Tongan Colours Now Wave Over Mystery Isle

Manawatu Times, Volume LIV, Issue 6849, 2 March 1929, Page 13

Tongan Colours Now Wave Over Mystery Isle

An Historic Ceremony

NE of the spasmodic ap-

pearances of Falcon Island above the surface of the Pacific recently allowed a group of Tongan citizens to plant their flag on its uncertain summit. . One of the world’s geological curiosities, Falcon Island was discovered by. H.M.S. Falcon, a British man-o’-war. After disappearing for a time,

It reappeared during a sensational cataclysm on October 14, 1885. Some time afterwards it again faded away. Ships sailed over what had been charted as solid land. The island is now visible again, and has been visited by parties from Nukualofa. On a former appearance of the island, one “annexation” party had the bafling experience of finding on arrival that the island was again “off duty.” In the picture reproduced herewith Tugi, Premier of Tonga, and PrinceConsort of Queen Salote, is seen holding the Tongan flag, which was raised on the summit. Like the other dimensions of Falcon Island, the height of the summit fluctuates considerably. The party had difficulty in landing on the island, and some of the photogra: phic apparatus was nearly lost in the sea. ,