needed. We then traveled to Cooks Landing, the place that Captain James Cook landed on the island in 1777. Here there were local craft people selling baskets. There were also a group ladies making some tapa cloth under a canopy. We proceeded to Ha’amonga ‘a Maui, an archway made of 3 huge rocks, thought to be used as an astronomical calendar. We returned to town and went to Talamahu Market, a craft and produce market in Nuku’Alofa.